2024 Schedule - March 7, 2024
Check out 2024 Speakers and Schedule for a sample
DOWNLOAD PROGRAM PDF
FULL SCHEDULE
Breakfast with Support Vendors
8 AM – 9 AM : Mini exhibit hall
Breakfast Buffet with small 4x4 card tables for providers around the perimeter. Local service providers like cleaners, maintenance people, plumbers, electricians, etc.
Breakfast is included with price of Full Day Tickets.
Welcome
9 AM – 9:15 AM : Ballroom
Chris Barrett (PMVB) to offer welcoming remarks and provide some updates as to travel and tourism statistics.
Morning Keynote
9:15 AM – 10:10 AM : Ballroom
Bill Faeth to discuss how to get better performance from your rental investments and where to find opportunities to grow your business by upgrading your property and your operations. Bill will give some insight into today’s traveler and how to bring more of them to our region along with national trends and how they may affect our region. (Mark Shay to introduce/conclude).
Coffee Break/Mixer
10:10 AM – 10:30 AM
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM : Breakout Sessions
Professionals
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM : Room 1
Bill Faeth to lead a more detailed session, a mini-mastermind followed by Q&A and some possible case studies.
Individual Owners
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM : Room 2
Moderators (Lindsey Rodriguez, Nate Silver) - STR 101 Panel - Join us for a session focused on providing actionable strategies to maximize the profitability and operational efficiency of your short-term rental. Our expert panel of managers, owners and local vendors will guide you through the fundamental aspects of owning and operating a successful STR, including designing a stand-out listing, pricing, marketing, building a trusted local team, and more.
Realtors ®
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM : Room 3
Moderator (PMAR) - Enhance Your Value Proposition with Vacation Rental Expertise.
Elevate your business and position yourself as the ultimate resource for vacation rental clients. Help to educate them to be good neighbors so their business can thrive as well. Master the unique opportunities and challenges of vacation rental properties in the Poconos. Our panel of experts will provide you with the knowledge to address common buyer concerns and to be able to get the most for your sellers.
Lunch Buffet/Mixer
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM
Exhibit Area Opens
Afternoon Keynote
12:30 PM – 1:40 PM : Ballroom
Matt Curtis – National Public Policy Expert
Ken Bedwell – CEO, STR Insights
Cree Lawson – Futurist, AirDnA
David Krauss - Co-Founder & CEO, Rent Responsibly
Matt Curtis will conclude as to what other regions are doing, some of the successes that come from standardizing processes, some of the hazards of overregulation.
Ken Bedwell on what the numbers tell us, what the trends say. What does the future hold for family vacation rentals.
Cree Lawson on Analyzing the Total Overnight Economy in Pocono Mountains and STR Projections for 2024 & what's coming in travel data.
David Krauss has his finger on the pulse of STR alliances around the country. He will share the latest innovations in community building, highlighting the work of the Poconos VRO.
(Nicole Murray to Introduce/conclude)
Coffee Break/Mixer with the exhibitors
1:40 PM – 2:00 PM
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM : Breakout Sessions
STR Model Ordinance 2.0
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Ballroom
Moderator: Matt Curtis, Panel: Lisa Sanderson, Eric Koopman, Cindy Knecht (PMAR). Panel to discuss modifications to the model ordinance introduced in 2018 by the STR Task Force, collecting public input at the end.
She Builds
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Breakout Room
Dr. Rachel Gainsbrugh - Short Term Gems
Women’s empowerment session.
How Professional Women Can Leverage Personal Branding & Ai to Create a Successful Rental Portfolio In As Little as 12 Weeks
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM :
Exhibit Hall, Sessions & Cocktail Reception
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM : Breakout Sessions
Riches in the Niches
Room 1 : 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Galvanized Management (Jeremiah Noll) - What are those small or big changes made to an STR that really get a great return on investment? We will attempt to stimulate your creative side with examples. These amenities or practices make the guest experience stand out among the crowd. From our experience in property management and STR sales we can share some ideas and some data to show why these property hosts are not complaining of market saturation. This is done in an effort to elevate the tourism industry as a whole, because if the Pocono reputation improves there will be more business for all of us.
