Why are the Shortyz important for the short-term rental industry?
Worldwide: Abode PR director Jessica Gillingham highlights the reasons why the inaugural Shortyz Awards on 11 March 2020 will be important for the global short-term rental industry.
Back in September 2018, when Piers Brown, CEO of International Hospitality Media Ltd., launched the ShortTermRentalz news platform, I said to him, ‘please, please also launch an award ceremony for the industry!’
Why was I so insistent that he gives the industry an awards platform?
As the founder of a public relations firm which has a niche focus on the short-term rental industry, it’s been beyond frustrating that we’ve had a dearth of opportunities in which to celebrate the ‘movers and shakers’, ‘the innovators’, ‘the pioneers’ and the brilliant product or service providers. There’s been no place to publicly acknowledge the hardworking suppliers, individuals and property managers that are making this industry what it is.
The team at VRTech have done a fantastic job of providing a platform to celebrate tech startups in the industry, with the annual VRTech Awards, but that’s pretty much all we’ve had as a collective industry. An industry that is one of the fastest-growing and most innovative verticals in travel and travel technology. Shame on us really.
But why does this all matter? Aren’t industry award ceremonies at worst ‘puff and fluff’ and at best all about ‘glamour and glitter’? Aren’t they just opportunities for PR teams to strut their stuff, or for sales teams to milk?
Well, actually no….
Of course, there is a certain amount of ego-boosting, posturing and frivolity about awards. And there really is nothing wrong with that. However, in addition, there are several really solid reasons why an initiative like the Shortyz is not only very good for the industry, but also for the businesses that take part.
Here are some of the reasons why, in my opinion, the Shortyz are good for the short-term rental industry:
● Awards like the Shortyz raise the profile of the short-term rental industry ‘as a whole’. They bring increased emphasis on standards and professionalism to the space and they mark a turning point in the maturity of the industry.
● Awards bring credibility and validation to the entire industry as well as for each business that either wins or is shortlisted. They are a universally recognisable ‘stamp of approval’.
[Originally published on the Abode PR website here]
Jessica is the director of Abode PR – a boutique public relations agency and consultancy specialising in working with clients in the international short-term rental, hospitality tech and prop-tech space. Jessica writes and speaks regularly on topics related to public relations, the short-term rental industry and the travel industry. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and publisher of industry resource PillowTalk Media.
