Every year the most successful property management companies in the world get together at the Vacation Rental Management Association’s International Conference (VRMA). This year over 2,600 property managers/industry professionals gathered at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida, where there were 60+ educational sessions covering the latest industry trends and insights and over 100 industry leading suppliers in the exhibitor hall.
For the third year in a row Nick Halverson and Abigail Vargas, Owner and General Manager, respectively, from Osa Property Management, attended the event. This year Nick was asked to be on stage panelist in two of the educational sessions, sharing his knowledge and experience in the industry, to other Property Managers.
“It is an honor to once again be asked by other leaders to be the only representative of any company from Costa Rica at the conference to have the opportunity to share our experiences and challenges with other leaders in the industry”, said Nick.
Companies such as Airbnb, Vrbo, booking.com, among others, all had booths where representatives and executives were available to meet and to discuss country and region specific trends and provide recommendations to property management companies. In addition, companies that support the short term rental industry were there looking to showcase their products/services.
“It was great to meet our main contact at Airbnb! We have monthly video calls with Airbnb but to be able to sit down and get to know each other better, learn more about each other, in an industry event, is invaluable.”
In addition to the daily activities and educational sessions, the evenings were filled with more relaxed events and activities where suppliers invited guests to private events/activities.
Abigail added, “It is a way for Osa Property Management to stay abreast of the latest developments and trends in the world of short-term rentals and vacation rental management. This is the information that our Owners love to receive and why our Owners trust us so much.”
“Education and training, at all levels of our company, is an important element of our success and this is an event that Osa Property Management will continue to go to and to participate in.”
As the number of tourists continues to increase in the region, Osa Property Management believes that it is in the hospitality industry’s best interest to make sure that vacation rentals are properly maintained by professional (and legally registered) companies.
“The industry is changing rapidly in terms of regulations (taxes, safety, registration of homes), technology and customer expectations, and the market today is very different than it was only 4 years ago.”
About the Writer
Nick Halverson is a permanent resident of Costa Rica and has 19 years of buying, developing and managing property in Costa Rica’s southern pacific zone. Osa Property Management has 3 offices in the area, providing world-class service to Homeowners and to Guests.
