Why you cannot afford to miss Vitur Summit 2022

Spain: Vitur Summit, the in-person European event for short-term rentals, serviced apartments and alternative accommodation, returns for its seventh edition from 5-7 October 2022 in Malaga, Spain.

The event launches with the inaugural Vitur Forum España [which takes place entirely in Spanish] on Wednesday 5 October at the Rectorade of the University of Malaga. Centred around the concept of sustainability as providing a competitive advantage, Vitur Forum España will provide a platform for local and domestic rental professionals, property managers, investors, ministers, tourism organisations and more to dive into a range of topics such as investment in the tech ecosystem, the leading role that short-term rentals can play in the tourism industry in Spain, and the latest flexible living trends.

Two days of networking, discussions and presentations will ensue as Vitur Summit takes centre stage at the FYCMA – Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga. In the process, it will turn the city of Malaga into a European leader in the sector, which is set to generate 1.8 billion euros in Andalusia this year.

It is also an essential driving force behind the region’s tourism and economy. Currently, 50 per cent of all places of accommodation in the autonomous community are holiday homes and rural properties, creating 15,100 direct jobs, 9,500 indirect ones and 8,400 self-employment opportunities.

Among the many sessions scheduled over the two-day Summit, there will be plenty of unmissable discussions and highlights for attendees to keep their eye on, including:

Thursday 6 October

Once key figures such as AVVAPro president Carlos Pérez-Lanzac, FEVITUR president Miguel Angel Sotillos and EHHA general secretary Viktorija Molnar have formally got proceedings underway, Vitur Summit will kick off with two discussions centring around the travel and tourism industry’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and its subsequent rebound.

Jannich Petersen, general secretary of the Vitur Summit organising committee, will open up with a presentation on tourism solutions and the strapline of being “Up to the challenge”, followed up by an in-depth look at the future role of short-term rentals in European travel. The timing for the conversation is most apt, given the European Commission is currently considering regulating short-term rentals under a consistent set of rules across the bloc, and a representative from the Commission is scheduled to take part via video.

Mergers and acquisitions [M&A] have also been a big talking point in the short-term rental industry as the sector has continued t0 consolidate with fewer players. This frenzy of activity will be explored in greater detail when International Hospitality Media [IHM] CEO Piers Brown moderates a discussion on “Inventory growth strategy: M&A vs organic” with participation from four active industry leaders, including: Marco Celani, CEO, Italianway; Steve Milo, CEO, VTrips; Henrik Kjellberg, CEO, Awaze; and Roger Mueller, CPO, Interhome.

It will be equally fascinating to hear from Mireia Prieto, regional director WEMEA at Booking.com, as she sits down for a one-to-one talk in the keynote arena with Pérez-Lanzac. Among the topics likely to be addressed are Booking’s move towards appealing to more individual hosts, the platform’s ‘request to book’ option pilot for some property listings, and whether it is looking to imitate other OTAs in certain aspects.

Later in the day, Pérez-Lanzac will also sit down for a quick-fire fireside chat with Tim Rosolio, global VP vacation rental partner success at Expedia Group, in which Vrbo’s plans in Europe, legislation, and the unification of the platform with several different brands are set to come into focus.

As well as networking and panel discussions, Vitur Summit has again incorporated the Vitur Living Experience, a life-size apartment where companies can showcase their products and services in a “tangible and more experiential” way. The space is twice the size that it was in last year’s edition, and attendees will be able to walk through it in a more accessible way than ever before.

The Vitur workshop, an open Q&A session with short-term / vacation rental experts, will also be one of the lasting hallmarks of this year’s Vitur Summit. Here, attendees will be able to put their burning questions to a star-studded panel, including the likes of Abode PR managing director Jessica Gillingham, Yes Consulting founder Richard Vaughton and Sustonica founder Vanessa de Souza Lage.

Other pertinent subjects to be highlighted on Day One of Vitur Summit range from “Staying ahead by innovating your property services” to “Building a sustainable lifestyle brand” and “How to structure your operations for multi-destination growth”, the latter of which will feature speakers from NUMA Group, Happy.Rentals, Sweet Inn, City Relay and Stay Unique.

Friday 7 October

Day Two will follow on in much the same vein as the opening day of the Summit, with a series of “of-the-moment” conversations and debates on stage.

Attendees will be able to tune into the latest trends concerning integrations, partnerships and new features by hearing from speakers such as YieldPlanet [a company recently acquired by Guesty] CEO Claudio Limacher and Cesar Augusto Ramos, head of partnerships at Avantio [recently purchased by Planet]. Meanwhile, onefinestay, Key Data Dashboard and Pancho Apartments will take to the stage to delve into “Experiencing luxury, uniqueness and exclusivity: guest and investor expectations” as guest expectations of luxury become ever more heightened.

Later that day, STRz editor Paul Stevens will lead a panel on “Rising money and leading the industry to the next level” at a time when investment in the sector is accelerating, new solutions and companies are coming to the market, and private equity firms and institutional investors are seeking to claim their slice of the short-term rental pie. Avantio CEO Manuel Giner, Duve CMO Adir Ron, Transparent CEO Pierre Becerril and Italianway CEO Marco Celani will also participate and provide their expert insights on the current investment landscape.

That investment is also fuelling rapid technological developments in the industry, and the likes of Xplorie CEO Matthew Loney SALTO Systems global residential lead, Iñigo Unanue, and Friendly Rentals COO Angela Watson will be on hand to offer their perspectives on “Staying ahead with customer experience”.

Those present at Vitur Summit 2022 will have a plethora of opportunities to network with industry leaders and gain valuable takeaways from the conversations. Discussions on “Investing in direct bookings and your brand” and “The new opportunity for destinations: a European view” are also not to be missed in order for attendees to get the maximum value out of the event.

ShortTermRentalz is a media partner for Vitur Summit and will be conducting video interviews during the event. We will be represented on the following panels across the two days of the Summit:

Thursday 6 October

11:55 – 12:25 – Inventory growth strategy: M&A vs organic

Moderated by Piers Brown, CEO at International Hospitality Media

• Marco Celani | CEO at Italianway
• Steve Milo | CEO at Vtrips
• Henrik Kjellberg | CEO at Awaze
• Roger Mueller | CPO at Interhome

Friday 7 October

12:15 – 12:40 – Rising money and leading the industry to the next level

Moderated by Paul Stevens, editor, ShortTermRentalz

• Manuel Giner | CEO at Avantio
• Adir Ron | CMO at Duve
• Pierre Becerril | CEO at Transparent
• Marco Celani | CEO at Italianway

Ticket sales

To attend Vitur Summit, the organisation offers different types of tickets for the general public.

• The Visitor Pass, which costs 65 euros [cheaper than in previous editions], grants access to the exhibition area, the co-working rooms and the networking spaces.
• The Business Pass, which costs 180 euros, gives visitors access to the panels, keynotes and main agenda of Vitur Summit, as well as the opportunity to participate in Vitur Forum Spain.
• To complete the experience, the Full Pass is available for a price of 295 euros, granting the visitor access to the Gala Dinner.

Click here for more information about ticket sale.