Here to Stay 2026 is Australia and New Zealand’s national short-term rental conference. It runs 21–23 October 2026 at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, bringing together 400+ property managers, hosts, suppliers, platforms and industry leaders for three days of practical learning, industry alignment and genuine connection.
The 2026 program is set. It looks different from previous years, and that’s deliberate.
This guide walks through how the program is structured, what’s in the PMC and Host tracks, the shared sessions everyone will want to attend, and how to get the most out of your time on the Gold Coast.
Why the 2026 program looks different
After Here to Stay 2025, delegate feedback was clear and consistent. The sessions people valued most weren’t the long keynotes. They were the roundtables, the workshops and the conversations where they could work on their own business alongside people who understood it.
So the organising committee made an editorial decision: fewer keynotes, more participation.
The 2026 program shifts decisively toward:
- Hands-on workshops, where delegates leave with working tools rather than notes
- Roundtables, led by experienced operators and hosts rather than presenters
- Facilitated discussions, where the room works on problems together
- Fireside chats with Q&A, which give more time for audience questions and less time for slides
Every session is anchored to one of three program pillars. Better Hosting covers practical performance improvement. Industry Leadership covers shaping the future of the sector. Community Connection covers relationships and shared learning.
Two tracks: PMC and Host
The short-term rental industry isn’t one audience. A property management company running 200 properties for owners faces very different challenges from an independent host with two beautiful holiday homes. Both deserve a program built for them.
That’s why Here to Stay 2026 includes two clear tracks: a PMC Track focused on scaling, owner relationships and commercial risk, and a Host Track focused on guest experience, practical tools and growth. Shared sessions bring everyone together for the big-picture conversations.
Delegates aren’t locked into a track. Many hosts are growing toward operating at scale, and many PMC leaders want to sharpen their guest experience, so mixing and matching is encouraged.
The PMC Track
The PMC Track is built around the problems that cost property managers owners, margin and time.
The Past, Present and Future of STRA
Thursday 22 October, 11:15am · Dr Thomas Sigler
The STRA industry has changed dramatically. Dr Sigler traces how the sector has evolved and consolidated in response to changing regulation across Australia. He’ll look at which types of properties are succeeding in different markets and why. He’ll also cover the issues that will define the years ahead, including ATO scrutiny and the future of secondary homes.
What STR Operators Can Learn from the World’s Best Hospitality Brands
Thursday 22 October, 11:45am · Panel
In a great hotel, nothing is accidental. This panel looks at what the best hospitality operators do differently, and what transfers to short-term rental at our scale. It’s moderated by Ethan Brown (Hospitable), with Frazer King (EvryStay), Murray Kennedy (ScaleGX) and Julie George (Million Dollar Host).
Building Leadership Teams That Scale
Thursday 22 October, 1:30pm · Workshop
Most operators promote their best doer and hope for the best. This session covers the frameworks underneath a leadership team that holds up as you grow: defining expectations, making them explicit, and developing people against them. It features Alvan Aiau Yong (Hometime), Dom Maley (Honey Homes), Lisa Peterson (L’Abode Accommodation) and Daniel White (CanStay).
Regulation & Advocacy: What’s Changing and What It Means for You
Thursday 22 October, 2:00pm · Panel
Caps, registration schemes, levies and planning rules differ in every state, and they keep moving. The session opens with a quick read on where policy sits and what’s likely coming. An open discussion follows on what to prepare for, what’s worth pushing back on, and how industry advocacy works when decisions are being made.
AI Build Lab for PMCs: Know Your Portfolio, Win Better Owners
Thursday 22 October, 3:15pm · Workshop · Ben Willis, ScaleGX
This is a working session, not a talk. Delegates turn their own performance data into clear answers about which properties are underperforming and why. They then turn that insight into marketing that wins the owners they want. Bring a laptop and your own data if you can.
Profit Architecture: Restructuring Your Revenue for Margin
Friday 23 October, 9:15am · Lisa Peterson, Abode
Growth and profit aren’t the same thing. This session looks at how a property management business actually makes money: where margin comes from, where it leaks, and why the standard commission model leaves so much on the table. It covers fee design, which services are worth charging for, and revenue that scales rather than just adding work.
