In the past I have written, and some of you have heard/seen my webinar, about Niche Marketing in the vacation home rental industry.  This information from SportsTravel magazine fits in perfectly with that theme.  SportsTravel magazine has announced the list of sporting events that have been nominated for the 2008 SportsTravel Awards.   If you are located in a destination for these events and are not aggressively marketing around that event for 2009 (or the location where this event will happen in 2009), then you are probably leaving money on the table.  Or should I say, guests on the street.  Competitors do not show up at these competitions on their own.  They come with a team, family, friends, and fans of the event.  None of these, including the athletes, want to stay in a little hotel room and eat out.  They want to cook the food they are used to and hang out to get ready. 

You should also think about how you, and your community, can organize voting and promoting your event to bring attention to your destination.  As well as planning for 2009 and putting a new nomination on the ballot.  Official ballots are available in the August and September issues of SportsTravel magazine. Readers may also vote online at www.SportsTravelMagazine.com.
Following are the 2008 SportsTravel Award nominees: Best amateur single-sport event
2007 Great White North Dragon Boat Challenge, Toronto, Canada
2007 National Bicycle League Grand National, Louisville, KY
2008 JAMfest Cheer Super Nationals, Indianapolis, IN
2008 National Draw Women’s Lacrosse Amateur Championship, Marlton, NJ
2008 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Oklahoma City, OK
2008 U.S. Youth Soccer Southern Regional Championship, Raleigh, NC, and Wilson, NC Best amateur multi-sport or multi-discipline event
2007 AAU Junior Olympic Games, Knoxville, TN
2007 ICF Junior Wildwater World Championships, Columbia, SC, and Charlotte, NC
2007 Pop Warner Super Bowl & National Cheer/Dance Championships, Orlando, FL
2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Slalom Canoe/Kayak, Charlotte, NC
2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming, Omaha, NE
2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field, Eugene, OR Best amateur sports event series or circuit
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Various
2007 Little League Baseball World Series, Williamsport, PA
2008 City Chase USA, Various
2008 Kick-it 3v3 Soccer Tour, Various 
2008 Muddy Buddy Series, Various
2008 USA Softball KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour, Various Best collegiate single-sport event
2007 Army-Navy Football Classic, Baltimore, MD
2008 BCS National Championship Game (LSU vs. Ohio State), New Orleans, LA
2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Game, Omaha, NE
2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship Game, Denver, CO
2008 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship, Tuscaloosa, AL
2008 Under Armour Senior Bowl, Mobile, AL Best collegiate multi-sport or multi-discipline event
2008 ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships, Chapel Hill, NC
2008 NCAA Division I Women’s Gymnastics Championships, Athens, GA
2008 NCAA Division II Spring Championships Festival, Houston, TX
2008 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships, Oshkosh, WI
2008 NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Levelland, TX
2008 Penn Relay Carnival, Philadelphia, PA Best collegiate sports event series or circuit
2007 EA Sports Maui Invitational, Maui, HI
2008 Big East Baseball Championships, Clearwater, FL
2008 NAIA Softball National Championships, Decatur, AL
2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships, San Antonio, TX
2008 NCAA Division I Softball Championships, Oklahoma City, OK
2008 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships, Tampa Bay, FL Best professional single-sport event
2007 Davis Cup Final, Portland, OR
2008 French Open Championship Match, Paris, France
2008 Kentucky Derby, Louisville, KY
2008 Masters, Augusta, GA
2008 U.S. Open Golf Championship, San Diego, CA
Super Bowl XLII, Glendale, AZ Best professional multi-sport or multi-discipline event
2007 ESPN Summer X Games, Los Angeles, CA
2007 Professional Bull Riders Ford Tough Finals, Las Vegas, NV
2007 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Las Vegas, NV
2008 Arnold Fitness Weekend, Columbus, OH
2008 ESPN Winter X Games, Aspen, CO
2008 Teva Mountain Games, Vail, CO Best professional sports event series or circuit
2007 NFL NFC Championship Playoff Series, Various
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup, Various
2008 NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Detroit, MI, and Pittsburgh, PA
2008 Red Bull Air Race World Series, Various
2008 STIHL TimberSports Series, Various
2008 XTERRA American Tour, Various

Best New Sports Event
2007 USA Rowing World Challenge, Oklahoma City, OK
2008 American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania, Various
2008 Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, Fredericksburg, VA
2008 Puerto Rico Open, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
2008 Ultimate Boarder, Various
2008 XTERRA Winter World Championship, Huntsville, UT

Any event you would add to this list?

