Airbnb Open 2016 in Los Angeles

[Clément4]

In 2016, Airbnb Open is headed to Los Angeles! We’re working hard to create a fantastic event featuring exceptional speakers, helpful workshops, and one-of-a-kind opportunities for you to connect with fellow hosts from around the world. This global gathering of hosts, guests, Airbnb leaders and hospitality experts takes place November 17th-19th.

Watch www.airbnb.com/open for event and ticket sales information. Registration will open in June.

In the meantime, dig into these highlights from Airbnb Open 2015 for a look at last year’s event.

I encourage you to leave a comment and let us know what you’re hoping to see, do and experience this year in Los Angeles.

Don’t hold back: share your wildest dreams! We can’t wait to read about them.


Clément

[Judie0]

Here's my suggestions for AO2016:

1. Food - Please provide protein, especially at breakfast! Croissants and yogurt are not sufficient.
2. Food - Allow seconds. If you're providing meals that are small, allow people who are hungry to go back for more. Due to the schedule, we don't have time to go to outside venues for food, so please allow us the nutrition we need.
3. Security - Figure out a way for us to move between 'secure zones' more easily. The setup in Paris was awful, and you are lucky that it didn't rain on the lines of hundreds of people trying to get back into the Grande Halle after the keynote events.
4. Security - Please train Security agency staff on basic customer service skills. More often than not, attendees interface with security before anyone else.
5. Schedule - STICK TO THE PRINTED SCHEDULE please! In Paris, the opening Keynote started 30 minutes later than the time printed in the notebook, and sessions consistently ran late.
6. Schedule - Publish a visual (calendar/grid) schedule when you open up registration for breakout sessions. The list format from last year was very confusing. It was also very confusing to figure out what sessions were offered on both days, versus the sessions that only were offered one time.
7. Schedule - Don't require signing up for a lunch time. Or, if you do, don't make the lunchtime signup prevent me from signing up for a session that overlaps the lunch time slot. 
8. Schedule - Provide me with a printed schedule of my sessions, or a way for me to print the schedule so that it fits neatly into the notebook. A calendar/grid format is preferred over a list format. Many of us don't want to rely on our mobile device for the schedule.
9. Sessions - Provide sessions with more practical information that is useful for experienced hosts. Given that a large percentage of attendees are Superhosts, it's odd that the sessions seemed to be targeted towards more novice hosts. Help us become better/more efficient at the daily aspects of running our Airbnb business - cleaning, laundry, supplies/linens, check-ins, etc.
10. Venue - Make sure the bathrooms at the chosen venue can accomodate the crowd. The plumbing issues at the Grande Halle were naaaasty.
11. Venue - Plan for HVAC limitations. Have fans available. Make sure exterior doors can be opened for fresh air.
12. Mobile SIM Cards - Require that your chosen Mobile vendor have a booth that is open and doing business during ALL hours that attendees are able to access the venue, including the days preceeding the event when early check-in is open. In Paris, Orange didn't have SIM cards available for purchase until 11AM on Thursday, but by that time, I'd already been in Paris for two days without a SIM card. Be a gracious and thoughful host to your international attendees and help them get their mobile service established as soon as they arrive.
13. Mobile SIM Cards - Have your chosen mobile vendor publish IN ADVANCE the rates and plans of the cards they'll be selling.
14. Mobile SIM Cards - Allow attendees to purchase the SIM cards in advance and pick them up at check-in.
15. Emergency Plan - Develop better plan for contacting attendees in the event of an emergency. Keep in mind that international attendees may have their mobile phones turned off, or be using a US SIM card with a new (temporary) US phone number. 
16. Emergency Plan - Publish emergency information in the notebook, and not hidden on the last page.
17. WIFI - Please, please, please have reliable WiFi throughout the venue.
18. Badges - Print the badges double-sided so that no matter which way the lanyard flips the badge around, the information is readable on both sides.
19. Notebooks - Provide tabs so that the schedule and the map can be easily found. Perhaps print the map on the back cover or inside covers.

Highlights of things I thought were done really well at AO16:

1. Staff EVERYWHERE - And they were staff who actually had information, answers and solutions, or if they didn't, sought it out immediately. This was very impressive and truly appreciated.
2. Less Schwag - It was nice to not have a lot of stuff to pack and bring home. IMO, the only two essentials are the name badge and the notebook.
3. Session door monitors - It was great that you had door monitors on hand to make sure that attendees who had registered for the session entered first, and drop-ins waited for open seats (if any). The door monitors also did a great job clearing the room at the end of the session, to help the subsequent session start on-time.
4. Host Culture Wall - This was unexpectedly delightful - a place to share special hosting moments.
5. Hosting Tips Wall - A place to share hosting tips and tricks
6. Product Feedback - Tucked away over in the Pavillon were a team of engineers and product people to whom we could give direct feedback. This was really cool, although I think we totally overwhelmed the engineer we spoke with. 

