SPEAKERS

Simon Lehmann is a world leading expert and opinion leader in the online travel industry. He began his global business career in the logistics and supply chain industry. Afterward, Lehmann moved into the world of airlines and ground handling before ending up in the travel industry. Lehmann’s main area of focus has been in the private accommodation and vacation rental space. He served as CEO to one of the world’s largest vacation rental companies and was a board member of HomeAway. He holds a BBA from the GSBA, Zurich, with a focus on sales and marketing. Before founding his consulting company, Lehmann served as the CEO to the world’s most respected online travel research and conference company, Phocuswright. In addition to his corporate career, he became a serial angel investor in various online travel startups with an emphasis on short-term rentals and online travel. Lehmann continues to sit on a number of boards in various industries. Some of his passions include inspiring and leading teams and developing and executing strategies which he has translated into public speaking. Lehmann presents for digital travel, vacation rental, and network conferences all around the world. As a public speaker, Lehmann is highly-regarded, vibrant, emotional and authentic, and his wealth of know-how has allowed him to wrap his speaking content with the experiences he has made throughout his career.

Ralf Garrison is a destination travel industry veteran recognized as a thought leader and innovator. He is also a serial entrepreneur of various travel-related businesses that he has founded over the years.

Garrison creates a confluence of his research-analytics and storytelling in relation to destination resort communities and their tourism-dependent businesses. He enjoys helping those who are doing good work by reconciling the opportunities and challenges of resort town communities and their constituents. Garrison’s presentation style has been described as “a natural storyteller” who is “witty” and “sometimes irreverent, but rarely boring”.

Mike Bohmer is Vice President of Revenue Management at TurnKey Vacation Rentals where he leads the development and deployment of technologies, algorithms, processes, and teams to maximize homeowner income. Mike previously served as Senior Director of Product and Pricing Strategy at Bazaarvoice, the leading customer reviews SaaS provider. Prior to this he was the Director of Pricing Solutions at Zilliant, an AI-powered pricing and sales growth solution for B2B companies. Mike earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Oklahoma State University, and graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Tom is Chief Revenue Officer for AirDNA and a serial traveler whose business career has taken him from London to Osaka to Munich to Chicago to Seoul to New York to Los Angeles. Tom pioneers AirDNA analytics around the world, sharing the insights that big data on short-term rentals can bring to the travel, hospitality and PropTech industries. He has spoken at ITB Berlin, BAML Travel and Tech Conference, VR Technology in Barcelona, and the Rainmaker Summit in Miami, and has been interviewed for countless publications including the Financial Times, TechCrunch, and CBC.

Before AirDNA, Tom worked a series of other web-businesses, as well as working in Global Strategy Group at Samsung. Before taking his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Tom worked in Corporate Finance at KPMG.

Jason is currently the CEO of Key Data, a business intelligence and benchmarking dashboard used by over 400 of the leading vacation rental companies and resorts around the world. Jason is also an owner of 360 Blue, which manages over 600 luxury homes in the Florida Panhandle and Colorado, and a co-founder of The Sonder Project, an international non-profit whose mission is to strengthen communities through food security, clean water, and education. Previously, Jason was the co-founder and CEO of Glad to Have You (acquired by HomeAway), a luxury real estate developer, and a software attorney.

Lynell Eaddy is the president and co-founder of LSI, a groundbreaking software company that has been creating custom solutions for all aspects of property management for more than 15 years. Before establishing her own company, Lynell had an extensive background working with Fortune 500 companies with specializations in software development, testing, and management, and she has also been involved in a family-run vacation rental management company for more than 20 years. Lynell holds degrees in Computer Engineering and Political Science, is a licensed North Carolina Real Estate Broker, and is active in property management-oriented organizations, including the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA.)

Scott Breon is Vacasa’s head of revenue, overseeing revenue management and marketing for more than 14,000 properties worldwide. With the goal to drive the highest financial returns for homeowners and a seamless experience for guests, Scott manages the full revenue lifecycle from marketing to booking. This also includes dynamic pricing, as well as channel management with top OTAs such as Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo. After joining Vacasa in 2013, Scott led the development of the company’s proprietary dynamic pricing algorithm that sets rates based on demand for each of Vacasa’s unique properties.

Ben Edwards is the President of Weatherby Consulting, a company which provides transaction advisory, consulting, and asset management services with proven success in creating opportunities and solutions in the vacation rental industry. They deliver high-impact results, provide partner-level attention and implement tailored solutions to address each of their client’s unique goals and objectives.

As a respected and innovative industry leader, Ben Edwards has been positively affecting the real estate and vacation rental industries for more than 19 years. From managing small resorts, to financial and operational auditing, to opening large scale resort developments, Edwards’s unique background provides a multi-level approach to consulting, transaction and advisory services.

