VRMA 26 Nashville, the annual conference of the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA), opens Sunday, October 4, at Music City Center and runs through Tuesday. The main stage features Booking.com CEO Glenn Fogel, and the breakout agenda clusters around four themes that show what property managers are wrestling with heading into 2027.
This guide covers the keynotes, then groups the sessions worth planning around by theme. Times and rooms come from VRMA’s education sessions page, which notes that the schedule may still change.
Tuesday’s keynote: Booking.com’s CEO on where travel is headed
Two general sessions anchor the program, both in Dean Ballroom BC. On Monday at 8:30 a.m., “Linking Positive Brains to Performance” opens the conference with Shawn Achor of BetterUp (a coaching platform) who is also the author of The Happiness Advantage. On Tuesday at 9 a.m., Glenn Fogel and USA Today travel reporter Nathan Diller headline “The Future of Travel, Technology, and Short Term Vacation Rentals.” Shelley Brown is the emcee.
Fogel’s keynote is the one not to miss. Online travel agency (OTA) executives appear on the agenda twice. Monday’s distribution panel, “The One Thing,” includes speakers from Booking.com and Expedia Group, and on Tuesday the Booking.com CEO takes the main stage himself. Later that day, at 12:30 p.m., a breakout titled “OTAs Are Not Demand” asks managers to rethink where their bookings actually come from. Listen for what Fogel says about fees and how vacation rentals rank against hotels in Booking.com search, then take those answers into the distribution sessions below.
AI moves from buzzword to working tools
This year’s AI sessions promise something built, not debated: a live AI revenue analyst, a framework for every role in a management company, and a hackathon.
From Buzzword to Bottom Line: How to Make AI Work in STR (Monday, 11 a.m., Room 207CD). An operator-led interview with Jennifer Mucha of Arrived (a vacation rental management company), Vered Raviv-Schwarz, President and COO of Guesty (a property management software company), JJ King of Beachside Vacation Rentals, and Trevor Stout of Simply Vacation Rental Management.
Map Your Team Against AI: A Framework for Every Role in Property Management (Monday, noon, Room 207AB). A roundtable with Thibault Masson, founder of Rental Scale-Up and Head of Product Marketing at PriceLabs (a revenue management and dynamic pricing platform), and Michael Vialpando, co-founder and CTO of Renjoy (a vacation rental management company).
You’ve Heard Enough About AI. Now Build Something. The VRMA AI Hackathon (Monday, 3:45-5:30 p.m., Room 202). A no-code, hands-on lab run by Eden Kupermintz and Liam Rawson of Guesty. Attendees pick one of three tracks, each with a workspace loaded with data and a prompt guide, and leave with a working AI tool they built. Spaces are limited, so sign up in advance.
Build Your AI Revenue Analyst (In Real Time) (Tuesday, 11:30 a.m., Room 207AB). Jasper Ribbers of Freewyld Foundry (a revenue management firm) builds an AI revenue analyst live on a real portfolio, and attendees leave with a prompt toolkit and the sample dataset.
The AI-Powered Homeowner: How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Owner Recruitment Forever (Tuesday, 12:30 p.m., Room 202). With Alex Johnson of Casago (a vacation rental management company) and Brooke Pfautz, founder and CEO of Vintory (a homeowner acquisition company).
On the expo floor, Matt Luzaich of Rentals United (a channel management software company) asks whether AI Agents Are Coming for the OTAs (Monday, 11:30 a.m., VRMA Hub). Elsewhere, Sahil Mansuri, President and COO of Wander (which describes itself as a direct booking engine), promises to turn ChatGPT into your top revenue channel in 90 days (Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., Room 208, sponsored).
Distribution: a harder look at where bookings come from
Monday’s “The One Thing” sets up the debate, and three Tuesday sessions continue it on the same day Fogel takes the stage.
The One Thing: What Top Voices are Betting on for Distribution in 2027 (Monday, noon, Room 202). Speakers include Paul Smailes and Julie Jackson of Booking.com, Matt Sartor of Expedia Group, and Josh Viner of TravelAI.
OTAs Are Not Demand: Rethinking Where Your Bookings Actually Come From (Tuesday, 12:30 p.m., Room 205). With Spencer K. Bailey of Bear Lake Luxury Rentals (a luxury vacation rental company) and Erin McCarthy of Nocturne Luxury Villas (a luxury vacation rental company), among others.
Direct Bookings Are Up. So Why Aren’t Yours? (Tuesday, 3:30 p.m., Room 207CD). With Mark Simpson of Boostly (a direct booking consultancy), Gil Chan of CraftedStays (a direct booking platform), and John An of TechTape.
Beyond Direct: The Real Value of Channels in Today’s Market (Tuesday, 4:30 p.m., Room 204) is the counterpoint. With Bernardo DeLucia of Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy (Marriott’s vacation rental platform).
Scale, valuation, and M&A
The agenda’s densest cluster of sessions focuses on growing, valuing, and selling a management company, so operators weighing growth or an exit have the most to choose from here. The crunch comes Monday at 3:45 p.m., when three of these sessions start at the same time as the AI Hackathon, so you’ll have to pick one.
Where Is Your Company Leaking Revenue? A Diagnostic Workshop (Monday, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Room 201). A roundtable skills lab with Richie Khandelwal, co-founder of PriceLabs; Heather Richer of Richer Logic (a revenue management consulting firm); and Quinn Foster of FeatherPMS (a property management software company).
