HOW STRIVE STARTED?
Strive started with a simple mission – to help the hospitality and tourism industry grow stronger together. From its early beginnings to becoming a respected industry event, Strive continues to create meaningful connections, spark new ideas, and drive positive change.
MEET OUR CEO & FOUNDER
BART SOBIES
2023 was the year STRIVE came to life. What started as a bold idea, bringing serious short-term rental operators and tech leaders into one room, quickly became something bigger. We gathered ambitious founders, property managers, suppliers and strategists who were ready to raise the standard of the industry. It wasn’t about hype. It was about practical conversations, real relationships and sharing what actually works. The foundations were laid, partnerships were formed, and a community began to take shape around a simple idea: if we learn together, we grow together.
OUR STORY
Explore the milestones that turned Strive into the room where decisions are made and the industry moves forward.
STRIVE 2023 - THE BEGINNING
2023 was the year STRIVE came to life. What started as a bold idea, bringing serious short-term rental operators and tech leaders into one room, quickly became something bigger. We gathered ambitious founders, property managers, suppliers and strategists who were ready to raise the standard of the industry. It wasn’t about hype. It was about practical conversations, real relationships and sharing what actually works. The foundations were laid, partnerships were formed, and a community began to take shape around a simple idea: if we learn together, we grow together.
STRIVE 2024 - MOMENTUM BUILDS
In 2024, STRIVE levelled up. The speaker line-up expanded. The conversations deepened. Sponsors leaned in harder. Operators travelled from across Australia and New Zealand because they knew the room mattered. This was no longer just a conference. It became a place where brands were discovered, tools were adopted and collaborations were born. We refined the experience, elevated the production, and strengthened our focus on serious operators who wanted to build sustainable, profitable businesses. STRIVE was becoming the room where decisions were made.
STRIVE 2025 - PROOF OF CONCEPT
2025 proved one thing: when you put the right people in the right room, big things happen.
Over two days in Melbourne, operators, property managers, tech companies and industry leaders came together not to spectate, but to act. Products launched. Partnerships were sealed. Brands were strengthened. Leaders were recognised at the STRIVE Awards.
Sponsors didn’t just show up for logo placement – they embedded themselves into conversations months before the event and continued building relationships long after it ended.
But STRIVE didn’t stop there.
In 2025, STRIVE expanded beyond Australia with the launch of STRIVE New Zealand, delivering a two-day event that brought the same energy, insights and collaboration to the Kiwi short-term rental community. The momentum continued internationally with the STRIVE Bali Mixer in Indonesia, a one-day gathering connecting industry leaders in one of the world’s fastest-growing hospitality markets.
The energy was undeniable. STRIVE wasn’t just growing – it was influencing the direction of the short-term rental industry.
STRIVE 2026 - THE BENCHMARK
By 2026, STRIVE is no longer emerging. It’s established. It’s respected. It’s where serious operators go to level up and serious brands go to lead.
What began in Australia has now expanded internationally, with STRIVE New Zealand and STRIVE Indonesia bringing the same high-impact conversations, connections and collaboration to new markets.
With refined sponsorship pathways, curated networking, masterclasses, awards and deeper industry integration, STRIVE is setting the benchmark for how hospitality events should feel – commercial, collaborative and community-driven.
This is where ideas turn into execution. Where conversations turn into contracts. Where short-term rental professionals come not just to attend, but to build what’s next.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US
