GNEX

Yesterday, GNEX 2013 announced that VacationOwnership.com has become a Contributing Sponsor to Perspective Magazine’s third annual timeshare and fractional industry networking event. We at Sell My Timeshare NOW and VacationOwnership.com are pleased to share this news and share the media release distributed by Perspective Magazine and GNEX 2013. 

In upcoming weeks, look for more GNEX 2013 news here on The Timeshare Authority blog.

VacationOwnership.com to Participate at GNEX 2013

Perspective Magazine announces that online timeshare resale brokerage company VacationOwnership.com will be a Contributing Sponsor during GNEX 2013 in Beverly Hills, California.

“Timeshare is a changing industry; those who aren’t changing will be left behind. GNEX makes it easy for thought leaders to come together, exploring collaborative opportunities and the growing demand to make vacation ownership relevant and responsive to the ways consumers want to vacation. We are excited to be part of GNEX 2013 and part of the changing future of vacation ownership,” said Jason Tremblay, Founder, VacationOwnership.com.

VacationOwnership.com is more than just a timeshare sales company, it’s a philosophy. The expertise earned from nearly a decade of professional real estate and timeshare sales and marketing, as well as extensive experience in internet timeshare resale marketing, has created a visionary team with a passion for timeshare services and a proven record of success. At the core of this dynamic new business is a dedication to professional ethics and a commitment to making sure that all business is done with a “human touch”.

Top industry executives from around the world will convene over February 3-6, 2013 at the world renowned Beverly Wilshire – a Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills for GNEX 2013 and the Perspective Magazine Awards Gala.

With the vast majority of attendees holding positions of President, Vice President, Managing Director or C-level titles, this conference will abound with decision-makers ready to create new strategic partnerships. Known as The Global Meeting of Minds, leaders from six continents will gather to examine the state of the industry as interactive panel sessions will allow the audience to build the type of discussion necessary to foster new ideas.

The conference will include a welcome reception, expanded networking breaks in the specially-created networking lounge, opportunities for one-on-one business meetings, the most unique speed networking session in the industry and nightly Hollywood-styled social events never before attempted during a shared ownership conference.

The event concludes with a red carpet, formal Gala Dinner for the presentation of the Perspective Magazine Awards, sponsored by Holiday Systems International, where industry nominees will vie for global recognition of excellence across more than 30 categories.
“Jason has supported us from Day 1 at the first GNEX conference in the Bahamas and we appreciate his commitment to our event,” said Paul Mattimoe, president and CEO, Perspective Group. “He obviously sees the tremendous benefit of not only attending but sponsoring at GNEX and we welcome his participation once again.”

For more information about GNEX 2013, please visit http://perspectivemagazine.com/gnex.

Sponsors and supporters of GNEX 2013 to date include: Dial an Exchange, Holiday Systems International, Interval International, RCI, Oombaga, Travel To Go, Blue Strawberry Resorts, Generator, Resort Television, Leisure Logistics, Lloydshare Limited, CustomerCount, Emirates Vacation Club, Merlin Software, Stewart Vacation Ownership, VacationOwnership.com, Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific, Alliances That Work, Brand Tango, Dream Vacation Network, Equiant Financial Services, SFX Preferred Resorts, TrackResults Software, Timeshare Training Today, and Christel House International as Charity of Choice.

About VacationOwnership.com

VacationOwnership.com is the leading online resource for buying, selling, and renting timeshare, fractionals, and vacation ownership points, intervals, and properties. More importantly, we’re the best resource for vacationing better, in more spacious surroundings, luxurious settings, and at incredible discount prices. With an active inventory of over 50,000 vacation opportunities at favorite destinations around the world, VacationOwnership.com makes it possible for savvy travelers to enjoy dream vacations whether it’s for a weekend getaway or a multi-week escape.

The company has twice been recognized on the Inc. 500 and 5000 Lists as one of the fastest growing, privately held companies in America. Our portfolio of Vacation Hotdeal Companies, Inc. brands includes VacationOwnership.com; SellMyTimeshareNOW.com; and Timeshare Broker Services of Florida. Together, our brands are recognized and trusted as the marketplace leader in the development and implementation of web-based disruptive technologies designed specifically for the resale and rental needs of the timeshare industry and the vacationing consumer.

About Perspective Group

The Perspective Group provides the vacation ownership industry’s most comprehensive independent multi-media marketing and publishing services globally. The Group includes five regional trade magazines under the Perspective Magazine brand, consumer publication Owners Perspective Magazine, plus member magazines and customized magazines specifically created for clients. A full suite of the latest online and interactive marketing services, including advanced tracking and analytics, are offered through Perspective Interactive, and the Global Networking Expo – GNEX 2013: The Global Meeting of Minds – will bring together industry leaders from six continents.

Much more than a magazine publisher and media sponsor of over 30 industry events, the rapidly growing Perspective Group offers a strategic range of sales and marketing products and services to assist developers and marketers with sales, lead generation, recruitment, customer retention, upgrades, referrals and much more.

The first annual GNEX 2011 conference was held this May at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The beautiful destination and the opportunity to discuss many of the timeshare industry’s burning issues, as well as network and build business alliances, attracted representatives from over 80 timeshare or timeshare related companies. Sell My Timeshare NOW was proud to have participated in this inaugural event.