[Lizzie]

Great overview and points here @Judie0, thanks for sharing. I particularly like to hear two of your highlights were the Host Culture and Host Tips walls. Perhaps we could start some similar 'walls' here in the Community Center. 🙂 

[Treena0]

I could not of put it in words better my self Thank you!!  

[Andrée2]

@Treena0

Not sure if you thought my post was regarding 2016. Mine is about 2017.

[Louise8]

Hi are any LA hosts from Culver City going to the 2016 Open

Hi I will be staying with a friend in Cattagaurus and looking for someone to share transport with going to the Open in Downtown.   I would love to team up with someone knowledgable about safety etc.

[Bertha-Y-Jhesu0]

Hola a todos!

I'm Jhesú from Lima, Perú. I couldn't attend the previous AO's and looking forward to attend the one in LA on November. Maybe get an invitation from the Administrators, that would be nice, I don't know... haha 

I have a suggestion... how about a presentation on something we do for our guests that's unusual and really makes their stay special. For example, I do a Pisco Sour cocktail class every weekend. Everyone shakes their own drink, is fun, is engaging and is delicious! Maybe other hosts so other things with their guests that WOWs them, like playing guitar, dancing, fishing... some of them can be shown at the event. I volunteer to do a class of course, I can pick 5 from the audience and show everyone how to make pisco sour!!! Is an idea but someone can think a better way to do it 🙂

Hasta luego!!

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone, 

I hope you are all good.

I just wanted to highlight the recent update from Clément regarding the AO16 here in the Airbnb Open board. Take a look here...the countdown really begins now. 🙂

[Jude4]

I keep on trying to register but the dates are being pushed out. What's the story?

[Mark1]

Hi Lizzie,

Thanks for soliciting feedback, the thing that jumps out at me is the registration delay.  With no explanation, it is at best odd and at worst a sign of poor planning/execution.  I hope the 12th goes off without a hitch and things get back on track!

Reading other people's comments, I think the t-shirt is possibly my favorite idea, it's a great one.  I hope that when tickets go on sale the venue(s) are announced so people can plan their travel.  You have shared the city and the dates, perhaps sharing cost and exact location before tickets go on sale would bring this event more in line with other conferences.

Overall, I am very excited for this year's open.  Good luck with all the work that goes into it!

After the Paris Open (I was also at the SF one) I put these together and published them on Medium, they are my main feedback for the team:

2015 Airbnb Open - Ten Things Airbnb Should Do Better Next Year

2015 Airbnb Open - Ten Things Airbnb Did Great At The Conference

[Laurie-And-Randy0]

Hey Clement!

We have been giving our guests the opportunity to select a local non profit to have part of their cleaning fees donated to.

I would love to hear how other hosts are supporting their community through Airbnb.

I would love to see Airbnb make this something you could easily do on your listing. Our guests and the local non profits seem to love this opportunity.

Hope it won't be too difficult to get tickets to the Open!

Cheers!

Laurie,

Hideaway Cottage Mount Shasta, CA.

[Judie0]

This message thread is for topics/questions/updates specific to Airbnb Open 2016. If you want to discuss a different topic, please start a new thread for that subject. 

[Daniel-Rusteen0]

@Clément4 Where exactly will it be held? I already bought my ticket, I just need to look for accommodation now. I want to be as close to the venue as possible.

[Helen3]

Hey Clement

I can't afford to attend, but would love to discuss why BnB has decided to make it mandatory for some new hosts to have their listings set to Instant Book.

I've contacted Bnb through the community forum and directly via the website but haven't received a response unfortunately.

I am deeply concerned about the safety implications of this for new hosts, as they won't have a chance to vet potential visitors and may therefore end up with unsuitable visitors for their property.

 They  are also likely to lose out financially by cancelling inappropraite visitors -  not realising there are financial and other penalities involved such as blocking of dates and not being able to gain superhost status.

If you look at the community forums you will see a number of examples of unhappy new hosts including those who have suffered financial penalities.

Would you be able to let us know why BnB is imposing Instant Book on new hosts.

I have been on BnB just short of a year and was please to gain Superhost status within six months.  I  wouldn't have joined had I had to accept visitors without being able to chat to them in advance via the messaging system to ensure there was a good fit.

I know BnB says that you can set a criteria via guest rules, but this doesn't enable you to get a feel for a guest and their plans that you get through direct conversation.

I do wonder why BnB isn't prepared to explain such a major change to the way in which it is prepared to work with its hosts.

Helen Ashley

[Karine0]

Hi Clement,
I booked this afternoon my Early Bird 3 Days Pass for the Airbnb Open 2016 in LA that I paid 275$
This evening I've received an offer with a lower price as I participated in the Airbnb Open 2015 in Paris last November.
My question is : how can I get the refund of the difference I paid today before getting the mail with the offer ? Who can help me ?

[Daniel-Rusteen0]

Same question here! I was at Airbnb Open in Paris last year (and in SF the year before).