Women in the Industry (WIN) is a non-profit organization created to promote, educate and connect women in the vacation and timeshare industry. In May, WIN launched its second annual Travel Auction that offers WIN members and their friends and families the opportunity to bid on donated vacation weeks beginning at $200 and including timeshare vacation opportunities at resorts worldwide.

The auction raised $9,348 in support of The Auskell Medical Clinic, located on Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Donors included Bluegreen, Island One, Festiva Resorts, Hawaii Vacation Club, ResorTime.Com, Interval International, RCI Endless Vacations, Dial an Exchange, San Francisco Exchange, Vacations Only, Lagonita Lodge/Alderwood Advantage, Marriott Vacation Club, Massanutten Resort, Shell Vacation Club, American Resorts International, Pollard Brook and Ron Jon Cape Caribe, Condominium Travel Club.

A Lifesaving Effort

This year’s target was to raise money to help fund the purchase of a mammography machine for The Auskell Medical Clinic. Because of the efforts of the women of WIN, five women have been saved through early detection provided by a previous mammogram machine that WIN replaced.

With a threefold purpose to unite and ignite combined strengths; to offer education scholarship and research opportunities; and to partner with charities that support the health, education and welfare of women and adolescent girls in need, the women of WIN represent the timeshare industry well.

To learn more about WIN, go to www.womenintheindustry.org

Bluegreen Corporation, known as being a provider of “colorful places to live and play,” has been honored by Cintas Document Management with the 2010 Environmental Award. Bluegreen, which develops both
Bluegreen timeshares and Bluegreen residential communities, is based in Boca Raton, Florida. In 2009, the timeshare and residential community company provided more than 225 tons of paper for shredding.

Environmentalists estimate that each ton of paper shredded translates to 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 7,000 gallons of water and three cubic yards of landfill space. In other words, Bluegreen is responsible for saving 3,825 trees, 85,500 gallons of oil, 1,575,000 gallons of water and 645 cubic yards of landfill space, last year alone.

The timeshare developer’s actions have more than a powerful environmental benefit. Every time a corporation commits to consistently shredding documents, it increases the likelihood that your personal information remains personal, a responsibility that timeshare companies, as well as service providers in any field, must take very seriously.

Bluegreen’s Senior Vice President, Chief HR Officer, Susan Saturday says, “Bluegreen takes special pride in its environmental commitment and we are proud to be acknowledged by Cintas Document Management for our efforts in recycling. We are dedicated to doing what we can through our land development and various ‘green’ operating practices in our resorts to preserve and protect our environment and will continue to take the necessary measures to help promote environmental conservation.”

Congratulations Bluegreen on the award and thank your commitment to the environment we all share.

Learn more about Bluegreen timeshare rentals.

Sell My Timeshare NOW is excited to announce that we’ve selected Marge Lennon and Lennon Communications as our publicist. Lennon Communications is a Florida-based public relations, marketing, and advertising firm, with extensive experience in timeshares, timeshare resales, and timeshare rentals.

Marge has some thirty years experience in the timeshare industry-if you are in the business of timeshares, it’s likely you already know Marge. Even if you haven’t met Marge personally, or seen her on the dance floor of industry events, you’ve likely read her byline.

Marge writes frequently in Resort Management & Operations, where she is a Contributing Editor. She also blogs for several timeshare related blog sites and is the editor of the WIN e-newsletter for Women In the Industry. Marge is also a past board member of ARDA, the American Resort Development Association, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Bluegreen Vacation Club.

So welcome, Marge, we are pleased to be your client and trust our message to Lennon Communications. There’s a great deal of exciting news at Sell My Timeshare NOW, so keep an eye on The Timeshare Authority blog, industry publications, and national and international news-you’ll be hearing a lot from us in weeks to come-and it’s all good news for timeshare owners and the future of timeshare sales and timeshare resales across the industry.

Click here to read the Sell My Timeshare NOW media release.

Over the past year and a half, the Bluegreen Corporation and Bluegreen timeshares has dealt with the same challenges brought on by the tight economy and the even tighter credit market that many other timeshare companies and timeshare developers have faced. But in the tradition of what good businesspeople do when times get tough, Bluegreen has tightened its belt and at the same time looked for new sources of revenue through fee-based services.

Bluegreen, known as a provider of Colorful Places to Live and Play®, has added the fee-based management of two hotels to its services. The first is the South Mountain Resort, located in Lincoln, New Hampshire, where in 2009, Bluegreen began providing services to the timeshare portion of the resort. The second property is The Sandhurst Hotel in Ft. Pierce, Florida.

In 2009, Bluegreen launched its fee-based services with the management of timeshare resorts in Arizona, the Bahamas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Virginia. How’s this approach working out for Bluegreen? During 2009, the company generated fee-based services revenues of $20.1 million compared to zero revenues in 2008 for fee-based services. Bluegreen’s President and CEO, John Maloney, explains, “We have continued to focus on ways to expand our business by leveraging our service and management expertise, while conserving capital.”

