The STR Event Of the Year is happening in Orlando
2 Aug 2023 · 10 min
Mark Simpson, Maddie Rifkin, and Julie George announce a short-term-rental golf tournament at Disney Palms Golf Course in Orlando in October 2023, limited to 144 golfers playing as a scramble for the inaugural STR Advocacy Cup. The event raises money for VRMA advocacy and includes a clubhouse party for non-golfers and sponsors. Register at boostly.co.uk/golf.
Questions this episode answers
October 2023 (the day before the VRMA conference).
144 golfers.
Disney Palms Golf Course.
boostly.co.uk/golf.
Closest to the pin, longest drive, hole-in-one (plus top-three placements).
Chapters
I welcome back to another episode of the Boost Leave podcast. And we have got something very special to announce. What's happening in October in Orlando. So if you are listening or watching this after October 2023, you have missed it. You're going to miss the event of the year that is happening in Orlando. Before we begin though, can you please make sure that you are liking this video? Sharing this video all around the interwebs. And if you're listening, make sure you're hitting that download button as well. We've just passed 200 episodes of the Boosted podcast, which is amazing. And we're hitting over 100,000 downloads every single month. So thank you very much to everybody who is tuning in, which is fantastic. And without more said, let's, let's move on. So we've got, with me on my left, we've got Maddie from Mount and below me we've got the million dollar host herself, Ms. Julie George. And Maddie has come up with a fantastic idea and she's roped in Julie and I to be part of it for reasons that you will become very clear of in a minute. But before we begin, Maddie, can you just please explain what is happening in Orlando? What have you come up with and how can we all get involved?
Absolutely. So Orlando, known for very good weather and sunshine, is going to be home to the VRMA conference where we gather as all of the short term rental experts and property managers and hosts. And so the day before, I've decided to put together a golf tournament for all of us to congregate, have fun, play a little game of golf, compete against each other for the best golfer of our industry, but also to raise funds for the advocacy groups that we are all a part of to help push our industry forward and make sure that governments cannot stop us in our tracks. Very good causes. Each state and organization, they all have their own groups. So we are turning towards the VRMA advocacy fund to help us figure out where those funds should go. But just a good cause for us all to get together and raise some funds for Amazing.
Now I. Well, we all got together in Nashville earlier on this year in March, and I thought it'd be cool to do like a little meet up. And so we arranged to hit a few balls at a topgolf. And I did not know before entering this topgolf venue that Maddie Rifkin can hit a golf ball. Not only can she hit a golf ball, she can out hit Humphrey from Super Hog as well.
So.
Which I know Humphrey was very competitive that night. Uh, so how Long have you been a fan of golf? How long have you been playing golf? How is it?
Yeah, you know, golf has got a part of my life since high school. I was a big athlete. Me and my sisters grew up playing soccer and lacrosse and basketball and pretty much every sport you can imagine. And then sophomore year of high school, I ended up getting hit by a car and broke my leg and crushed the right side of my body. And so rehabilitating for over two years I learned how to golf because I couldn't play any other sport. So became fascinated with it, ended up playing in college for a little at Northeastern and then ever since have used it as a tool to get into business conversations and now it has flowered into a golf tournament.
All amazing how it all comes around.
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Okay. So obviously Maddie is the, is the golf the brains behind this and obviously I want everybody to go and check it out. Go to boostly.co.uk golf to find out more how you can be a part of it. And obviously as well we're reaching out to all the vendors as well to come and sponsor, be a part of it, raise some money for this amazing event. But as we all know, when you are playing golf, there's this little thing called a clubhouse. I'm not talking that app that was very popular in 2020, 2021. I'm talking about the clubhouse where the party is at, which is why we have Julie George involved. So Julie, can you please tell me what the clubhouse is going to be and what to be happening in there as well?
Look where Maddie excels in golf. I excel in, I was going to say drinking. But, but look, I love to throw a party and what a great excuse if we are all heading to Orlando for vrma. And it will be my first vrma. So let's have a party to celebrate. So we're going to throw a party in the clubhouse. So if you are watching this right now, you're listening in. You just want to connect with some, some fellow colleagues. But you're not a great golfer because I know I would be out on that. I would be chasing that white ball around for days before I got back to the clubhouse if you got me out there. But we want you to come along to the clubhouse. We want you to be supportive. We're going to have a hell of a lot of fun. So Mark, I'm going to have you help me in the party house and we are going to co host a party in there, an event, a networking event to support the golf tournament. We're going to cheer on the teams, we're going to get behind them. We're going to play a few little fun games ourselves. Food, drink. Look, we're just going to have a great opportunity to catch up before the official VRMA conference kicks off. But folks, great opportunity. Sponsors out there, get in quick because we've got limited sponsorships available. But if you want a great opportunity to get in front of some big group of hosts, this is it.
