Good morning!

As I sit here writing this, it is POURING outside.

Not a gentle little summer shower. The kind of rain that has completely refilled the seasonal pond in our backyard and has me wondering whether I should be finishing my Monday Musing… or looking for two of every animal. 

And lately, it feels like a pretty good metaphor for what's happening in the STR world.

When it rains, it pours.

It seems like hardly a day goes by that I don't get a phone call, email, text, or Facebook message about another STR issue brewing somewhere.

• A township considering new restrictions or a new enforcement officer interpreting the ordinance in an anti-STR direction
• An HOA adopting new rules that make it impossible for STR owners to participate in community decisions.
• Owners wondering what they should do—or what they should have done six months ago.
• Someone frustrated because decisions are being made about their property rights and livelihood, and they don't know how to make their voice heard.

And here's something I've learned from watching these situations unfold:

The best time to learn how to advocate for yourself is BEFORE you're standing in the middle of the storm.

That's exactly why the timing of our upcoming STR Advocacy Summit on September 17th at Camelback Resort feels so important.

We've put together a fantastic group of speakers who aren't talking about advocacy in theory. They've actually done it.

They've worked with/in municipalities. Sat through contentious public meetings. Navigated HOA battles. Organized owners. Built coalitions. Talked with elected officials. Made mistakes. Learned lessons. And, importantly, figured out what actually works.

And I'm especially excited that Airbnb and Vrbo are both Presenting Sponsors of the Summit, with their government affairs representatives joining us in person to speak, answer questions, and network with attendees.

That's a pretty extraordinary opportunity.

Because advocacy isn't just about showing up at a meeting and saying, "I don't like this."

• It's about understanding how decisions get made.
• It's knowing when to get involved.
• It's figuring out who you need to talk to.
• It's learning how to communicate in a way that actually gets people to listen.
• And it's building relationships and organizing your community before the water starts rising.

If there's even a cloud on the horizon where you operate, I want you in that room.

If your township is discussing STR regulations, come.

If your HOA is considering restrictions, come.

If you're already in the middle of a dispute, definitely come.

And if everything is perfectly calm where you operate right now?

Come anyway.

Because if the last few weeks have taught me anything, it's how quickly the weather can change.

Our goal with this Summit isn't to create louder STR advocates.

It's to create better ones.

People who know how to organize, communicate, build relationships, tell our industry's story, and work toward reasonable solutions before disagreements become battles.

The rain outside my window will eventually stop. Our little pond will drain back down. The sun will come out again.

But in the STR community?

I think we're entering a season when knowing how to advocate effectively is going to be one of the most important skills an owner or operator can have.

September 17th. Camelback Resort.

If you care about the future of STRs in your township, your HOA, or the Poconos as a whole, you really need to be in the room.

 Summit details & registration:
Poconos VRO STR Advocacy Summit

See you there!

~Rebecca

P.S. Don't wait until you're standing in three feet of water to start wondering where they keep the sandbags.