Earlier this week, shares of Bluegreen stock closed at a 52-week high.

Follow these links from past posts on The Timeshare Authority to read more about news from Bluegreen Timeshare:

• InnSeason Resorts South Mountain Timeshare and Bluegreen Timeshare Resorts
• Bluegreen Timeshare Company Expanding Its Facilities and Services
• Positive News about Bluegreen Timeshares

Teamwork makes the timeshare industry strong and partnerships like this are great to report: Women in the Industry (WIN), an association that supports the role and the advancement of professional women in the timeshare industry, has announced that The Trades Publishing Company has company has committed to another year of support. The Trades was a charter supporter as WIN launched last year, and has been instrumental in promoting and publicizing WIN to a wide audience.

“We signed up as a corporate benefactor at the very inception of WIN,” says David Kerr, Managing Director of The Trades. “We are pleased to be part of its growth because from the get-go we have believed in its mission.”

Women in the Industry (WIN) is a non-profit organization that advocates, educates and connects women in the vacation (timeshare) industry. It is a dynamic, diverse, non-partisan global organization providing leadership, mentoring, philanthropic and educational opportunities to women and those who support women; connecting members locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Georgi Bohrod Gordon is the Board of Directors Member responsible for WIN communications. Georgi says, “Each month The Trades has consistently been generous in donating ad space and editorial copy to help spread the word about us. Their support has continued to help us grow and we are pleased they have made such a positive commitment to help support the organization in reaching our goals in the upcoming year. We now have two important publications getting the word about WIN to the targeted audience we regard as primary to our goals.”

Thanks to promotion from The Trades and the sponsorship of Marriott Vacation Ownership, Bluegreen Resorts, and CustomerCount©, the first WIN Florida Regional Conference Meeting in Orlando (held at the end of January) was a strong success, with nearly 60 attending. WIN will hold their annual networking event during the 2010 American Resort and Development Association (ARDA) Convention in Las Vegas on March 16.

To find out more contact: Cathy Backus at 858.344.2139 or Lani Kane-Hanan at 407.513.6634.

Previous The Timeshare Authority updates on WIN:

• Timeshare Women In The Industry (WIN) Meeting in Orlando
• WIN – Association for Women in the Timeshare Industry Hosting Special Events at ARDA Convention
• Women Changing the Face of Timeshares and Timesharing (Part I)
• Women Carving Out their Future in the Timeshare Industry (Part II)

Later this month, January 29, and 30, the members of WIN, (women in the timeshare industry), will be meeting in Orlando for their Florida Regional Conference.

The group’s Welcome and Reception will be head at The Fountains Resort, a Bluegreen timeshare resort located on International Drive while the Networking and Education sessions will be at The TEC (Talent Experience Center) at Marriott’s Cypress Harbour Resort.

Scheduled speakers include:

1. Nico March, Sr. VP Investments with The March Group of Wells Fargo Advisors who will deliver an Economic Update: “How and What Women should be considering for their personal finances.”
2. Kit Armour, General Manager of Breckenridge Grand Vacations on: “Managing, Communicating and Working with Intergenerations”.
3. Dr. Pat Heim with a video and discussion on: “Gender Differences in the Workplace”.

The WIN Florida Regional Conference is sponsored by Bluegreen, Marriott Vacation Club, and Mobius Vendors.

You can find out more about the event on the association’s website: http://www.womenintheindustry.org/florida_meeting.html

And learn more about the history and development of this non-partisan global organization that provides leadership mentoring, philanthropic and educational opportunities to women and those that support women both on the association website and in these past issues of The Timeshare Authority:

• Women Changing the Face of Timeshares and Timesharing (Part I)
• Women Carving Out their Future in the Timeshare Industry (Part II)
• WIN – Association for Women in the Timeshare Industry Hosting Special Events at ARDA Convention

When Bluegreen Resorts timeshares wanted a presence in New Hampshire, they looked to InnSeason Resorts. Last summer, Bluegreen Corporation announced that it would take on the sales, marketing, and operations of the InnSeason Timeshare Resort, South Mountain timeshare in Lincoln, New Hampshire, as well as at the Soundings Seaside Resort in Dennis Port, (Cape Cod) Massachusetts; the Parkside Williamsburg Resort, Williamsburg, Virginia; and the Blue Water Resort in Nassau, Bahamas.

While Bluegreen Corporation has dealt with the same types of challenges that have affected other timeshare and residential development companies this past year, timeshares and timeshare management services are looking like an anchor for the company.

In its third quarter report, Bluegreen reported a loss overall attributable to declining sales in its planned residential communities. However, the picture for timeshare sales was very different with Bluegreen Resort sales up 14 percent, to $149.1 million from $130.3 million. The company attributed the jump to a significant increase in timeshare sales to existing Bluegreen Vacation Club owners.