And as we have already shared here on the Timeshare Authority blog, GNEX 2012 will be heading to Cancun, Mexico and the Ritz Carlton Cancun; the only AAA Triple Five Diamond oceanfront resort in the world. Dial an Exchange (DAE) timeshare exchange has already made their commitment to GNEX 2012 as a Gold Sponsor.

Related topics in the Timeshare Authority blog:

Timeshare Industry GNEX 2012 Convention Among the Many Events Headed to Mexico

Timeshare Industry’s GNEX Expo Chooses Christel House as Charity of Choice

Sell My Timeshare NOW at Global Timeshare Conference GNEX

The following article authored by Jason Tremblay is published online at The Resort Trades and will appear in an upcoming print edition of one of their timeshare publications. It is reprinted here with their permission.

While others may call this season ‘Spring,’ in the timeshare industry, it could easily be called Conference Season. With the Ragatz Fractional Interest Conference and ARDA Convention & Expo in March, CRDA’s annual conference in April, and the upcoming CARE Semi-Annual and GNEX 2011 Conferences in May, there are plenty of reasons to keep everyone in the timeshare industry on the road, and that’s only naming some of the bigger events on the schedule. Conferences like these and the many smaller or regional events that take place during timeshare’s conference season and throughout the year, are critical for strengthening bonds and breaking down barriers and misconceptions within the industry. Because timeshare conferences are an investment in yourself, your company, and the timeshare industry as a whole, challenge yourself to maximize each conference experience in which you participate.

Start the Conference on the Right Foot

Racing to a seminar, squeezing it into your schedule, or showing up because you suddenly realize the event is on your calendar are all ways many people arrive at conferences. Slightly disorganized and out of breath, they look around on Day 1 and wonder what they are going to do with the next 48 to 72 hours.

The first three questions that likely cross their mind are who they already know among the conference attendees, whether the host hotel has good food, and how they are going to show up at work sessions and meetings while staying in near-constant contact with their office and on top of the work they left behind. But all of this is a poor plan if you actually hope to have a meaningful take away from the conference experience, going home with fresh ideas and new relationships.

In today’s business economy, attending conferences does not come cheaply. Besides the actual cost of the conference, there are travel expenses and the impact each employee’s absence makes on the crew left behind. With the cost of conference attendance so high in terms of expense and manpower, and people’s time already stretched so thin, no one can afford to go to a seminar or conference without being fully committed to making the most of the experience.

Preplan Your Conference Time

You can get an agenda of sessions and events from the conference host weeks before the actual event. Before the conference begins, review the speakers, sessions and topics scheduled and then make decisions regarding the most effective use of your time during the event. If there are topics planned that are critical to your business, contact the speaker or panel chairperson and say, “I am excited to hear the discussion and am hoping you will touch on the opportunities of ‘abc’ or the problem with ‘xyz’…” Sharing your enthusiasm and your interest with the scheduled speakers and panelists not only motivates them to deliver the most current and meaningful information on the subject, but allows them to shape their message to address topics their audience (you) has earmarked as being of special interest.

Besides contacting speakers scheduled for a conference, contact other attendees. A phone call or email to someone in your industry, saying you hope to spend a little time with them at the event will significantly increase the likelihood of the two of you connecting. You will be in their thoughts and on their to-do list before the event even begins.

Change Your Perspective

Too often conference attendance and trade show exhibitions wind up on a company’s schedule because the CEO or head of marketing believes the company or individual needs to make an appearance. Yet this mindset about the convention experience is only slightly better than not attending at all.

Go to a conference with the idea of helping the greatest number of attendees possible. Instead of focusing your exhibition booth, your networking efforts and any presentations or conversations you have on who you are, refocus on who the other attendees are and how you can help them.

Don’t go to a timeshare, fractional, or other vacation ownership event in order to be seen. Go because you want to see others, because you want to learn, experience, and give back. Effective conference networking is never about who you are but about who others are and how your services can fill their needs.

Mix Things Up, Just a Little

While having a targeted plan for what you will do, who you will see, and what you hope to get out of the conference is important, so is going off-plan just a little. During each event, pick one session or opportunity you think has little to do with your particular niche in timeshares. Although the industry is vast, often, the problems and the solutions are highly interrelated.

Be Fully Present

During the event, shut off, to the greatest degree possible, the routine and demands of your workday. The more your focus is divided between the conference and the work you left behind, the less effective you will be in addressing either.

Consider telling your staff or coworkers that you will be available to them at one or two prearranged times during the day and that only in a true emergency should they contact you other than at those time. Then between the scheduled call times, put daily business out of your thoughts and focus on the events and people at hand.

Share Your Experience

Before and during the conference, be sure you discuss it on your blog, newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media platforms. If your conference is using a specific Twitter #hashtag, add it to your tweets. The more you help the conference sponsor spread the word, the more you stimulate the interest of others and attract new attendees, the richer your own conference experience will be going forward.

After the conference, write a brief report or detailed email on your conference experience for the benefit of others in your office. If writing is not your best communication tool, then schedule a meeting or conference call as a debriefing session.

Make conference materials and slide decks available to others in your company. Most presenters are willing to share their slides with conference attendees, typically by posting them on their own website or distributing them via email. Be sure you take advantage of the opportunity to obtain these files and to share them with your staff and coworkers.

Go for the Right Reasons

Timeshare conferences typically are held in popular destinations and at beautiful hotels and resorts. But they are not vacation time and they are not about you. Don’t show up with a plan to tell everyone who you are. Go with the idea that this is your best possible opportunity to meet new timeshare industry contacts and learn as much as you can about who they are.