ASTRA - Australia and New Zealand Short Term Rental Accommodation Association
powered by TidyHQJulie George - Read about her STRA Conference World Tour!
Julie George - Read about her STRA Conference World Tour!
Our very own Julie George, Author of Million Dollar Host and more recently co-author of the Amazon Best Seller Hospitable Hosts, recently conducted a World Tour to speak at a number of Short Term Rental events. Julie shares with us her insights into the events she attended and key takeaways from each gathering….
EVENT #1 Hospitable Hosts Book Launch – LONDON May 18th
The Book Launch in London was held just prior to the Shortyz Awards and was attended by many authors, sponsors and Hosts. This was the first of many Book Launches Julie attended in Barcelona, Atlanta, Nashville, Austin and finally Brisbane. The Hospitable Hosts book is a culmination of over 40 Hosts from around the world sharing their short term rental experiences. This book is available on Amazon and all profits go to the War Child and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
**Julies Takeaway…. ‘We all have a book (or at least a chapter in us) that needs sharing and one of the greatest legacies you can leave your family is to put this story in black and white! If you are a Host that wants to also add the title of Author to your Resume, make sure to apply to be included in the 2023 edition of Hospitable Hosts.’
Photo – Meredith Cowley, Jane Dickenson, Julie George, Jodie Stirling and Merryn Tuck (all Australian Authors of the best selling book Hospitable Hosts) at the Brisbane Book Launch July 2022
EVENT #2 The Shortyz 2022 – London May 18th
Around 200 people attended the live event, hosted by ShortTermRentalz overlooking the Tower of London. The 20 award categories were judged by an independent panel consisting of investors, consultants and experts, before a one-week voting period was held with more than 55,000 votes cast from around the world. Flying the Ausssie flag, Julie George was one of the Judges who announced the nominees and winners. A big congratulations to Australian businesswoman Cassandra Sasso of Wander who was the winner of the Innovator/Disrupter Award this year.
**Julies Takeaway…. ‘Only a handful of Australians were nominated in the awards this year, but certainly enough for the rest of the world to sit up and take notice of the incredible work being achieved Downunder. In 2023 it would be great to see more individuals and companies nominate themselves or each other for this global recognition in the short term rental industry.’
EVENT #3 Short Stay Summit – London May 19th
The European Holiday Home Association (EHHA), UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) and the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) joined forces to put on the leading European business Conference & Exhibition for short-term rental property Managers and Owners.
Held at the incredible Tobacco Docks in London, the focus of this event was ‘Capitalising on Growth’ and was attended by hundreds of Industry representatives from around the world. Julie was asked to speak on ‘The Secret to an Exceptional Guest Experience’ and how to differentiate your property while also maintaining a desirable profit margin.
**Julie’s Takeaway … ‘This felt like a big ‘school reunion’ with a lot of industry folk who had only ever Zoomed with each other finally meeting each other face-to-face for the first time. This event was more than relevant for the Aussies who attended and there was an incredible amount of future trends, tips and tricks shared from the stage.’
Photo at the Short Stay Summit in London – Julie George, Andy McNulty (Touchstay), Matthew Loney (Xplorie), Veronica Rivas (Homes & Villas by Marriott International) and Moderator Tyann Marcink Hammon
EVENT #4 Scale Rentals – Barcelona May 26th
Scale Rentals was a unique one-day conference dedicated to professional short-term rental property managers with over 50 units. The sole focus was on how to scale businesses quickly, financially and sustainably. Topics included property acquisition, raising capital, emerging technologies, owner relationships, environmental impact, exit strategies and more. Julie George was a keynote speaker at this event addressing the audience on ‘How to work ON your business not IN it’ speaking from her personal experience operating a portfolio of 130 properties working only 10 hours a week. She also moderated a panel discussing ‘Technology and Hospitality – Finding the Sweet Spot’ with industry and tech giants – Enso Connect, Operto, Cocoonr and Altido.
**Julie’s Takeaway… ‘This was where the Big Boys of the Industry hang out… most attendees were running property portfolios in the hundreds if not thousands, so the round table discussions and chat was NEXT level. I was really proud to see a number of Aussies attending this conference and representing the short term rental community we have in the South Pacific. I can also testify that these big players party as hard as they work too!!’
Photo – Julie in Barcelona
EVENT #5 STR Wealth Conference – Nashville June 6-8th
The biggest and most anticipated industry event of the year….this was a HIGH-ENERGY, fully immersive 3-day journey that was more like a Rock Concert than a business conference. Kicking off with a massive Welcome Party with an 80’s cover band, through to the Karate Kid/ Cobra Kai actor ‘John Kreese’ gracing the stage mid-conference and a line-up of the best speakers in the industry, this was an event that will be talked about in years to come! Julie George spoke twice on stage over the event, first delivering a well-received keynote on ‘Scaling your Short Term Rental business with an Organisational Structure to give you Freedom’ and second speaking on a Women’s Power Panel to discuss finding a lifestyle balance and how to succeed in the Hospitality Industry as a female.
**Julie’s Takeaway … ‘This was without a doubt my FAVOURITE event and it was where I connected with over 1000 Hosts of all sizes and levels. There were very few vendors and industry suppliers which centred the focus and discussion right back on the operators in the industry. If you get a chance to attend this event in the future…. DO NOT MISS OUT!’
EVENT #6 The STR Event – Houston, Texas June 9-10th
This event was a small and intimate event of approximately 50 attendees focused on finding and launching their very first short term rental property. With a focus on purchasing property and structuring loans this was an event very much targeting residents of North America. Julie spoke about leveraging other people’s property to achieve success through property management in the Short Term Rental field.
**Julie’s Takeway … ‘This was a great excuse to visit Houston for the first time but not really an event for the Aussies to put in their diaries’
EVENT #7 IMN Short Term Rental Forum – Austin, Texas June 16 & 17th
The inaugural event was held in the ballroom of a large Hotel and provided exclusive educational content and industry insights, but also presented a unique opportunity for senior-level attendees to network with residential, short-term rental and vacation, investors, developers, lenders and property managers. Julie George was asked to speak on a Panel discussing ‘Master Lease vs. Fee Agreements vs. Owning/Managing Yourself’.
**Julie’s Takeway … ‘This event was very Vendor heavy and there were more Lenders in the room than there were Short Term Rental Operators. There were multiple rooms running presentations and discussions which made it hard to capture all the valuable information being shared.’
So, what is next?? In the next 2 months, Julie has plans to return to the USA to speak at events in Houston, Miami and Las Vegas before MCing the inaugural ASTRA Here to Stay Conference being held on the Gold Coast in October. If you have not already secured your tickets do not delay – www.heretostayconference.com
