Spain: Barcelona-based VrTech Events is now accepting applications for its annual Start-Up competition, which celebrates the latest innovations in the global vacation rental technology sector.
The awards attract start-ups that cover the entire ecosystem of the private accommodation space, which now represents the travel industry’s fastest growing vertical.
The competition will have three stages before culminating in a final pitch at October’s Vacation Rental World Summit in Lake Como. The deadline for submitting the first pitch is 10 June and the subsequent stages include a vote by qualified judges and then the general public.
Last year’s winner of the VrTech Start-Up awards was UK-based Stasher Luggage, who fought off competition from Roomonitor’s noise control software and Swikly’s security deposit software in the final round. Stasher’s luggage storage network now spans across 160 cities across four continents, a significant increase since they were awarded the top VrTech prize last October.
The winner of the inaugural VrTech Start-Up awards in 2017 was Hello Here, whose CEO Piotr Kubiczek, said: “The VrTech Start-Up awards was a fantastic platform for us to springboard into the travel tech space which allowed us increased visibility to gain new clients as well as develop crucial partnerships.”
As well as traditional vacation rental tech companies, VrTech aims to showcase cutting-edge startups that are fuelling the growth of the vacation rental industry. In the past, the VrTech awards have brought together startups in the vacation rental industry including, noise control, voice enabled concierge, housekeeping booking systems, check-in automation and key management.
Rentals United CMO and founder of VrTech and Vacation Rental Tech Week, Vanessa de Souza Lage, said: “This year will be even more competitive as the landscape of vacation rental tech has evolved and the industry has become more competitive with many players all innovating at a superior speed.”
Vacation Rental Tech Week is an industry-wide event which connects property managers and owners with innovative technology partners over a week of meetups and events. The purpose of the event is to bring a diverse community together to initiate, share and celebrate new visions and ideas.
De Souza Lage added: “With this mindset, it becomes even more important for players to come together as a community to share and spread knowledge and innovation, thereby creating a richer and more connected ecosystem. Award competitions such as the VrTech Start-Up Awards really help to stir up excitement, morale, and support.”
Start-ups interested in applying for the awards are advised to visit the VrTech Events website here.