Sarah Franzen is the Director of Revenue Management for Natural Retreats, a leading luxury vacation rental management company in the US. She is a member of the VRMA and is honored to serve on the organization’s Education Committee. Prior to joining Natural Retreats, Sarah spent a decade in hotel sales and revenue management, working primarily with Hilton and Marriott brands. She holds degrees from the University of Minnesota (B.M., B.S.), San Jose State University (M.Mus.), and the University of Georgia (M.B.A.).

Sarah is an admitted nerd with a penchant for Excel and a proclivity for (color-coded) data analysis. In her spare time, she enjoys making music, reading classic literature, and eating copious amounts of snack food. She and her husband are empty-nesters and make their home in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Jeremiah Gall is a serial entrepreneur with a history of delivering great products to vacation rental managers over the past thirteen years. In 2006, Jeremy founded FlipKey.com, and grew the guest-review platform into one of the world’s largest vacation rental businesses before TripAdvisor’s acquisition in 2013. Jeremy is currently the Founder & CEO of Breezeway, a property operations & messaging platform that helps property managers automate their operations and service interactions. Jeremy has shared in-depth analysis of the vacation rental market on national travel shows and publications, and is a regular presenter at VRMA conferences, MIT, and Boston College.

Mike is the Founder and CEO at Carolina Retreats Vacation Rentals.  Carolina Retreats is a specialty lodging and vacation rental management company headquartered in Wilmington,NC. Through their local brands and affiliates, they provide unrivaled service by utilizing high-tech tools, modern online marketing, and an unparalleled team to deliver one-of-a-kind vacations. Their singular focus is creating unforgettable, authentic experiences for valued guests, and protecting their owner client’s hard-earned assets while maximizing their income and occupancy potential.

As Director of Research & Development, Jessica Haywood is responsible for overseeing analytics and methodology, managing pilots, and leading partnership conversations. She also helps set the strategic direction of the R&D department and the company. Prior to joining the R&D team, Jessica served as Senior Operations Analyst and managed market forecasts and special projects for investment, consulting, government, and corporate hotel clients. Jessica earned her Master of Science degree in Travel Industry Management from the University of Hawaii and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Cliff Johnson is the Chief Commercial Officer at Rented.com where he leads the growth and revenue management teams by helping property managers optimize the revenue of the homes in their existing portfolio and execute on a sustainable growth strategy. Before joining Rented.com, Cliff served as the Co-Founder of Vacasa for almost a decade. He oversaw the expansion of the company’s portfolio as the COO and later served as the Head of International as they grew to become the largest vacation rental manager in the United States and expanded to 16 countries. In addition to his role at Rented.com, Cliff is an active attorney licensed in Colorado and California and he serves as a board member for Eugene-based nonprofit MAPLE Microdevelopment. He is also an advisor to TripGrid, VirtualKEY, Vector Travel and Dweller – all startups within the travel and housing space and he is an avid promoter of socially conscious businesses and innovation in travel.

Ned has been building websites and custom internet solutions since Netscape Navigator 1.0 hit the stage in 1995.  He has worked with Bluetent as a consultant and strategic partner since 2003, and as CTO since 2013.  As a longtime resident of the Roaring Fork Valley and the resort areas of Aspen and Snowmass, Ned brings first-hand experience of the vacation rental, recreation, and travel industries to crafting digital marketing and eCommerce solutions for online travel distribution and sales.  When not staring intently at lines of code, or pushing a pixel from here to there, Ned spends his time living the good life in the Colorado Rockies, building a family, pursuing health and wellbeing, and looking for any possible excuse to spend more time skiing, hiking, biking, running, laughing, camping, playing, and anything else that doesn’t sound like “work”.

Sam is an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry with experience in brand-building and business development, and he has founded three companies. His background includes founding and directing nationwide operations in vacation rental management, premier staffing organizaitons, and nationwide parking management companies.

Sam leads an operations team that delivers consistent, world-class service and communication for homeowners and guests at over 1600 vacation rentals throughout the globe. He has developed a strategic operations and management plan to support Hosteeva’s growth into new markets in order to become one of the largest vacation rental management companies in the US.

Sam has also created financial models for operations that maximize efficiency and profitability across markets. He manages operations to balance service resources in support of Hosteeva’s overall and market-specific growth plans. Sam also utilizes his industry expertise to build scalable systems for accountability and consistency across field operations, integrates enhanced technology and marketing strategies to create an exemplary customer experience for homeowners and guests, manages employees at headquarters and in local markets, and implements strategies to increase retention and continue to grow the best team in the industry.

Andrew McConnell is the Founder and CEO of Rented.com, the world’s largest Full-Service Revenue Manager for professional vacation rental companies. Rented.com’s Revenue Management Service is far more than a technology. It provides local managers with a dedicated team of full-time revenue managers enabled and enhanced by Rented.com’s best in class data and technology. Rented.com does not give you suggestions; we deliver bottom-line results.

