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In 2024, our worldwide members helped us spread the word about HomeExchange through more than 3,200 'Open Homes/ Sunday Social' events. We take a look back at some of the key highlights of these wonderful meet-and-greets...
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Open Homes 2024: the facts!
- Our Open Homes event went by many names! In the US, it was called 'Sunday Social', while in Germany and Austria it went by the name of 'Tag der offenen TĂĽr'. In France and Quebec, it was 'Le Rendez-vous' and the Dutch called it 'Open Huizen Dag'. The Italians opted for 'Open Day di HomeExchange', while over in Spain, it was 'DĂa de Puertas Abiertas'. Many names, but one core goal - to bring people together!
- More than 3,200 people invited their friends, neighbors and fellow travel enthusiasts into their homes to tell them about the home exchanging concept.
- In excess of 5,200 people registered their interest in attending an event. And we lost count of how many amazing home exchanging anecdotes and memories were shared.
- Journalists were fascinated by the concept, and 121 news articles were generated around the world... with 70 of them in the Netherlands alone!
- When we asked our hosts why they'd agreed to host an event, the majority said they simply wanted to share their HomeExchange experiences (reminding us once again, just how fantastic this community is!)
- Our Open Homes event went by many names! In the US, it was called 'Sunday Social', while in Germany and Austria it went by the name of 'Tag der offenen TĂĽr'. In France and Quebec, it was 'Le Rendez-vous' and the Dutch called it 'Open Huizen Dag'. The Italians opted for 'Open Day di HomeExchange', while over in Spain, it was 'DĂa de Puertas Abiertas'. Many names, but one core goal - to bring people together!
- More than 3,200 people invited their friends, neighbors and fellow travel enthusiasts into their homes to tell them about the home exchanging concept.
- In excess of 5,200 people registered their interest in attending an event. And we lost count of how many amazing home exchanging anecdotes and memories were shared.
- Journalists were fascinated by the concept, and 121 news articles were generated around the world... with 70 of them in the Netherlands alone!
- When we asked our hosts why they'd agreed to host an event, the majority said they simply wanted to share their HomeExchange experiences (reminding us once again, just how fantastic this community is!)
How Open Homes 2024 worked
Why we did it
At HomeExchange, we know how amazing our community is. We know our members are travel-lovers who share a passion for authentic and sustainable travels in which they offer each other amazing hospitality. And we know that more homes on our platform, means even more opportunities to travel for everyone! Our members are undoubtedly our best advocates, so the best way for us to spread the word was by asking our members if they'd be willing to help us out.
Our members hosted round-table chats and informal garden get-togethers.
What we did
Initially trialing the idea in the Netherlands and Belgium, we asked our members if they'd consider sharing their home exchanging experiences with their friends, families and neighbors. We hoped a few households might sign up - and to our delight, 240 hosts rose to the challenge! It was agreed that they'd all host their get-together on the same day, so that they could share their experiences. We then replicated this idea in many other countries including Italy, Spain, France, USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
How we helped them
With a project manager in each country overseeing the numerous events happening around the world, we set up a bespoke website for each country in which a map showed approximately where our hosts were located. Our hosts and their guests were then introduced to each other by following these simple steps:
- We invited contacts from our database to browse the map of Open Homes locations, and register for their preferred event - everyone on our database had previously shown an interest in home exchanging, so our hosts felt confident that they were meeting likeminded people.
- Once our hosts had confirmed they were happy to meet these guests, we then put them in contact with each other, so that they could provide more information about their events and plans for the day.
- On an agreed date, our hosts opened their doors to their guests.
They already knew many of these people (such as friends or neighbors who they had invited along) but some of them were strangers. Our hosts then planned their events however they saw fit. Some of them offered an informal Q&A session, while others had planned a presentation, with photos of their HomeExchange adventures. Many of them had really gone to town, with decorations, delicious snacks and drinks - and many of our our wonderful hosts found themselves forging new friendships!
True to form, our members offered their guests exceptional levels of hospitality!
What our members thought of the experience...
"I was very happy to be able to help so many friends learn that travel is possible for them through home exchange. So many people wait until they retire, or think they don’t have enough money, or that travel is a wild extravagance, it makes me happy to share how we’ve been able to incorporate travel as a focal point in our lives in a harmonious and collaborative way."
"I really enjoyed meeting new neighbors, who showed up to learn about Home Exchange. They lived nearby and were interested in learning more about how it worked and had many questions, esp. about the safety of leaving their home in the care of unknown people."
"We had great conversations and enjoyed the questions from participants. We felt good about what we were able to share and they seemed to leave more jazzed about HE :) and they appreciated the hospitality. Good idea and fun to be a part of!"
Every country and host had their own unique angle...
The Italian hospitality was exceptional!
Italian guests benefitted from local wines, homemade pizzas and more.
In the Netherlands, some hosts chose to do fascinating presentations.
The UK and Irish hosts made the most of the mild weather to offer cream teas and garden parties!
Many UK and Irish hosts opted to throw parties in their gardens or even local parks!
While our American hosts packed in plenty of guests!
No matter which country these events were hosted in, one thing could be agreed on... we all had great fun.
So we're thrilled to announce that we're doing it again in 2025!
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Save the date!
- For the first time ever, our worldwide members will be hosting parties and get-togethers on the same day.
- It's happening on June 8th, 2025!
- Regardless of where you are in the world, the global HomeExchange Day is coming to your country.
- Put us in your diary, because we'd be thrilled if you could host or attend one of the many get-togethers that will be happening on the day.
- We'll share more info on our plans soon!
- For the first time ever, our worldwide members will be hosting parties and get-togethers on the same day.
- It's happening on June 8th, 2025!
- Regardless of where you are in the world, the global HomeExchange Day is coming to your country.
- Put us in your diary, because we'd be thrilled if you could host or attend one of the many get-togethers that will be happening on the day.
- We'll share more info on our plans soon!
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