The STR Industry Has a Gathering Place
Short-term rental in Australia has changed faster in the past three years than in the previous decade. Regulation has arrived in most major markets. AI tools have entered the operator’s toolkit. Guest expectations have reset. Economic pressure has squeezed margins. And the relationship between individual hosts, property management companies, and the platforms they depend on has become more complex than ever before.
In that environment, the annual Here to Stay conference has become something the industry genuinely needs: a single gathering where the full ecosystem of hosts, operators, platforms, suppliers, regulators, and industry bodies can align on what’s happening, learn what works, and build the relationships that carry the industry forward.
Here to Stay 2026, presented by ASTRA, the Australia and New Zealand Short Term Rental Association, returns to RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast for three days, 21–23 October 2026. With 400+ delegates expected, it is the largest STR-specific event in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region’s pillar of the global short-term rental conference circuit.
This article explains who should attend, what the 2026 program is built to deliver, and why Here to Stay is the best investment a host, operator, or supplier can make in their business this year.
What Is Here to Stay?
Here to Stay is Australia’s national short-term rental conference, organised and presented by ASTRA. It was created to give the Australian STR industry what the broader property sector has long had – a dedicated, high-quality annual forum that builds momentum, raises standards, and strengthens the community.
The conference is not a trade show. It is not a tourism event. It is not a government or policy summit. It is specifically designed for the people who operate short-term rental businesses, from individual hosts managing a single property to property management companies running hundreds of listings, along with the platforms, suppliers, technology providers, and industry leaders who serve them.
ASTRA is the only not-for-profit organisation dedicated exclusively to short-term rental in Australia and New Zealand. It advocates on behalf of the industry with government, develops standards and professionalism across the sector, and uses the revenue generated from Here to Stay to fund ongoing advocacy and research work.
Every registration is a direct investment in the industry’s future, not just your own business.
Here to Stay 2026: Three Days, Three Pillars, One Industry
The 2026 program is built around three pillars, each representing a distinct dimension of what it means to operate and grow a short-term rental business in today’s environment.
Pillar 1: Better Hosting
Better Hosting is the practical engine of Here to Stay. Sessions under this pillar focus on the operational, commercial, and creative decisions that directly improve business performance. In 2026, this includes:
- Revenue management and dynamic pricing; including the three levers that most operators underuse
- Distribution strategy; how to build the right booking mix across OTAs, direct, and emerging AI-driven discovery channels
- AI tools and automation; hands-on workshops where delegates actually build tools, not just hear about them
- Guest experience design; the systems that turn guests into advocates
- Scaling from host to operator; the founder’s journey, told by people who’ve done it
- Cybersecurity; protecting payments, data, and brand from the risks most operators don’t know they face
Better Hosting sessions are structured to produce outcomes delegates can act on before they leave the building. The 2026 program deliberately reduces passive lecture formats in favour of workshops, roundtables, and facilitated discussion, because the operators who attended Here to Stay 2025 told us that’s where the real learning happened.
Pillar 2: Industry Leadership
Industry Leadership brings the bigger picture to the table – the regulatory, economic, and strategic forces shaping the sector that individual operators can’t influence alone, but need to understand and prepare for.
- Regulation and advocacy updates; what’s changing in STR policy and what ASTRA is doing about it
- Economic outlook; what the Australian and New Zealand economic picture means for STR demand and pricing in 2026
- Housing policy and the STR debate; how to engage constructively with the ongoing conversation about short-term rental’s role in housing supply
- Travel trends; tourism experts’ read on what’s driving demand and what it means for STR operators
- The future of distribution; how AI is changing how guests discover and book stays, and what operators need to do to stay visible
Industry Leadership sessions include the State of the Industry Address, a data-driven snapshot of where Australian and New Zealand STR sits in 2026, and The Industry Forum – a structured, audience-led discussion on what must change for the sector to thrive.
Pillar 3: Community Connection
Community Connection is what distinguishes Here to Stay from a conference you attend and forget. It is the built-in architecture of relationship-building that makes the event worth travelling for, and worth coming back to every year.
- The Welcome Networking Event; an evening gathering that sets the tone and ensures first-timers and returnees mix from day one
- The Executive Leadership Breakfast; invite-only, for senior operators and industry leaders
- Coffee and Connect breaks; structured networking every 90 minutes throughout the main conference day
- The ASTRA Awards Gala Dinner; the industry’s night of celebration, recognising excellence across hosting, property management, and sector contribution
- The ASTRA Mentor Program; connecting experienced operators with those earlier in their journey
- Roundtables and peer discussions; small-group conversations on the topics that matter most to delegates
The relationships formed at Here to Stay have led to business partnerships, referrals, problem-solving at scale, and a sense of belonging to something larger than any individual property or portfolio. That community is what keeps delegates coming back year after year.
