by Anna Hann
posted on September 9, 2024
This summer, the annual UK Summer Host Community Events brought hosts and the Turo team together in three cities pivotal to Turo in the UK: Edinburgh, Manchester, and London.
The events connected the Turo team with hosts and further strengthened the growing Turo community in the UK. Each event was unique, but all offered insights into Turo’s 2024 performance and what’s new in 2024 to support hosts, more about market forecasts (particularly an increased demand for vans), plus more about why stricter hosting standards have been introduced to help protect valued hosts.
Lively panel discussions and one-to-one chats between hosts and the Turo team gave vital feedback about what hosts want more of, including UK-specific host forums and regional-specific professional photography — watch this space!
Spotlight on Edinburgh
The events kicked off in Edinburgh on 31 July. Power Host Gurinder S took to the stage for a Q&A, a highlight of the night, especially for new hosts in Edinburgh. He shared advice for scaling up a Turo business from one or two cars to a full-time business with an extensive portfolio.
Demand for vans was a hot topic of conversation in the panel discussions, with hosts keen to add to their portfolio to capitalise on what guests are searching for in Scotland. With rural roads and geographic factors specific to Scotland, conversations revolved around building on an established host community for shared learning and using Turo’s nationwide reach to tap into other UK regions.
Memories of Manchester
On 1 August, the Turo team travelled south from Edinburgh to Manchester, where Power Host Josh T was on hand to share his best advice from two years of hosting on Turo. The session was particularly useful for single-car hosts looking to add another car or two to their portfolio, with information about specific car-sharing financing.
Manchester hosts asked the Turo team for more professional photo shoots in the city to help make their cars stand out – check out our top car photography tips in the meantime!
London highlights
The London event brought together Turo hosts for an evening of great food, exciting car displays, and meaningful connections. They feasted on BBQ rice bowls and ice cream, plus the chance to look inside an Audi RS6 and Morgan 3.
The networking sessions and discussions captured the essence of the entrepreneurship of the Turo community. The highlight of the night was the recognition of high-performing hosts in a series of awards, The Hosties, in categories including recognising Kash as the longest-serving host with over 5,500 trips and the most trips this year and Valerie as superstar host.
Growing the community
Across all the events, one thing was clear: the most rewarding aspect was the networking opportunities they offered to hosts. Connecting with other Turo hosts and the Turo team fostered a strong sense of community and collaboration, and the positive feedback and testimonials from hosts who came along to the events highlight the lasting impact of these connections.
Missed out?
Hosts who couldn’t make it to the events can catch up on the insights shared and updates and announcements.
See you next time
Thank you to all the hosts who attended the UK Summer Host Events. Your presence and participation contributed to the success of every event. For those who missed out this time, stay tuned to hear about future opportunities and look out for invitations to next year’s events.
