Timeshare Industry Meets for ARDA Northeast Regional Meeting

Our special guest blogger, Brook Doucha, manager of corporate communications and media relations for Orange Lake Resorts, home to Holiday Inn Club Vacations, has already shared a preview with you of the ARDA Northeast Regional Meeting. (See: ARDA Northeast Social Media Session: Getting Down to Brass Tactics)

This timeshare industry event promises to be extremely beneficial to all who are involved. We will be meeting June 6-7, 2011, at the Marriott Providence Downtown in Providence, Rhode Island.

Monday includes a golf tournament at Swansea Country Club, with late afternoon registration. At 4 PM on Monday, we’ll hear from Mike Hampton, Dean, Florida International University, speaking on: “The next generation, Generation R, is about to enter the work force; are you ready for them?” Then we will go to the product showcase, followed by the reception dinner.

Speakers and Panels Planned for Tuesday at the ARDA Regional Timeshare Conference

Tuesday we’ll start with our breakfast speaker and an AIF update from Darla Zanini RRP, Executive Vice President, ARDA International Foundation. At 9 AM, I will be part of a panel discussing the topic, “HOA Challenges and Solutions: Postcard and Rescue Companies, Resales, and Rentals.” It is my honor to be speaking along with R. Scott MacGregor, Chief Financial Officer, InnSeason Resorts; Rich Muller, Senior VP Resort Operations, Vacation Resorts International and moderator John Funk, attorney, Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell. We will look at issues facing timeshare HOAs in today’s economic environment, including significant challenges and how to solve them.

Then Brooke and others will lead the panel on “Using Social Media to Reach Your Owners/Members.” Included in this session will be moderator Stacey Sutherland, Vice President Corporate Communications, Holiday Inn Club Vacations; and speakers Phil Brojan, Senior Vice President of Marketing, RCI; Brooke Doucha, Senior Manager Corporate Communications, Holiday Inn Club Vacations; Sara Bader Little, Director of Corporate Communications, Festiva Hospitality Group; and David Meier, Vice President Products and Partnership, Interval International.

By afternoon, we’ll be ready to hear about what is currently happening in timeshare legislation and find out about the new ARDA-ROC website and HOA database from Keith Stephenson, Director State Government Affairs at ARDA. And throughout the busy two days, there will be a lot of networking, idea exchange, and camaraderie, which is part of what makes such timeshare industry events so rewarding to attend.