As a small PR agency and consultancy, Abode Worldwide doesn’t have deep pockets. Marketing spend is something that must be very carefully considered. Most new clients come from referrals or after having developed a relationship as a result of speaking at an industry event, or through articles I write. Advertising and sponsoring just isn’t our thing.
However, when I was shown the information about GuestyVal, Guesty’s annual short-term rental conference which is held in Tel Aviv in September, I didn’t hesitate to sign Abode Worldwide up for a sponsor slot. (We’ve got a smaller package – we’re sponsoring the Day 3 Bedouin Experience and winery day trip – so if you’re coming, book that one 😊)!
Guesty has been a PR client for almost two years now. In that time, I’ve seen phenomenal changes and growth. When we started working together, the company had about 70 employees, a small injection of funding and big ambitions to bring the Guesty platform to a much wider short-term rental market.
Today, Guesty has more than doubled in size – both in employees, of which it now boasts over 250 across the globe and its customers. The company was also the recipient of $35 million in series C funding earlier this year, is now spread out across 7 offices (with more planned globally) and is rightly considered a leading PMS for the short-term rental industry.
Alongside the growth trajectory of Guesty, I’ve also witnessed the growth of its property management clients, many of whom have also grown exponentially in the last few short years.
But back to GuestyVal.
The fact is that the marketing and communications team at Guesty are some of the best I have ever worked with. I have absolutely no doubt that the same professionalism, creativity and attention to detail will also go into the making of GuestyVal for attendees, speakers and sponsors.
Here are some other reasons why we are involved.
- The innovative, fast-growth property managers that have been popping up in our urban centres over the last few years fascinate me. Most are young, dynamic, forward-thinking and are changing the way we view hospitality and private accommodation. There’s going to be a good number of these companies at GuestyVal.
- The conference is going to be including speakers from other sharing economy platforms including Fiverr, EatWith and Bird. As far as I know, this is a first for an industry conference. On the agenda will also be discussions on what property managers can learn from these brands, what else is out in the marketplace and how they can improve (and grow) their property management offering.
- The Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) is coming over to take part in the conference and discuss the impact of regulation and how these issues might impact the future of hospitality. These discussions are vital and it’s fantastic to see VRMA’s involvement.
- Property automation and smart home technology is the next big frontier for property management. As an industry, we’ve only just hit the tip of the iceberg of possibilities here. According to a survey conducted by Schlage in 2017, 86% of Millennials were willing to pay more rent if their apartments had smart tech. I can’t imagine this doesn’t translate to their vacations and work trips too. Add to this the operational benefits of using property automation and smart tech – investing here is a must. There will be a panel of speakers educating us on the opportunities including Abode Worldwide client Operto.
- Several Abode Worldwide clients past and present will also be at the conference. It’s always great to catch up, have a face-to-face meeting and a chance to socialise too 🙂
And finally, I’ve never been to Tel Aviv before. It’s been on my bucket list for a while now and so I’m jumping at the opportunity to do a little bit of city (and beach) discovering too…
You can sign up for tickets to GuestyVal here.
About Jessica Gillingham
Jessica is the CEO of Abode Worldwide, a boutique public relations and content marketing agency partnering with clients operating in the international short-term rental, hospitality technology and PropTech space.