Owner Trust is Everything: Retention, Transparency and the Foundations of Scale
Friday 23 October, 9:45am · Panel
Retention is the cheapest growth there is, and it runs on trust. The panel covers the hard side (trust accounting, clean money handling, compliance) and the human side (reporting honestly and handling a bad month). It’s moderated by Sam Steel (Resly), with Jason Gillespie (Wingr Accountants), Cameron Wicking (Mike Phipps Finance), Craig McIntosh (HomHero), Craig Sanders (Booking Trust) and Lel Parnis (Holmans Accounting).
Cyber Security for STR Operators: Protecting Data, Payments & Your Brand
Friday 23 October, 10:45am · Dr Aastha Gupta, ViCyber
Operators hold guest identity documents, owner bank details, payment data and the keys to hundreds of homes. This session covers where operators are genuinely exposed: OTA phishing, payment redirect fraud, PMS access and identity verification. It also covers what it takes to close those gaps, including cyber insurance.
The Revenue Stack: Price It, Distribute It, Promote It
Friday 23 October, 11:15am · Panel
Most operators pull one lever, price, and wonder why occupancy won’t move. This fast-moving session shows how dynamic pricing, a broader distribution footprint and the promotional tools inside booking platforms work together. It’s moderated by Jack Trainor (Booking.com), with Neil Watson (Bear Revenue), Colin Battersby (Discover Stradbroke) and Heath Delfos (Allogio Group).
The Host Track
The Host Track is designed for independent hosts and smaller operators who want to create exceptional stays, save time and grow with confidence.
Ready, Set, Grow: The Pro-Active Partner Playbook
Thursday 22 October, 11:15am · Booking.com · repeated Friday 10:45am
Stop reacting and start planning. This workshop covers optimising listings to attract the right guests, securing bookings sooner for new listings, and positioning for long-term success.
Designing a 5-Star Stay: Creating Memorable Guest Experiences Every Time
Thursday 22 October, 11:45am · Roundtable
This session is built on conversation, not presentations. Hosts work alongside each other to swap ideas, solve common challenges and discover what really makes guests feel looked after. It’s facilitated by Angela Carrick (AirDesign Australia), with table leaders David Harris (Aussie Chillout), Kerry Williams (The Accessible Group), Sharon Burnell (The Holiday Home Girls) and Megan Whitten-Laird (Guest Group). Everyone leaves with one practical improvement for their own property.
From Host to Operator: Building a Scalable STR Business
Thursday 22 October, 1:30pm · Main Stage fireside
The jump from host to operator is the hardest one in this industry. Tim Mortimer, CEO and founder of Honey Homes, talks with ASTRA GM Sarah Workman about first hires, the systems that made growth possible, and what’s worth knowing before you’re in the middle of it.
10 Things I Love About You: Convert Lookers Into Bookers
Thursday 22 October, 2:00pm · Booking.com · repeated Friday 11:15am
What actually drives guests to click “Book”? Drawing on data from millions of travellers, this workshop shows what guests look for in the discovery phase and how to make a property the one they can’t scroll past.
Build Your AI Co-Host in 60 Minutes
Thursday 22 October, 3:15pm · Workshop · Murray Kennedy, ScaleGX
This is a hands-on build session with no coding and no prior AI experience needed. In an hour, hosts set up an AI co-host that drafts listing copy in their voice, handles the guest messages they answer twenty times a week, and takes repetitive admin off their plate.
The Brains Trust: Solving STR’s Biggest Challenges Together
Friday 23 October, 9:15am · Roundtable (60 minutes)
There’s no panel and no slides. Delegates move to a table of people they didn’t arrive with, work on a challenge put to the room, and then tables report back.
Thursday in the Host House, Friday on the Main Stage. Because both Booking.com workshops repeat on Friday, hosts can do them on Thursday and then join Cyber Security and The Revenue Stack on the Main Stage on Friday morning.
Shared sessions: where the whole industry comes together
- The Future Won’t Wait – Will You? (Thu 9:10am): the opening keynote from Gus Balbontin, Alternative Futurist, on the trends that matter and what to do about them now
- Opening keynote from Booking.com (Thu 9:55am), our Platinum Partner
- Start Here: Get Clear Before You Dive In (Thu 11:00am): a whole-room session to name the problems that matter and plan how to use the two days
- The Partner Parade (Thu 2:30pm): the Here to Stay Merch Catwalk, leading straight into the Expo Hall
- The Power of Community: Mentoring & Goal Setting (Fri 11:45am): people from the ASTRA Mentor Program, powered by Booking.com, on what backing themselves changed
- From Search to AI: The Future of Distribution, and What You Must Do Next to Be Found (Fri 1:15pm): William Crock (Hometime) moderates Kevin Lu (Trip.com), Alonso Vargas (Smart Suites), Ben Willis (ScaleGX) and Dominik Wilkowski (HomHero)
- The Industry Forum: What Must Change for STR to Thrive (Fri 2:00pm): sharp provocations and a room-wide discussion with Aaron Taylor, Danny Shannon and Sarah Workman
From Search to AI and the Industry Forum are programmed at the close of the conference deliberately. Future-focused content belongs at the end, so delegates leave thinking about what comes next.