Ralf
LiveRez

The question about the “right amount of questions” to ask of potential guests for your vacation home rental signing up to your opt-in form is a tough one to answer.  The answer: “it depends.”  It depends on what you really need for your business. Here are a couple of guidelines: QuantityIf your business relies on sheer quantity and “just ok” quality of email addresses then you might only ask for email address and maybe first name if you want to ever personalize your email marketing campaigns. QualityIf you need your email addresses to be quality and be “real” verified email address, than a double opt-in verification or a CAPTCHA can be used.  Postal Address - Some businesses need a full address because they’ll be sending postal mail to them. If you do need this make sure to make it required so your visitor can’t leave the form without filling it out. What’s also great about getting a postal address is if your recipients email bounces you can send them a direct mail piece asking them to call you and update it.If you’re not going to be sending your recipients anything by mail but want to know their location, you might want to just ask for postal code. Phone Number – Phone numbers can be especially important if you need to call your customers at any given point to confirm something. And just like gathering postal information, you can call them if their email bounces to get an update. Expect to get a percentage of people giving bogus information as well, but many won’t especially if you give them the reason why you’re asking for it. Vacation Interest – Property managers who want to market to their recipients by seasons or services they have an interest in.  If you do this, tell visitors why certain fields are required and ask what  they’d like to receive information about. Age – Asking for age is a bit tricky. One way around this is by having a birthday club where you give something to your registrant as a gift. It can be in the form of a discount or something free.  Danger Zone Data – Credit Card information, household income & gender can all be a bit personal and turn off your registrant especially if they’re required. Expect a lot of bogus information here if you’re asking for it, there are just too many scams going on online and people are generally afraid. 

The better your information, the better you can market your vacation home rentals.  Be careful to balance the desire for detail with the potential abandonment rate of asking for too much.

Lets us know what has worked and what has not worked for you?  Do you have any online Jedi mind tricks the rest of us could use?

Ralf

LiveRez

A big week for our industry.  My friends over at FlipKey collected on an investment from TripAdvisor, and then Orbitz announced a partnership with Zonder to provide a vacation rental referral service to their travelers.  This activity resulted in an article in the Motley Fool about Expedia and the vacation rental industry.

Motley Fool article about Expedia and Vacation Home Rental Market

So what does all this mean?  Not sure any of us know for sure, but it tells me a couple of things:
- The big travel companies are very interested in the vacation home rental industry
- Online bookings, not just referrals and reservations, is going to be come even more critical
- Taking their business online is essential for vacation rental property managers
- Vacation rental property managers stand to win, and win big, if they are ready for a new era
- HomeAway has some big decisions to make about their strategy
- We need to stay very focused on the Customer – the Traveler

What do you think it spells for our industry?

Ralf
LiveRez

Based on the success and the lessons learned from 2008, the Vacation Home Expo is returning to Atlanta in January of 2009.  This is exciting for the vacation home rental industry – all of us in the industry owners, property managers, suppliers, vacation rental software providers and marketeers.  As a group we stand to gain from a rising tide of vacation home rental that will raise all boats, or should I say homes.

The Vacation Home Expo January 23 – 25, 2009 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta the show will bring together various leaders in the industry to present a united front to the attending travelers.  That united front is something that fascinates me.  With a united front, and especially a united message we can make a significant impact in building the recognition and utilization of vacation home rentals by travelers.  It is about bringing new travelers to vacation homes.  Taking away from the hotels, not each other.

Ralf
LiveRez