Inaugural Vacation Rental Design Summit Registration Is Now Open

December 28, 2022  by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

“This is not residential design. This is not hospitality design. Vacation rental design is cultivating a luxury experience in a residential setting while anticipating the needs of the guest, owner, property management and housekeeping,” explains interior designer Jessica Duce,  founder of JDuce Design and co-owner of Vacation Rental Designers.

Duce originated the idea for the Summit and serves on the leadership team for the event, “There is no other design niche quite like this.”

Interest from a growing number of colleagues wanting to pick her brain about vacation rental design is what prompted Duce to propose the Summit to High Point x Design’s managing director, Jane Dagmi, who in turn reached out to High Point Market Authority to partner on the idea.

The two organizations frequently collaborate together as both have an interest in attracting new visitors to High Point. 

“We are so excited to host this new event in High Point,” says Dagmi. “The idea is that after two days of absorbing great information, the designers will stay in town for High Point Market and venture into the showrooms feeling inspired. Of course, with High Point x Design, they can visit many of their favorite vendors here year-round.” 

The VRD Summit will be April 20-21 in High Point, North Carolina. Planned in conjunction with the Spring High Point Market (April 22-26), it leverages the city of High Point’s reputation as a global design destination.

Tammy Nagem, president and CEO of the High Point Market Authority, sees the opportunity aligning well with her vision for High Point Market. “High Point is well versed in executing large events and is also accustomed to catering to the shifting needs of the home furnishings industry.”

“We are uniquely qualified to host this event both in terms of infrastructure surrounding High Point Market but also in terms of the resources we have here for designers diving into this niche. The product base is here, the expertise is here, and the inspiration is endless.”

The agenda for the Summit will be tailored to interior designers seeking to uplevel their short-term vacation rental design services and unlock new streams of revenue. Education will include a mix of panels and presentations on topics such as business of vacation rental design, logistics, sourcing, technology, branding, photography, collaborations and more.

Building a diverse group of speakers and experts, the VRD Summit team invites those who are deeply engaged and connected to vacation rental design to reach out via the online Call for Contributors before Jan. 6.

The VRD Summit is a B2B event, open to architecture & design professionals as well as hospitality groups, developers, property managers, real estate / investors and the media. The cost to attend is $299, however, there is an early bird rate of $249 through Feb. 28.

Included in the cost of the Summit is the education (plus a pre-Summit webinar), access to all hospitality events, including a kick-off mixer on April 19, and plenty of swag. The link to register is here.