Who Should Attend Here to Stay 2026?
Here to Stay is built for two primary audiences, and the 2026 program reflects both explicitly.
For Property Management Companies and Operators
If you manage multiple STR properties – or are building toward that – Here to Stay is the highest-ROI professional development investment you can make. The 2026 program includes sessions directly addressing the challenges that define success at scale: owner retention, team leadership, portfolio growth, revenue optimisation, and the technology decisions that compound over time.
Consider the business case plainly: if attending Here to Stay helps you retain one property owner you might otherwise have lost, the conference pays for itself. If it gives you one pricing insight that improves occupancy by 2%, or one distribution strategy that reduces your OTA dependence, the return compounds across your entire portfolio.
The 2026 program includes specific tracks for property management professionals: AI tools for portfolio analysis, sessions on building leadership teams that scale, the owner trust roundtable, and access to the Executive Leadership Breakfast for senior operators.
For Independent Hosts and Investors
Here to Stay is not just for large operators. It has always been a conference where a single-property host sitting next to a 300-property operator can learn from both the session content and the conversation — and where that proximity to experience accelerates progress faster than any online course or group.
Hosts who attend Here to Stay consistently report the same outcomes: they leave with a clearer picture of where their business sits relative to industry benchmarks, with practical tools they can implement immediately, and with connections to suppliers, platforms, and other operators who can help them grow.
The 2026 program includes the Better Hosting track sessions: designing memorable guest experiences, pricing and promotion strategy, building direct bookings, and the AI Co-Host workshop where participants build automation tools they take home.
Why RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast?
RACV Royal Pines Resort is not just a convenient venue; it is a deliberate choice. A luxury resort set on a championship golf course in the Gold Coast hinterland, it offers the accommodation, meeting spaces, dining, and atmosphere that makes a fully immersive conference possible.
The ‘fully immersive’ element is central to the Here to Stay experience. When delegates stay onsite, conversations continue past the last session of the day, relationships deepen over dinner, and the energy of the event sustains across all three days in a way that no day-trip conference can replicate.
The Gold Coast is also directly accessible from every major Australian capital and from New Zealand, making it practical for the national audience Here to Stay attracts.
What Makes Here to Stay Different from Other Conferences?
There are industry events in the broader accommodation and tourism space. There are OTA-led host meetups and property investment conferences. But Here to Stay occupies a specific position that none of those events fill.
It is the only conference in Australia specifically dedicated to advocating for short-term rental as an industry, from the individual host through to the largest property management company, the platforms they list on, and the suppliers who serve them. It is run by the industry’s own body. Its program is designed by people who operate in the space, not conference generalists.
Internationally, Here to Stay is positioned alongside the UK Short Term Rental Summit and VRMA International (USA) as part of the global circuit of serious STR industry events. For Australian and Asia-Pacific operators, it is the closest, most relevant, and most immediately actionable of the three.
The 2026 program has been deliberately redesigned based on delegate feedback from 2025. Less passive listening. More doing. More discussing. More taking ideas from the room back into your business within the week.
The Industry Awards: The Industry’s Night of Nights
The ASTRA Awards Gala Dinner on the evening of Thursday 22 October is one of the most anticipated events in the Australian STR calendar. It recognises excellence in hosting, property management, and industry contribution — and it gives the industry a moment to celebrate the quality, professionalism, and resilience of the people who operate in it.
For delegates, the Awards Gala is also one of the most valuable networking environments of the whole event. Black tie optional, Gold Coast autumn weather, and three days of conference energy funnelled into a single room.
How to Register for Here to Stay 2026
Registrations for Here to Stay 2026 are now open. The conference runs Wednesday 21 October through Friday 23 October at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.
ASTRA Members receive a discounted registration rate. If you are not yet a member, joining ASTRA before registering for the conference is the most cost-effective path — and membership provides year-round benefits beyond the conference itself.
Accommodation at RACV Royal Pines is available at a special conference rate for delegates. Given the immersive nature of Here to Stay and the volume of connection that happens outside formal sessions, staying onsite is strongly recommended. Rooms at the conference rate book out in advance, registering early secures your access to the preferred rate.
Register at: heretostayconference.com/register/
Speak at Here to Stay 2026: Expression of Interest
The Here to Stay program is built from the ground up with input from industry practitioners. ASTRA is currently accepting Expressions of Interest from potential speakers, facilitators, workshop leaders, and subject matter experts who believe they can contribute genuine, experience-based value to the 400+ delegates attending in October.