What Is My Business Actually Worth? (Monday, 3:45 p.m., Room 207AB). Jason Thomas and Mark Halma of Raincatcher (an M&A advisory firm) lead a live valuation exercise.
What Breaks First as a Vacation Rental Company Grows? (Monday, 3:45 p.m., Room 207CD). With Erin Booth of The Booth Collective (a vacation rental consultancy).
True Cost To Scale: Real Staffing and Spend Benchmarks Behind Growth (Monday, 3:45-5:15 p.m., Room 201). Jakob Dwyer of Awayday (a vacation rental management platform) and Simon Lehmann of SL Advisory (a short-term rental advisory firm) are among the executives building a staffing benchmark live.
Four L’s in M&A (Monday, 4:45 p.m., Room 205). With Dylan Burgess of C2G Advisors (an M&A advisory firm) and Jennifer Mucha of Arrived.
Mergers & Acquisitions: State of the Industry (Tuesday, 11:30 a.m., Room 208), sponsored by C2G Advisors.
Will Your Business Still Be Here in 2028? Five metrics that predict whether a short-term rental company is built to last (Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., Room 204). With Humphrey Bowles, founder and CEO of Truvi (a guest verification company), Steve Schwab of Casago, and Mary Beth Miles of Vacation Rental Collective (a vacation rental management company).
Read More: Oktoberfest 2026: Munich Short-Term Rentals Book Slower but Earn More
Owners are harder to keep, and guests book later
These sessions point to less certainty on both sides of the business. The description for “The Late Booker Economy” says average US booking windows have shrunk from 70 to 75 days to nearly 55, with one in three reservations made within a week of check-in, a trend known as booking window compression. On the owner side, signing an owner is not the same as keeping one.
What Would You Sacrifice for a 4.9? The Hidden Math of Owner Retention, Guest Satisfaction, and Revenue (Monday, 11 a.m., Room 207AB). With Brandy Canaley of StayTerra (a vacation rental company).
When Owners and Operations Collide: Navigating the Toughest Conversations in Vacation Rental Management (Tuesday, 12:30 p.m., Room 207AB). With Michelle Fonvielle of Atlantic Vacation Homes (a vacation rental company) and Stacy Wesson of The STR Alchemist (a vacation rental consultancy).
The Late Booker Economy: Navigating Booking Window Compression with Data (Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., Room 201). With Jeremy Gall of Breezeway (a property operations and safety software company) and Rachel Robinson of VTrips (a vacation rental management company).
The Owner You Think You Won…Is Still Deciding (Tuesday, 3:30 p.m., Room 207AB). With Michelle Fonvielle and Stacy Wesson.
Read More: Will AI Destroy the Revenue Manager? What I Heard at Scale UK 2026
Before you land at VRMA 2026
For regulation, “From Complaint Letters to Coalition” (Monday, 11 a.m., Room 204) features Spencer K. Bailey, president of the Idaho Vacation Rental Association, and Kelly Hill of DoneRight Management (a property management firm). They explain how Idaho passed HB 583, a short-term rental pre-emption bill, meaning a state law that limits the extent to which local governments can regulate short-term rentals.
Sunday’s paid Learning Labs ($350 for members, $395 for non-members) cover revenue, teams, and safety:
- a revenue management workshop in Room 207AB run by RevProf (a community of short-term rental revenue managers);
- a team workshop in Room 207CD built on the Predictive Index (a behavioral assessment tool) and led by Steve Trover of Better Talent (a vacation rental recruiting firm);
- off-site safety walk-throughs with Breezeway, capped at 40 people.
Registration is still open at the last-call rate of $1,300 for property managers who are VRMA members and $1,700 for non-members.
Read together, the agenda describes an industry that has stopped asking whether to professionalize and started asking what it costs, what it is worth, and which channels and partners it can depend on. Plan your Monday and Tuesday around those questions.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is VRMA 2026?
VRMA 2026 (VRMA 26 Nashville) runs Sunday, October 4 to Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at Music City Center in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
How many people attend VRMA?
VRMA’s annual conference is the vacation rental industry’s largest gathering, typically drawing 2,500 to 3,200 attendees, according to our guide to fall 2026’s short-term rental conferences.
Who is speaking at the VRMA 2026 general sessions?
Shawn Achor of BetterUp, author of The Happiness Advantage, leads Monday’s 8:30 a.m. session, “Linking Positive Brains to Performance.” Booking.com CEO Glenn Fogel and USA Today travel reporter Nathan Diller headline Tuesday’s 9 a.m. session, “The Future of Travel, Technology, and Short Term Vacation Rentals.” Both are in Dean Ballroom BC, and Shelley Brown is the emcee.
How much does VRMA 2026 cost?
At the current last-call rate, property managers pay $1,300 as VRMA members or $1,700 as non-members. Teams of two or more get 20% off each badge, which brings those to $1,040 and $1,360. Supplier members pay $1,650, or $1,320 as part of a group. One-day passes for Monday or Tuesday cost $700 for members and $1,500 for non-members. They are for property managers only and aren’t eligible for the group discount. Full rates are on VRMA’s registration page.
Where can I find the full VRMA 2026 schedule?
Every session, with times and rooms, is on VRMA’s education sessions page and in the VRMA conference app.
Rental Scale-Up will be in Nashville and will publish our takeaways after the event. Subscribe to the RSU newsletter to get them first. If you are still choosing a fall conference, read our guide to VRMA, VRWS, and SCALE Fest.
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