C.A.R.E.

The Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers has finalized is agenda for the 56^th Semi-Annual C.A.R.E. Conference. Twice each year, C.A.R.E. conferences are in the timeshare news as they host representatives from resorts, travel clubs, timeshare resort management and timeshare exchange companies along with vacation industry vendors and services providers.

This year’s conference is being held at The Springmaid Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC from April 20 to 23, 2013. Adrian V. Garrett, Sr., RCI Learning and Development Specialist, is this year’s selected Keynote speaker. Garrett will look at the topic of  “The Simplicity of Great Customer Service,” as he shares ten things that all C.A.R.E. members need to know, including the impact of social media, on the ability to deliver superior customer service.

Kevin McKelvey of Defender Resorts will be presenting ARDA ROC information and Heather Guffin of Alliance Sales and Marketing Solutions, LLC will be leading a panel discussion that addresses a hot topic in timeshare news today:“Trade-in, Relief or Resales.”

Networking activities include a special evening of recognition for the recipients of the Richard Gallardo, Pinnacle and Rookie of the Year Awards. An evening event, made possible by Presidential Sponsor Travel Advantage Network, will be held at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. And another “C.A.R.E. Gives Back” volunteer event” will take place at the Boys & Girls Club of the Grand Strand.

To learn more about conference attendance, contact Bonnie Kosco at 800-636-5646.

Congratulations to Travel To Go, a nominee for four Perspective Magazine timeshare industry awards. Travel To Go was nominated in the categories of:

• Best Membership Program
• Best Consumer Product
• Best Print Media
• Best Service Provider

As Travel To Go explains, “the nominations are a direct result of the level of commitment and dedication that everyone in the Travel To Go family demonstrates each and every day and are an additional indicator of the company’s success throughout the vacation industry.” Travel To Go, a travel benefits and services provider in the vacation, timeshare, and travel industries, has some 50,000 members and is currently celebrating 23 years of service.

Jeanette Bunn, Travel To Go President says “Travel To Go is honored to be nominated again in four categories for GNEX 2013. We feel especially blessed to be recognized in these categories as it truly reflects our 5-Star service standards to our members, staffing and all our colleagues we work within the industry.  We feel sponsoring a worldwide event helps bring industry leaders together to brainstorm and create pioneering paths is necessary for advancement of our mutual goals. We are staged to help promote this industry in light of its enormous growth.”

To cast your vote for Travel To Go (and other nominees) you will want to go to http://perspectivemagazine.com/awards and create your account if you do not already have one. Voting closes January 31, 2013.

Travel To Go will be a Gold Sponsor for this year’s GNEX 2013 Global Meeting of the Minds. The event is scheduled for February 3-6 at the Beverly Wiltshire, in Beverly Hills, California.

Travel To Go has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and is a member of ARDA, the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, and the Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers (C.A.R.E.).

C.A.R.E. (Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers) saw an impressive increase in membership in 2012. Adding more than 15 new member companies the resort exchange association now has a roster of over 160 international members.

Linda Mayhugh Vice President and Co-Chair of C.A.R.E.’s Membership Committee, says, “As a board member of C.A.R.E, I am proud to see our organization growing and becoming more recognized respectively throughout the timeshare and vacation travel industry. I believe many in our industry would carbon me when I say, I like doing business with people I consider friends, family, and most of all someone I can trust.”

New C.A.R.E. resort exchange members include:

• Bedsonline.com
• Club Services International
• Coastal Green Air of Florida
• Connex UK & Ireland
• Crown Vacation Exchange
• Equity Transfers International
• Ideal Private Resorts
• International Travel Assets Developers S.A. de C.V.
• Leisure Getaways and Relax Travel S. de R.L. de C.V.
• Perfekt Marketing
• R&L Properties Real Canadian Travel
• Resort Condo Incentives
• RM Vacation Times
• The Resort Place
• Travel for Net Group

Mayhugh explains, “We hear it more times than not, this (the opportunity to do business with those who feel like friends or family)  is why C.A.R.E. has been so successful – bringing like minds together in an intimate, but professional, environment with an organization run primarily by volunteers in the industry all having the same goals in mind. It is my belief that our international growth alone is a testament to the success C.A.R.E. can bring any organization in the industry.”

To learn more about C.A.R.E contact Bonnie Kosco at [email protected] or 800-636-5646.

Recent The Timeshare Authority news about C.A.R.E. resort exchange association:

New Resource for Timeshare Employment and Hospitality Jobs

Travel To Go President Leads Timeshare Industry in C.A.R.E. Fundraising

Timeshare News: Jeanette Bunn of Travel To Go Talks about the Second Harvest Food Bank

C.A.R.E. Timeshare Conference Announces Keynote Speaker

Today’s timeshare news includes a look at the recent C.A.R.E. conference held in Nashville, Tennessee (September 22-25). C.A.R.E. is the Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers, an organization established in 1985 by representatives of timeshare resorts who found that by exchanging vacation inventory among themselves, they were better able to satisfy their owners with increased vacation opportunities.

Following the C.A.R.E. conference, Travel To Go President, Jeanette Bunn, participated in a C.A.R.E. tradition that involves giving back to the host community. She shares her experience with you in today’s The Timeshare Authority blog post.

Jeanette Bunn has been a C.A.R.E. member since 1991 and Vice President of the Board of Directors since 2006. For more than 22 years, Travel To Go, has been a respected name in the travel industry, arranging luxurious vacation resort accommodations for smart vacationers. A family-owned business, Travel To Go has nearly 50,000 loyal, satisfied members.

The Timeshare Authority blog is honored to share this timeshare news in a guest post from Jeanette.

C.A.R.E. Gives Back at “SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK of Middle Tennessee”

by Jeanette Bunn

It has now become a C.A.R.E. tradition to have a group of us go after the conference and donate our time to a local organization that needs volunteer help.  Nashville, TN was no exception.  Or was it?

Second Harvest Food Bank seemed to hit a cord with me.  I was inspired by all the volunteers and their spirit as they made sure all food lines were moving.  As a matter of fact, if we looked like we were not packing our food for just a moment, we were immediately noticed, and asked to do something else.  They really kept us on our toes!

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is a network of individuals, local nonprofit organizations and corporate partners working together to fight hunger in their community.  Together, they make a bigger, better, stronger and more efficient impact on hunger in their 46-county service area in Middle and West Tennessee.

They accept food donations from retailers, manufacturers, distributors, growers, processors and individuals.  C.A.R.E. assisted in this packing room where they collect, sort and repack donated food products for distribution to their partner agencies and Emergency Food Box locations.

Volunteers are vital to the success of Second Harvest.  Their volunteers donate their time to assist in the goods distribution process and many other areas to help them continue feeding hope for those in need.

Monetary gifts are the most effective and efficient way for them to fight hunger in their community.  For every $1 donated, they can provide four meals to feed hungry people.

Amazingly enough, 1 in 4 children in Tennessee goes to bed hungry.  30% of their clients choose between food and paying for rent, utilities and medical bills.

As a group, we all enjoyed our time at Second Harvest and even more importantly, it makes us all want to help others, which is what C.A.R.E. is all about!

If you are interested in donating to feed someone in their community, go to www. secondharvestmidtn.org