As the American Resort Development Association’s (ARDA) timeshare industry convention for 2010 comes to a close, here’s a re-cap of some of the highlights of the week. Attendance and exhibitors were lower than previous years, but, that was expected based on the state of the economy. Those companies who are at the core of the timeshare industry were represented, which means the right people were there to participate in key discussion.
One of the hot topics was regarding the often controversial Model Resale Act which ARDA has been working on that would regulate legislation guidelines for state and federal policymakers regarding timeshare resales.
Social media was huge topic for break-out sessions and general discussions around the convention. Twitter and Facebook are here to stay and businesses must be participating in these social spaces or be left behind. There was a great opening keynote speech from Andy Sernovitz, author of the book Word of Mouth Marketing.
RCI, one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies, received seven awards at the ARDA gala ceremony and dinner, including the ACE Philanthropic Award for its work with Christel House fundraising efforts and education.
The Holiday Inn Club Vacations brand had 10 people and projects nominated and received the highest honor in the timeshare industry: the ARDA Gold.