South Mountain Timeshare Resort

This time of year, Bluegreen Vacation Club owners aren’t picnicking or mountain biking at the beautiful resort located at the base of Loon Mountain. Instead, South Mountain Timeshare Resort is typically a winter wonderland, perfect for quiet retreats, taking advantage of the winter ski season, or just browsing the Village Shops in Lincoln.

Inn Season’s Chief Financial Officer Scott MacGregor calls the resort’s relationship with Bluegreen timeshare, “…a perfect fit.“

He explains that the arrangement afforded, “… them (Bluegreen timeshares) the opportunity to step into an established, successful resort and to enhance their portfolio of over 45 owned or managed resorts. For us, the timing was ideal. It allows us to expand in other areas of New England, so we can offer alternate destinations to members of the InnSeason Vacation Club.”

Under the agreements, Bluegreen is providing customized timeshare services and product offerings. Bluegreen timeshare typically manages the operations at each resort, as well as providing timeshare sales and marketing, risk management, timeshare title and escrow, and property management services.

The ever-popular InnSeason Resorts were created as a regional brand of family-oriented timeshare resorts under the development and operations expertise of Dennis M. Ducharme, RRP, president; and the marketing resources of Curran Management Services (CMS®), and its founder, William E. (Billy) Curran, chief executive officer and Sell My Timeshare NOW board member.

As another positive indicator that the timeshare industry is, in fact, weathering the economic recession, Bluegreen timeshare announced this week that it is entering into an agreement to provide service and management at four timeshare resorts.

Parkside Williamsburg Resort timeshare in Williamsburg, Virginia; Blue Water Resort timeshare in Nassau, Bahamas; The Soundings Seaside Resort timeshare in Dennis Port, Massachusetts (Cape Cod); and South Mountain Resort timeshare in Lincoln, New Hampshire will soon become part of the Bluegreen timeshare portfolio of exceptional properties.

Bluegreen timeshares was planning several major corporate changes in 2008 when the economy began to plummet and the credit markets dried up. Putting their plans on hold, the company was then forced to make cutbacks and changes, just as companies in many industries have been driven to do during this tight economy.

This new direction by Bluegreen timeshare is interesting on several levels. By providing services (for a fee) to smaller, independent timeshare companies, Bluegreen is expanding its business model. Not only will it service its clients and timeshare owners, but now the timeshare company is selling its skill at providing these services to other timeshare companies.

For each of the resorts, Bluegreen timeshare will provide operations and management, and select fee-based services including sales and marketing, risk management, and title and escrow. In some instances, Bluegreen timeshare will also be providing design and development planning, collections, and mortgage servicing, all on a fee basis.

Through the arrangement, Bluegreen Timeshare creates new income streams and adds four properties to the Bluegreen Vacation Club ® portfolio. The four timeshare resorts that become part of the Bluegreen inventory gain a depth of expertise and a scope of services that would be difficult and in some cases impossible for them to provide on their own.

In the company’s media release, President and CEO John M. Maloney, Jr., said, “We announced in January that we would actively pursue growth through fee-based services, which require minimal capital, if any. We couldn’t be happier with the interest shown in our services and the quality of properties we now have under contract.”

Historically, some of the most exciting changes in business occur because need or atypical stress forces companies to stretch harder, reach higher, and think miles beyond the box.

There are encouraging signs of improvement in the economy despite all the negativity in the media. The timeshare industry is even seeing improvement, as Steve Luba explains.

 

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Women in the Timeshare Industry association will host networking and educational events at the upcoming ARDA Convention.

With the ARDA (American Resort Development Association) Convention upcoming at the end of this month, WIN (Women in the Industry) is planning a special networking event on Tuesday, March 31, at the Orlando World Center Marriott. WIN is an exciting timeshare industry association we have written about before at The Timeshare Authority. According to Cathy Backus of CSA Travel Protection, WIN truly represents, and is represented by, women in all areas of timeshares and resorts. The non-profit organization works as a collective group to foster leadership and create opportunities in the hospitality and the timeshare industries, particularly for women.

Spirit Incentives is a primary sponsor of the networking event, during which WIN will be unveiling their interactive website and kicking off an organizational membership drive.

As part of the ARDA Convention, WIN will also host the “Breakfast of Champions,” featuring Olympic swimmer Janet Evans and sponsored by Hilton Grand Vacations. Additionally, WIN is hosting a special educational session at the ARDA Convention titled, “Not Just the Boys Club Anymore: Welcome to the Girls Club: How the Face of the Workplace Has Changed.”

Women looking to be a part of WIN can follow this link to learn more about Women In the Industry, and the great things they are doing for the timeshare industry and its future.

Corporate Benefactors for WIN include: Marriott Timeshare, Wyndham Worldwide, ICE, Group RCI, Shell Vacations, Bluegreen Corporation, C.A.R.E. and The Trades.

Past blog posts on The Timeshare Authority, profiling WIN:

• Women Changing the Face of Timeshares and Timesharing (Part I)
• Women Carving Out their Future in the Timeshare Industry (Part II)