Second Short Stay Show held in London: Review
UK: The second annual Short Stay Show event, sponsored by Booking.com, took place at ExCeL London this week, as industry professionals from across the short-term rental industry united for a one-day conference against the backdrop of the unfolding coronavirus outbreak.
The event is primarily aimed at owners, managers and investors of short-term accommodations who were looking to capitalise on the rising pace of the short-term rental industry to either start or scale up their businesses. Following the first edition of the Show last year, this year’s event saw almost double the amount of exhibitors [more than 90 this year].
Among the notable speakers this year were Short-Term Accommodation Association [UK STAA] chair Merilee Karr [who helped to launch a buildings management platform, Trusted Hosts, in partnership with Locale], European Holiday Home Association [EHHA] secretary general Carlos Villaro Lassen, Sykes Holiday Cottages CEO Graham Donoghue and Booking.com senior product marketing manager Alessandro Pacilio via video link from Italy.
One of the major recurring topics of conversation was inevitably the coronavirus outbreak, however the industry issued a collective rallying call to mitigate against the most damaging impacts and speakers addressed ways for businesses to react to it and ensure their companies came through stronger.
The event included:
- A Premium-Access Conference for industry stakeholders and influencers wanting to hear from keynote speakers, UK government representatives and panel session players.
- An Innovative Marketplace with new products and services for the sector including technology companies, platforms, traditional hospitality suppliers and specialist travel companies.
- Five Marketplace Stages of learning and betterment for property owners, managers and hosts who are looking to find out the latest trends to improve their properties and listings.
- A Central Networking Area to connect, collaborate and converse with peers, industry figures and property owners.
This year’s Show also featured the DMO Summit for the first time, a brand-new event for professionals working at destination management organisations [ DMO ], tourist boards and local authorities. The inaugural Summit was delivered in partnership with Quality in Tourism – a household name within the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry.
The summit organisers created a tailor-made half-day summit format with expert speakers, panel sessions and networking sessions allowing delegates to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the sector in 2020 and beyond. It featured speakers from VisitBritain, Booking. com, HomeAway, ASSC, Tourism Alliance, and more.
Over the last year, the Short Stay Show team has broadened their event portfolio, including organising the Short Stay Summit which took place in Barcelona in November. The community event series dedicates itself to the fastest growing trend in hospitality, property and technology: the short-term rental space.
The team behind the series, including show organisers Jim Curry and Diane Lloyd, also picked up an industry award in October for Best Trade Launch Event.
More news on future Short Stay Show events, as well as the date and venue for the 2021 edition of the London Show, will be revealed in due course.
For more information, visit the Short Stay Show website here.