So how many people, Maddie, can take part in the event? As in golfing and being actually in the course?
Yeah, so we have rented out the course. It can hold up to 144 golfers. So obviously BRMA attracts thousands of people. We get 144 on the course. So if you are wanting to be one of those, you better scoop up your team pretty quickly.
And where, where's it going to be happening at? Where's, where's the location?
I scouted a few and it came down to the Disney Palms Golf Course, which is fantastic. You might see a Mickey Mouse or two, a few water features, but overall just a fantastic course.
Brilliant. And yeah, so again, when you go to an event and it's the first time going to an event or maybe like, you know, you, you don't know many people. It's so hard when you first walk into the vrma. This is why I love about fringe events, especially fringe events before because, you know, it's only 144. You're going to have a chance to, you know, spend some real good quality time out on a course with somebody that you may be meeting for the first time, which would be fantastic. So when you actually do go into the actual Vermo, you've already got a core group of people that, that you already know. And it makes the event so much better when you can actually go in with people. So this is why I'm, I'm all for this event and I'm really excited to be part of it. So thanks for having Julie and I, who are both crap at golf, but love to have a drink or two, even if it will be in the morning because it's always five o' clock somewhere.
Five o' clock somewhere. Right, so. But yeah, you're exactly right, Mark. So, folks, if you're listening in, you're coming on your own to Orlando. This is the event that you want to come to first. Come and come and make some friends. We are all a nice, friendly bunch and we would love to connect with a few. A few new faces.
Yeah. And for the tournament too. You can sign up individually and get placed on a team so you get to meet new people. Or you can sign up as a team by a group of four and compete with your friends for the winning slot.
So is there going to be like, prizes? Is there going to be like, what's the deal? Is it just a fun thing? Or we're going to have like some winner prizes? What are we thinking?
Oh, my gosh, how did I forget? We have three whole contests. So on a whole you on a part three, it's going to be closest to the pin someone gets to win that. Prizes to be announced are going to be epic. We have the longest drive, which I actually won last year, and then we have. What's the third? Oh, hole in one. Of course, you might win a car, you never know. And then, yeah, we have a top three placements as well. So it's a scramble format. You get to play the best ball each shot. So if you have a bad shot. No, no worries. Your teammate got you. And then, yeah, if you win number one if the tournament, you will be the proud owner of the first ever STR Advocacy cup trophy.
Amazing.
I love that you're giving a car away. Is that your rental car that you're just going to hand the keys out?
Or a toy car, you know, to be specified.
To be specified. Hey, well, again, thanks for coming on to the podcast and talking about this, launching this and letting everybody know about it. There's going to be a lot more information out on the socials about this, Matty. Wes, where's your LinkedIn? How can people find out more about it if they're listening to this for the first time?
Yeah, LinkedIn is perfect. Mine is Maddie Rifkin or the Mount LinkedIn post all about the tournament there. And then Mark has the magic link.
Yeah. Boostly.co.uk forward/golf. It'll take you straight to the booking page where you can find out More about booking a ticket, but also as well for the vendors that tuning in. And I know there's a lot of you that do. You can check to the sponsorships and you can go find out all about that and join in joining with Boost Lee and we've got Mount and we've also got Can Monkey and Inhaven and more, more that are coming in because more people are finding out this as we speak. So do not sit on this, do not wait until October 20th and thinking I'm just gonna mosey on down with Mickey Mouse to the Disney courses and try and get a ticket because it will be sold out by event. So make sure you head on over, get your tickets. Plenty of time for this. All right, you two, any final things to say, anything you want to share?
Just looking forward to seeing everybody in Florida. So as Mark said, don't delay, make sure you sign up and get your tickets early because you don't want to miss out on this event.
Brilliant. All right, everybody, thank you very much. Speak to you all very soon. Ta da. Bye bye.
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