US Vacation Rental Conferences in 2026: The Hostshare Host Guide
A practical 2026 calendar of US vacation rental and STR conferences for hosts and operators—who each event is for, and how Hostshare hosts can pick trips that are worth the travel nights.
If you run a short-term rental, conferences are still one of the fastest ways to learn what’s working, meet operators who’ve already solved your problems, and come home with a clearer plan for the year.
This is Hostshare’s practical guide to major US vacation rental / STR conferences in 2026—who each event is best for, and how to pick the ones worth your time (and travel nights). Dates and venues change; always confirm on the organizer’s site before you book flights.
How to choose which conferences to attend
Before you fill the calendar, ask:
- Are you a hands-on host, a small portfolio operator, or a scaled PM? Some events are built for frontline ops; others are investor/executive rooms.
- Do you want skills, network, or market intel? Workshop-heavy events beat expo floors if you’re early; big association shows win for vendors and peers.
- Can you turn the trip into travel you’d take anyway? Hostshare hosts already think in nights and markets—pair a conference with a stay that funds the learning.
Chronological list: US STR & vacation rental conferences (2026)
IMN Short-Term Rental Winter Forum
January 22–23, 2026 · Aventura, FL
Best for: Property managers and investors
Senior-level networking across hosts, investors, developers, lenders, and PMs, with education aimed at people scaling STR businesses—not day-one listing setup.
VR Nation Beach Biz Roadshow
January 26–February 3, 2026 · Florida & Alabama (multiple one-day stops)
Best for: Property managers
Market-specific, one-day roadshow stops—strong if you want regional intel without a full multi-day commitment. Check VR Nation for current roadshow dates.
MOVHA Hosting Crash Course
February 6–7, 2026 · Kansas City, MO
Best for: Newer hosts, owner-operators, and PMs
Regional association energy with a timely angle: Kansas City’s World Cup visitor surge makes hosting and guest-experience topics especially relevant. See MOVHA.
TrackMeet
February 9–12, 2026 · Austin, TX
Best for: Growth-minded property managers
A PMS-hosted forum focused on sharing operating playbooks with other hospitality leaders (Track).
VRMA Foundations
February 23–24, 2026 · Sandestin, FL
Best for: Property managers and frontline staff
Workshop-style programming built for staff who run the day-to-day. Confirm details on the VRMA Foundations page.
ALP Unlocked
March 2–5, 2026 · Cleveland, OH (Association of Lodging Professionals — confirm city on organizer site; some older roundups listed Louisville)
Best for: New and aspiring lodging professionals, owner-operators, PMs
Association-driven professional development and policy advocacy for independent lodging—good if you care about community standards as much as RevPAR.
Poconos STR Conference
March 5, 2026 · Kalahari Resort, Pocono Manor, PA
Best for: Hosts and PMs eyeing (or already in) the Poconos
A dense regional market with thousands of licensed STRs—sessions, an exhibit hall, and local networking. See also Poconos VRO.
VTSTRA Short-Term Rental Conference
March 26–27, 2026 · Stowe, VT (some listings said West Dover—confirm on VTSTRA)
Best for: Property managers (especially Northeast / Vermont regs)
Vermont Short-Term Rental Alliance education on operations, regulation, and income—plus a vendor floor tailored to vacation rentals.
Level Up Your Listing Summit
March 29–31, 2026 · Phoenix, AZ
Best for: Newer hosts and owner-operators
Host-designed programming around design, hospitality, and guest experience—less “enterprise PM stack,” more listing craft.
VR Nation Annual Conference
April 28–30, 2026 · Denver, CO
Best for: Property managers
Ops, marketing, cleaning, CS, and growth sessions with a strong networking bench.
Michigan STR Conference
May 7–8, 2026 · Grand Rapids, MI
Best for: Property managers
Regional deep-dive with operator speakers focused on running a sharper vacation rental business.
VRMA Executive Summit
May 11–13, 2026 · Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (Terranea Resort)
Best for: C-suite / senior leaders at VRMA member PM companies
Intimate, executive-only programming. Different audience than Foundations or the fall International Conference—confirm membership/eligibility before planning around it.
VR Nation Southern Charm Roadshow
May 11–20, 2026 · Tennessee & North Carolina (multiple one-day stops)
Best for: Property managers
Same roadshow format as Beach Biz—regional education without a national-show footprint. Check VR Nation for stops.
STR Wealth Builders Conference
June 19, 2026 · Coeur d’Alene, ID
Best for: Newer hosts and small-portfolio owners
One-day mix of education, networking, and energy for people early in the STR journey. Details at strwealthbuildersconference.com.
IMN Short-Term Rental Summer Forum
June 23–24, 2026 · Carlsbad, CA
Best for: Property managers and investors
Summer counterpart to the winter forum—education plus senior networking.
Skift Global Forum
September 22–24, 2026 · New York, NY
Best for: Operators and investors who want travel-industry context beyond pure STR
Broader travel/hospitality stage—useful if your strategy spans OTAs, demand trends, and category shifts.
VRMA International Conference (VRMA 26 Nashville)
October 4–6, 2026 · Nashville, TN (Music City Center)
Best for: Property managers and investors
Often the year’s largest US vacation rental industry gathering—expo hall, peers, and the conversations that set next year’s roadmap.
Hostaway Backstage North America
November 9–10, 2026 · Tampa, FL
Best for: Hostaway customers, PMs, and growth-minded operators
Hostaway’s evolved US conference (successor to Hostchella-style community events): strategies, peer networking, and Hostaway team access. See Hostaway Backstage.
DARM Conference (Data, AI, Revenue & Marketing)
December 7–9, 2026 · Atlanta, GA (Signia by Hilton Atlanta GWCC)
Best for: Revenue managers, marketers, and PM executives
Formerly the Vacation Rental Data and Revenue Management Conference—now branded DARM. Focused on data, AI, revenue, and marketing for professional PMs. Register at vrdarm.com.
Dates still fluid (bookmark these)
These shows appear regularly on industry calendars but often lock city/dates later in the year. Check each organizer before you commit:
- NHRC Industry Leaders Conference — single-family rental / housing operators
- LiveRez Conference — LiveRez partner and PM community
- Vacation Rental Design Summit — designers and trade serving STRs
- Mid-Term Rental Summit — 30+ night stays
- InvestHER CON — women building wealth through real estate / hosting
- Vacation Rental Women’s Summit — women across the VR industry
- Streamline Summit — Streamline PM customers and partners
- iTrip Conference — iTrip franchise / PM workshops
A Hostshare takeaway
Conferences are great. Empty nights are expensive. If you’re flying to Nashville, Denver, or Tampa for a show, treat the trip like an operator: protect peak booking dates at home, share what you can on Hostshare, and use travel nights for the stays around the conference—not only for the badge.
Going to one of these in 2026? Tell us which—and what you want to learn. We’ll keep this list updated as organizers publish final dates.
Last updated: September 2026. Hostshare is not affiliated with the conference organizers listed. Event details are compiled from public industry sources and may change.