Andrew holds degrees from Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Cambridge University, and has worked with some of the world’s largest public and private entities as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co., and as a Director, Solutions Design at Axiom Global, Inc. In addition to speaking and writing about vacation rentals and the sharing economy, Andrew also contributes more general business insights and advice to publications like Forbes, Inc.com, and Huffington Post, and serves on the non-profit Boards of Sheltering Arms, Georgia’s oldest charity, and Atlanta’s Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

With 11 years of respected experience in the luxury resort and hotel management industry, Jack brings a proven track record of counseling hoteliers, coaching marketers, and creating lasting relationships in his role as Territory System Consultant at NAVIS. Since earning his degree in international ecotourism from Oregon State University, Jack has served in a variety of roles for luxury hotels and resorts in Australia and across the United States. He is dedicated to using proven, math-based best practices to help his clients achieve their greatest potential and to work through their institutional pain-points to identify holistic solutions and expertly align those solutions.His wealth of knowledge in the hotel and vacation rental industry gives Jack a unique perspective and ability to deliver the right NAVIS solutions to clients in the right way at the right time

Jim is CEO of C2G Advisors, LLC, a strategic consulting firm specializing in all facets of the hospitality industry, with special emphasis on short-term rentals and resort activities, he has been a leader in the hospitality, resort real estate, and development industries since the 1980s. The company also has a robust M&A operation, and has been responsible for more M&A deals within the vacation rental industry than anyone else in history. Jim provides litigation consulting in the areas of hospitality and business economic loss.
Previously, Jim was Managing Partner of The Sterling Companies, LLC, the President and CEO of ResortQuest International, and the President and CEO of Abbott Resorts and Abbott Realty.

Prior to joining Abbott Resorts, he served in various capacities within the tourism and economic development fields in Florida, beginning with the Florida Department of Commerce. Jim is a licensed real estate broker in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, and has been appointed to numerous State level committees and task forces by previous Florida Governors and Secretaries of Commerce. Jim is a member of both the prestigious Counselors of Real Estate (CRE), and the Council of Real Estate Broker Managers (CRB) – he is one of only 8 persons currently invited to membership in both organizations simultaneously. Jim also has certifications from the National Association of Realtors as a Resort and Second Home Property Specialist (RSPS), and a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES). He is also a Certified Negotiations Expert (CNE), and a Fellow with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Jim currently sits on the Board of Directors of Key Data Dashboard, and Board of Advisors for Host Compliance. Olin is a former Research and Statistics Instructor at the University of Phoenix, and holds a Masters Degree from Florida State University. He is also a founding Board Member of the Onsite Property Managers Association (OPMA) and is a frequent speaker at the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA) National Conference.

Brett Parry is the Chief Marketing Officer for Streamline.For more than a decade, Streamline has worked tirelessly to simplify the vacation rental management process. Streamline’s quality suite of programs has made it easier than ever before to manage a large volume of properties by providing property managers with every function they may need

Lyse Perrigo, Business Development Sr. Associate at STR, is responsible for growing and educating the lodging industry with a focus on development and strategy for short-term rentals, hostels, and serviced apartments. She is dedicated to helping the ever-changing hospitality industry understand the importance of how revenue management can assist with strategic and operational decisions. Prior to joining STR in 2015, she spent several years driving successful sales and revenue management campaigns with IHG. Lyse is based in STR’s North American headquarters located in Nashville, TN.

 

Ryan Saylor is a Revenue Manager at Beyond Pricing, the world’s first dynamic pricing platform for the vacation rental industry. Prior to joining Beyond Pricing, Ryan spent time in hotel revenue management after obtaining a degree from Purdue University in Hospitality & Tourism Management. His previous experience includes independent and branded hotel revenue management, as well as hotel digital marketing, web development, and strategic planning.

CJ has more than years of hospitality experience with a wold-class hotel and resort management group. Having achieved many accolades and the distinction of being Employee of the Year at a leading executive business class hotel in in north Atlanta, CJ understands the value of service. He has more than 15 years of rental property management experience after taking over managing his family’s real estate holdings form his father. CJ is an avid outdoor adventurer and first experienced Blue Ridge and the North Georgia mountains as a teenager fishing, rafting, hiking, and mountain biking.

Anurag Verma co-founded PriceLabs five years ago to bring revenue management automation prevalent in airlines and hotels into the vacation and short-term rental industry. He has spent six years designing and improving revenue management algorithms and systems at United Airlines in Chicago while working closely with revenue managers and data scientists within the company. He has a PhD in Operations Research, and loves all things numbers.

When Travis moved to Charlottesville in 2000, he found a perfect marriage for his passion for buildings, music, and art. An architect-at-heart without the ability to draw, he found himself drawn to the historic homes in Charlottesville and the Blue Ridge with no way to work with them. Solution: Stay Charlottesville. Travis continues to bring that same passion with him to Stay Charlottesville every day. True to his fun, competitive nature, he will one day open a 28-room boutique inn, right next to business partner’s 24 room hotel. A tourism and hospitality professional, he loves nothing more than showcasing Charlottesville by introducing guests to the finest homes of this area as well as the other best in class tourism partners.