The moments between the sessions
Here to Stay is fully immersive. Accommodation, sessions, exhibition and networking all happen at RACV Royal Pines, so the conversations don’t stop when a session ends.
- Wednesday 21 October, 5:00–7:00pm: Industry Reunion Welcome Networking Event. The first conversations of the conference, and the easiest way for first-time delegates to meet people.
- Thursday 22 October, 6:00pm: Here to Stay Industry Awards Gala Dinner. The industry’s night to celebrate excellence, hosted by Pete Smith, with a DJ and dance floor.
- Friday 23 October, 2:30pm: Conference Close.
- Coffee & Connect breaks run through both days, with the Expo Hall and the Booking.com Host House open for meet and greets.
How to get the most out of Here to Stay 2026
- Plan your track before you arrive. Look at the PMC and Host sessions and decide where you’ll get the most value, then leave room to follow your curiosity.
- Bring a laptop to the AI workshops. Both AI sessions are hands-on, so you’ll build with your own data and listings.
- Bring a real problem. The Brains Trust and the roundtables work best when delegates bring genuine challenges from their own businesses.
- Stay onsite. The most valuable conversations often happen at breakfast, over coffee or after the Gala.
- Come to Wednesday night. The Welcome Networking Event sets up the connections that make the next two days more valuable.
- Leave with one action. Pick one change you’ll make in your business the week you get home. That’s the real return on the conference.
Why attend? The return on investment
For a PMC, the conference pays for itself if it helps you win or retain a single owner, or prevent a single fraud incident. For a host, it pays for itself if it helps you secure one extra booking a month or save a few hours every week through automation.
Beyond the direct return, every dollar generated by Here to Stay is reinvested into ASTRA’s advocacy, policy engagement and research. That’s work that protects the environment every STR business operates in.
Frequently asked questions
What is Here to Stay?
Here to Stay is the national short-term rental conference for Australia and New Zealand, presented by ASTRA (the Australia and New Zealand Short Term Rental Association). It is the Asia-Pacific pillar of the global circuit of STR industry conferences.
When and where is Here to Stay 2026?
Here to Stay 2026 runs 21–23 October 2026 at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Who should attend a short-term rental conference in Australia?
Here to Stay is designed for property management companies, independent hosts, suppliers, technology platforms, investors and industry leaders working in short-term rental accommodation.
What are the PMC and Host tracks?
The PMC Track focuses on scaling, owner relationships, systems and commercial risk. The Host Track focuses on guest experience, practical AI tools and growing a hosting business. Shared sessions bring both audiences together.
Can I attend sessions from both tracks?
Yes. Delegates can choose any session and are encouraged to mix and match based on their goals.
Are there hands-on AI sessions?
Yes. There are two 60-minute workshops on Thursday 22 October at 3:15pm: AI Build Lab for PMCs and Build Your AI Co-Host for hosts. Bring a laptop.
Why are there fewer keynotes this year?
Delegate feedback from 2025 showed participatory formats delivered the most value. The 2026 program deliberately prioritises workshops, roundtables and facilitated discussions.
What is the Brains Trust?
The Brains Trust is a rotating roundtable session on Friday 23 October. Delegates move between tables to work on the industry’s biggest challenges, then tables report back to the room.
When is the Here to Stay Industry Awards Gala Dinner?
The Gala Dinner is on Thursday 22 October from 6:00pm. It celebrates excellence across the short-term rental industry.
Is accommodation available at the venue?
Yes. Here to Stay is a fully immersive event, and delegates are encouraged to stay onsite at RACV Royal Pines. Rooms are limited, so book early.
Does the conference cover regulation?
Yes. Regulation & Advocacy: What’s Changing and What It Means for You runs on Thursday 22 October, and the Industry Forum on Friday explores what must change for STR to thrive.
How do I register?
Register at heretostayconference.com/register/
Ready to join the industry on the Gold Coast? Register for Here to Stay 2026 →
