The Vacation Rental Design Summit April 20-21 in High Point will debut with a roster of more than 25 speakers from the design and short-term rental worlds. The two-day event, produced by High Point x Design and the High Point Market Authority will bring together a community of professionals passionate about the short-term rental industry, according to organizers.
“Building out the content for the summit has led us to so many extremely inspiring people doing incredible work,” said Jane Dagmi, HPxD managing director. “Within our own design world, there are many designers deeply involved in vacation rental design and ownership, and we’ve also enticed experts from the short-term rental industry to join us.”
Tapping into the expertise of interior designers, hosts, property managers, business strategists and real estate professionals, education sessions will focus on design as a differentiator in short-term rental success, the business of vacation rental design, the value designers bring to the table, and opportunities for designers in this market.
Panel topics include niches in vacation rental design, creating a sense of place, vacation rental pain points and solutions, photography for rentals, and kitchen and bath design for rentals. The latter will be moderated by Pamela McNally, senior vice president of marketing and digital for the National Kitchen & Bath Association, who will also deliver a brief kitchen and bath trend report preceding the panel.
Another panel, “Designing Responsibly,” will be moderated by Alexa Nota, co-founder of the short-term rental education and community-building platform Rent Responsibly. The session is intended to raising awareness about important issues such as sustainability, safety, inclusivity and accessibility, and will feature panelist Lorraine Woodward, who started Becoming RentABLE, an accessible, short-term rental listing platform dedicated to finding places for people with disabilities and the aging community.
The summit’s full list of speakers includes: Tyann Marcink (Branson Family Retreats and Touch Stay), Tiffany Cassidy (Lagnappe Interiors), Tatianna Taylor-Tait (Tatianna Taylor-Tait Ltd.), Summer Loftin (Summer Loftin Antiques & Interior Design), Rina Norwood (House of Norwood and Rina Norwood Designs), Paula Oblen (Vacation Interiors and Hotelements by Paula Oblen), Ola Swarn (J’Adore Le Decor), Kellie Smith (Kellie Smith Design Studio and SmithHonig), Melanie Honig (SmithHonig), Margie Kaercher (Hearth & Honey Homes), Linda Holt (Linda Holt Creative), Julia Harmon (Realtor with Compass and Vacation Rental Designers), Jessica Duce (JDuce Design and Vacation Rental Designers), Ginger Curtis (Urbanology Designs and Urbanology Properties), Elizabeth Scruggs (Superior Construction & Design), Pamela McNally (National Kitchen & Bath Association), Joseph Szymczak (Slate Interior Design), Ellen Williams (Ellen Renee Photography), Tammy Nagem (High Point Market Authority), Jenna Gaidusek (Mydoma Studio), Lorraine Woodward (Becoming RentABLE) Ericka Saurit (Saurit Creative), Diane Falvey (Furniture Lighting & Decor) and Alexa Nota (Rent Responsibly).
In addition to the panel discussions, there will also be individual presentations by Jaye Anna Mize of Fashion Snoops, Joy Williams of Joyful Designs Studio, Leslie Carothers of Savour Partnership, Tobi Fairley of Tobi Fairley Design and Barclay Butera of Barclay Butera Interiors. Butera, who owns two luxury rental properties, will deliver the summit keynote.
The Vacation Rental Design Summit, precedes the Spring High Point Market and will be held at The Loft at Congdon Yards. Registration is open to architecture and design professionals, as well as hospitality groups, developers, property managers, real estate agents, developers, investors, industry and the media.