Surviving & Thriving in a Hyper-Competitive Market
Room 2 : 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Guesty (Thomas Powers) - We invite you to participate in an exclusive session that offers a comprehensive recap of the latest travel trends shaping the short-term rental world and provides a glimpse of what we believe 2024 has in store for our industry. We’ll unpack traveler behavior and market dynamics that emerged in 2023, alongside tips to proactively anticipate demand and back your business strategy with data-driven insights. This is a must-attend event for hosts and property managers who want to keep their finger on the pulse of the industry, positioning their vacation rental business for success.
Profit Over Perfection: Investment and Dynamic Pricing Realities
Room 3: 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
PriceLabs (Monique Delorenzo) - "Profit Over Perfection" demystifies dynamic pricing and investment strategies for vacation rental owners and investors, spotlighting how to navigate market uncertainties with data-driven confidence. This concise presentation introduces PriceLabs' role in revolutionizing rental pricing across 300,000+ listings and underscores the criticality of leveraging market data to inform investment decisions. Attendees will explore essential investment metrics—annual revenue, average daily rate (ADR), occupancy rates, and more—through interactive examples, including a guessing game of unnamed markets, to highlight the unpredictability of real estate investments.
The session dives into the advantages of dynamic pricing, addressing objections and illustrating its efficacy in optimizing rental incomes amid fluctuating market demands. The presentation offers insights into overcoming the limitations of traditional pricing models, advocating for a shift from striving for perfect information to making the most of available data for enhanced profitability.
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM : Breakout Sessions
The Future of Technology
Room 1 : 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Hostfully (Alessandra Colandrea) - Discover the future of short-term rental management in this presentation as we explore the strategic construction of a tech stack tailored for efficiency. From property management softwares to analytics, learn how to leverage technology to streamline operations, enhance guest experiences, and maximize profitability. Join me on this transformative journey towards redefining the future of the industry through innovative technology solutions.
Understanding Asset Based Lending
Room 2 : 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Bayport Funding (Joseph Scorese) - In an evolving real estate market, where traditional lending practices are becoming less predominant, asset-based lending (ABL) emerges as a vital tool for real estate professionals. The presentation is designed to equip real estate investors & professionals with an in-depth understanding of asset-based lending, enabling them to offer more comprehensive advice to their clients and navigate deals with greater efficiency and success. Through exploring the fundamentals, practical applications, and strategic considerations of ABL, participants will gain the insights needed to adapt to the changing market dynamics and leverage new opportunities.
How and Why to Hire a Vacation Rental Manager
Room 3 : 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Wander Home (Nate Silver) - This session will be part presentation, part Q&A. Managing your vacation rental is no easy task. Maximizing a return on your vacation rental investment while competing with professional managers in a saturated market is even harder. Participants will learn how to make an informed decision on whether or not management is right for them, what the range of services managers provide are, and whether or not full-service management is the right approach for their vacation rentals. Nate looks forward to talking through the pros of hiring a capable and effective manager, and the questions to ask to ensure you are partnering with the right company. He is an open book and will field any questions you have regarding your vacation rental.
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM : Breakout Sessions
Electric Vehicles: Threat or Opportunity for my STR?
Room 1 : 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
ShoreCharge (Nathan Dietrich) - We will be discussing the electrical vehicle market and how EV charging may affect your STR and guests.
ON QM Loan Products
Room 2 : 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Oaktree (William Amato) - Financing (Rental Home & Investing)
How a PMS can help increase your revenue through direct bookings
Room 3 : 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
OwnerRez (Steve Clark) - How a PMS can help increase your revenue through direct bookings.
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM : Breakout Sessions
Understanding Payments in the STR space
Room 1 : 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
ClearView (Jacob Heifort) - Payment Processing
Dishing the Dirt: Things your STR cleaner wishes you knew
Room 2 : 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Mrs. Domestic Services (Colleen Dykas) - Honest discussion on what your STR cleaner would like you to know, and answers to questions that you may have.