VRM Intel Live! is coming to Sandestin’s Baytowne Wharf Conference Center, January 23, 2020, with 20 educational sessions and workshops for professional vacation rental managers.

The early registration fee for vacation rental managers is $129 ($199 after January 5) and will run all day from 8:00 – 5:00, with a cocktail party sponsored by Beyond Pricing to follow. Space is limited. 

If you are staying at Baytowne, the room rate is $139, and you can book accommodations by contacting the toll-free group reservations line at 800-320-8115 using code 2499PQ for room reservations.

Register Now for VRM Intel Live! Sandestin.

VRM Intel Live! Sandestin Sessions (4 more coming)

General Sessions

2019 Panhandle Performance and the 2020 Forecast

Key Data and VRM intel take a deep dive into actual YOY performance in the region, from the Alabama Gulf Coast to Panama City Beach. Which beaches saw YOY growth? Are we seeing migration of guests across destinations? Did we see notable swings in ADR, Occupancy, and RevPAR? Get the answers to these questions and more as we examine 2019 activity and look at year-to-date booking activity for 2020.  

A New Decade in Vacation Rental Management

Across panhandle destinations, vacation rental management companies are witnessing a shifting landscape with an influx of new faces, business models, and customer behavior. Industry leaders will be on stage to discuss regional changes, Vacasa’s purchase of Wyndham, new franchise models, preserving our destinations, and the future of vacation rental management in this new decade.  

Marketing Track

SEO/SEM Disrupted: Google Shakes Up the Funnel

Changes at Google are disrupting traditional SEO and SEM strategies. How are these changes affecting marketing efforts, and how can VRMs navigate the new search format? Amber will demonstrate what has changed at Google, how channel managers and OTAs are working with Google’s new booking platform, and what strategies VRMs can implement to get in front of the coming disruption. Amber Carpenter

Strategically Working with OTAs in 2020

People talk about strategic use of OTAs, but what does it actually mean? This session covers when to use OTAs, maximizing real estate on listing pages, and pricing strategies. Plus, does the billboard effect still exist and, if so, how does a VRM plant brand info into listings. Michelle Marquis

Could You be Losing Guests in the Booking Process?

Once a guest finally chooses one of your rentals, are you losing them in the booking process? Identify and create a user-friendly online booking process while keeping guests excited about booking their vacation as they finalize reservations. Analyze abandoned shopping cart activity, examine rental policy formats, and ensure an easy contract signing process. Brandon Sauls and Vanessa Humes

Building the Relationship with Guests Before, During and After the Vacation

With more guests going straight to the property, it is increasingly difficult to build a trusting relationship with them that keeps them coming back year after year. Using email and SMS/text messaging, we’ll discuss how to connect and interact with guests, provide information that communicates trust, and ensure that guests’ expectations are set and met.

Proactive Homeowner Acquisition

Competition for new homeowners has sharply increased with the influx of new and aggressive multi-destination companies. Pfautz discusses how homeowners are making decisions about choosing a VRM in 2020 and how to tell your story and set your company apart from the competition. With a focus on data and performance, VRMs can identify unique strategies and practices for targeting homeowners with the right message at the right time. Brooke Pfautz

Put Your Stamp on It

What do you do for guests that no one else does? What is your USP? Let’s take a look at some unique initiatives that managers in other destinations across the country are doing for guests to set themselves apart from the competition. Amy Hinote

Operations and Strategy Track

The 2020 Vacation Rental Regulatory Environment

A panel discussion on the market conditions, drivers precedent to and subsequent action behind regulation along the Emerald Coast, Tiffany Edwards and City Councilman Parker Destin

Experience and Professionalism: Why it Matters in the Vacation Rental Industry

With new entrants in the vacation rental industry, the level of professionalism has seen a decline across the US. How is this lack of experience and diminished focus on best practices affecting the industry? Edwards will discuss the importance of professionalism and how VRMs can raise the bar to create a higher expectation for homeowners, in our destinations, and in the industry. Ben Edwards

Revenue Management Infrastructure

Now that the vacation rental industry is getting destination-level performance data, we have the ability to create data-driven revenue management processes and practices. With a background in hotel revenue management, Saylor will show VRMs how hoteliers determine and implement pricing strategies by combining technology (including PMS software, pricing tools, and data sources), and how these processes compare and contrast with the vacation rental industry. Ryan Saylor

Data-driven Business Strategy

VRMs now have access to a ton of data, including destination data, performance data, website analytics, call center data, property data, and more. But how do managers combine all of this data to make business decisions about growth, staffing, pricing, and marketing? Each piece of data tells a small part of the business story, and when taken out of context, it can be misleading. But when the pieces are combined, VRMs can use these data sources to boost performance and maximize growth opportunities. Brise Carpenter

Making Safety a Top Priority at Your Agency

It is important to address safety in your vacation rentals to prevent harm to guests, avoid lawsuits and improve marketability. How do you go about doing that? In this session, Ford discusses establishing the role of a safety manager(s) and establishing protocols, procedures and demonstrated best practices that will help ensure your company is doing all it can do to address the safety of your guests. Justin Ford

Lessons Learned: Technology, Hiring, Owners, Guests, Laundry, Linens and More

Experience is the best teacher, and some lessons are learned the hard way. Milo will candidly discuss some of these lessons he has learned over the last 15 years in vacation rental management, including implementing technology, hiring, working with homeowners, dealing with guests who want to blackmail you, battling regulations, facing new competition, and more. Steve Milo

HR 411: What you need to know in 2020

Description Coming Soon, Sue Jones

Key Data Workshop

Become a performance and destination data expert and identify KPIs that are important to your business. Learn to use the Key Data Dashboard to create reports that help drive business decisions, pricing and marketing strategy. Create your own dashboard views, and learn to quickly pull individual homeowner performance. Now that we have the data, let’s learn how to use it.