Here to Stay is not a platform for sales presentations. Speakers are selected based on their ability to contribute practical, education-first content that helps delegates improve their businesses or their understanding of the industry. All potential speakers must complete the EOI process.
If you have built something worth sharing, navigated a challenge that others in the industry face, developed expertise in a relevant area, or have a perspective on where STR is heading that the industry needs to hear, ASTRA wants to hear from you.
Submit your Expression of Interest at: https://forms.gle/e9gaA1CH5CBHN2vMA
The EOI form takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete and must be submitted in a single sitting. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Frequently Asked Questions: Here to Stay 2026
What is the Here to Stay conference?
Here to Stay is Australia’s national short-term rental conference, presented by ASTRA – the Australia and New Zealand Short Term Rental Association. It is the largest and most comprehensive STR-specific event in Australia, bringing together hosts, property managers, platforms, suppliers, and industry leaders annually.
When and where is Here to Stay 2026?
Here to Stay 2026 runs Wednesday 21 October through Friday 23 October 2026 at RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Who is Here to Stay designed for?
Here to Stay is designed for everyone involved in short-term rental, from individual hosts managing one or two properties through to large property management companies, platforms, technology providers, and industry suppliers. The 2026 program includes dedicated content streams for both hosts and property management professionals.
How many people attend Here to Stay?
Here to Stay 2026 is targeting 400+ delegates. Attendees include STR operators at every scale, property managers, platforms, technology and service suppliers, and industry leaders and advocates.
What are the three days of the conference?
Day 1 (Wednesday 21 October) is the Welcome Networking Event, an evening function that brings delegates together before the main program begins. Day 2 (Thursday 22 October) is the full conference day, including all plenary and breakout sessions, exhibitions, and the ASTRA Awards Gala Dinner in the evening. Day 3 (Friday 23 October) delivers the closing sessions and final networking events.
What is ASTRA?
ASTRA – the Australia and New Zealand Short Term Rental Association – is the only not-for-profit organisation dedicated exclusively to short-term rental in Australia and New Zealand. It advocates for the industry with government, develops standards and professionalism across the sector, and provides resources and community for operators of all sizes. Revenue from Here to Stay directly funds ASTRA’s advocacy and research work.
Is Here to Stay only for large property management companies?
No. While Here to Stay includes specific content for property management companies and larger operators, it has always been and remains a conference for the full spectrum of the STR industry. Individual hosts, investors, and people who are just starting out in short-term rental attend alongside major operators, and the proximity of those different experience levels is one of the things that makes the event uniquely valuable.
Can I speak at Here to Stay 2026?
Yes. ASTRA is accepting Expressions of Interest from potential speakers, facilitators, and subject matter experts. All applicants must complete the EOI form at forms.gle/e9gaA1CH5CBHN2vMA. Speakers are selected based on their ability to contribute practical, education-first content.
How do I register for Here to Stay 2026?
Registrations are now open at https://heretostayconference.com/register/. ASTRA Members receive a discounted registration rate. Accommodation at RACV Royal Pines Resort is available at a special conference rate and is recommended as the conference is fully immersive.
Is Here to Stay worth attending if I’m outside Queensland?
Yes. The Gold Coast is directly accessible from every major Australian capital and from New Zealand. Delegates travel from across Australia and New Zealand each year. The value generated from three days of sessions, workshops, and networking routinely exceeds the cost of travel and accommodation, and delegate feedback consistently reflects this.
What is the difference between Here to Stay and other property conferences?
Here to Stay is the only Australian conference specifically focused on short-term rental and from which all proceeds are injected directly into industry and advocacy efforts. General property investment conferences, tourism events, and real estate summits do not cover the specific challenges and opportunities of STR operation – regulation, OTA dynamics, guest experience, dynamic pricing, and distribution strategy – at the depth Here to Stay does. It is run by the industry’s own body, designed by practitioners, and attended by the most knowledgeable people in Australian STR.
Is Here to Stay part of a global conference circuit?
Yes. Here to Stay is positioned as the Asia-Pacific pillar of the global STR conference circuit, alongside the UK Short Term Rental Summit and VRMA International in the United States. For Australian and New Zealand operators, it is the most relevant and actionable of the three.
When will the full program be announced?
Speaker and session announcements will roll out progressively from mid-2026. The full program is online now at https://heretostayconference.com/program/. Registering early ensures you receive all program updates as they are announced.
For all registration and conference enquiries: membership@myastra.com.au
