Program

Schedule of Events

The VRMA Executive Summit is where strategy meets action. Where industry leaders forge meaningful connections, and where breakthrough ideas spark growth. 

1:00-5:00 p.m Registration
5:30-7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception
Sponsored by Enterprise Bank & Trust
7:30-8:30 a.m. Registration and Breakfast
Sponsored by Savvy
8:30-9 a.m. Welcome and Event Kick-Off
9-9:45 a.m.

Leading Through Chaos: How the Best Hospitality Leaders Win in Uncertain Times

Keynote Speaker: 
9:45-10:30 a.m.

Networking with Exhibitors
10:30-11:15 a.m.

Inflection Point 2026: The Signals, Structural Shifts, and Strategic Decisions That Will Define the Next Cycle

Speakers: 

This is not a traditional economic outlook session. Speakers will move past the standard market recap to focus on the signals that actually matter for executive planning and the ones that are more noise than signal. They will surface structural shifts in live performance data that have not been widely discussed and then stress-test what happens next through a series of scenarios, including the potential impact of AI on travel demand and some of the darker economic theories circulating right now. The goal is not to predict the future. It is to make sure every executive in the room is planning for the right versions of it.
11:15 a.m. -12 p.m.

Scaling Smart: What Two Turnarounds Taught Us About Growth, Integration, and What Actually Works

Speakers:

  • Steve Schwab - Founder and CEO, Casago
  • Stay tuned for upcoming speaker announcements!

Aimbridge Hospitality and Vacasa scaled faster than any property management companies in their respective industries. When growth outpaced operations, both had to fundamentally rethink how they build and run their businesses. This is a candid look at what it takes to rebuild for sustainable growth when the original playbook stops working.
12-1:30 p.m. Networking Lunch with Exhibitors
Sponsored by ICND (InterCoastal Net Designs)
1:30-2:15 p.m.

Small by Choice: How Boutique Operators Win on Discipline, Culture, and Longevity

Moderator:

Speakers: 

  • Beverly Serral - Founder & CEO | Realtor | Certified Luxury Home Specialist | BESTNEST Designer, BESTNEST® by Beverly Serral
  • Bo Patel - COO, 'Coury Hospitality
  • Rachele Hobbs - CEO and Co-Owner, Co-Founder, Hospitality Heroes, Hobbs Realty

They did not raise capital. They did not chase national scale. They built market-leading businesses by staying focused, staying local, and staying disciplined. In this session, boutique operators who grew organically share how they built cultures that retain top talent, developed owner relationships that drive loyalty, and the metrics they actually track to measure success. They will also discuss how they are thinking about the next chapter, whether that means transitioning ownership to employees, keeping it in the family, or exploring a sale.
2:15–3:15 p.m.

Executive Exchange: Curated Conversations That Move Your Business Forward

Back by popular demand, our networking roundtables allows for personal connection on topics that matter to you! Come prepared to share your current challenges and needs with peers who can provide support and guidance. This peer-driven, facilitated conversation will be your opporunity to get your questions answered!
3:15-3:45 p.m. Networking with Exhibitors
3:45-4:40 p.m.

Winning the Booking: Demand, Distribution, Loyalty & Payments in the New Travel Economy

Speakers: 

  • Amber Knight - General Manager, BookingsCloud
  • Stay tuned for upcoming speaker announcements!

The way guests find and book vacation rentals is changing fast. Platform algorithms, integrated payments, and new distribution models are rewriting the rules of how demand flows to operators. In this session, leaders from the major booking platforms sit down for a direct conversation about where demand is heading, what is driving booking behavior today, and what operators need to understand to stay competitive. This is a rare chance to hear directly from the people building the systems that determine who gets booked and who gets left behind.
4:30-5 p.m.

Own Your Data or Fall Behind: AI, Security, & the Future of Vacation Rental Intelligence 

Moderator: 

Speakers: 

  • Alex Zemianek - Owner & President, JZ Rentals
  • Stay tuned for upcoming speaker announcements!

OTAs have the traffic but they do not have the relationship. Property managers are the ones who know the guest, solve the problems, and keep them coming back. They are also the ones who know the owners, understand their goals, and manage their most valuable asset. That is the most valuable data in the business. This session explores how operators are capturing, protecting, and using guest and owner data to drive loyalty, improve operations, and build a competitive moat. From AI-powered tools and CRM strategies to the regulations every operator needs to understand, this is a practical conversation about turning the relationships you already own into long-term value.
5–5:15 p.m.

What’s Next: Turning Insight into Action

Speakers: 

 
5:30–7:30 p.m.

Evening Reception

Sponsored by Breezeway
7:30-8:30 a.m. Registration and Breakfast
Sponsored by BookingPal
8:30-8:45 a.m. Day 2 Kick-Off: From Insight to Action
8:45-9:45 a.m.

Know Your Competition: The New Players, New Models & New Rules of the Game

Speakers:
  • Lino Maldonado - Co-Founder and CEO, Stakeholders VR 
  • Tim "Smitty" Smith - Owner/Operator, Casago NSB & Casago Daytona
  • Stay tuned for upcoming speaker announcements!

The competition for owners and guests is no longer just the property manager down the street. Rental arbitrage operators, co-hosts, branded management companies, and vertically integrated hospitality firms are all going after the same business with very different models. This panel puts them in the same room. Operators from across the competitive landscape share how they acquire properties, retain owners, and differentiate their service. The goal is not to pick a winner. It is to make sure every executive in the room understands who is competing for their business and how they think.
9:45-10 a.m. Break
10:00-10:45 a.m.

The Quality & Service Gap: What Hotels, Airlines, and Restaurants Figured Out That Vacation Rentals Have Not

Moderator:

Speakers: 

Hotels have chain scales from economy to luxury. Restaurants range from fast casual to fine dining. Airlines operate from low cost to full service. Every major hospitality sector has a quality framework that sets expectations for consumers and creates operational clarity for operators. Vacation rentals have nothing. No tiers. No shared standards. No common language for what "quality" means. This panel brings together property managers who are changing that. Hear how they are standardizing the guest experience across defined quality tiers and building the kind of consistency that drives trust, loyalty, and revenue. The rest of hospitality figured this out a long time ago. It is time for vacation rentals to catch up.
10:45-11:45 a.m.

Fighting for the Future: Real Advocacy Wins & Hard Lessons from the Front Lines

Speakers: 

When county tax assessors in Missouri began reclassifying vacation rentals as commercial properties, tax bills jumped as much as 200% overnight. Instead of accepting it, a group of operators organized. They formed the Missouri Vacation Home Alliance, drafted legislation, built a coalition of bipartisan support, and got a bill through the State House and a Senate committee in their first session. Speakers will share the real story of what it took, what worked, what did not, and how any operator in any state can build an advocacy effort from the ground up.
11:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. Final Takeaways: What the Best Operators Will Do Next

This schedule is subject to change. Stay tuned for detailed session information.