As is customary for the American Resort Association’s annual autumn event, the focus of the three-day event was on legislative issues. Fall ARDA, held this past November 4 through 6 at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Key industry leaders addressed the Board of Directors in their meeting held at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC.

Opening Keynote
Former Senator John E. Sununu (R-NH) cut a unique path from the private sector to public office, serving three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and for six years as the youngest member of the U.S. Senate. Before entering public service, Sununu worked for emerging high-tech firms as an engineer, strategy consultant, and a chief financial officer. In Congress, he put his expertise to work for the nation, serving on such Senate committees as Commerce, Finance, Banking, and Foreign Relations.

Well respected by Republicans and Democrats alike, Sununu offered a sharp perspective for ARDA attendees, addressing such key issues as the state of the economy and details on recovery and elements of growth; inside details on TARP (he served as one of five panel members responsible for oversight of TARP funds); and pressing legislation in Congress.

Board Initiatives
The ARDA Board meeting of Directors presented a new initiative between the U.S. Travel Association and American Express, which will offer an auction website that allows ARDA developers an opportunity to promote their inventory, with proceeds benefiting travel industry advocacy efforts; an overview of ARDA’s new “Lender Opportunities” presentation available to members to help educate lenders about the industry; and the latest numbers from the 2009 Second Quarter Pulse Survey of Timeshare and Vacation Ownership Resort Companies, which was prepared by Deloitte & Touche for the ARDA International Foundation.

The ARDA Fall Conference is a great opportunity for members to meet and do business in more of a small-group setting.

At the Legislative Luncheon, special guest speaker Congressman Scott Murphy, who represents the 20th District of New York in the U.S. House of Representatives, addressed questions from ARDA members on such issues as health care and the economy.

His business background makes him well-spoken on topics of today’s entrepreneurs and developers, as he himself has grown numerous small businesses and tackled organizational challenges. After graduating from Harvard, Congressman Murphy became a high-tech entrepreneur, and for eight years prior to congressional election, he worked for Advantage Capital Partners. He now sits on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Armed Services.

Another key session was “Lessons Learned from the Money Chase,” with panelists Bruce Thompson (CEO, Gold Key Resorts), Don Harrill, RRP (President/CEO, Holiday Inn Club Vacations), William Ryczek (Principal, Colebrook Financial Company), Rip Gellein, RRP (Chairman Emeritus, Starwood Vacation Ownership) and Jon Fredricks, RRP (President, Welk Resorts). ARDA President/CEO Howard Nusbaum moderated, asking panelists to compare and contrast the lending environment before and after September 2008. They also discussed what non-traditional sources of equity and credit are currently available.

ARDA Trustees and guests enjoyed a fine cocktail hour and dinner on the Potomac River at the House of Sweden on the first night of the conference.

Chairman’s League Breakfast
The conference closed with former White House press secretary Dana Perino keynoting the morning session honoring Chairman’s League Members. Perino shared her “inside the White House” viewpoint and also provided insight into the current political climate. As only the second female press secretary in U.S. history and one of the most widely respected members of President George W. Bush’s senior staff, she has learned the essentials of crafting and communicating key messages under stressful conditions. With a close-up view of the president and his inner circle, she offered a good perspective on presidential politics, the federal government and the media.

Attendees from across Europe and around the world converge in London to attend the first FORUM Conference, which served as 2009’s main event for the European shared-ownership industry.
By Matt McDaniel, editor

2009 was bad enough. And in a year without a conference held by the Resort Development Organisation (RDO; formerly known as the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe or OTE), at least some shared-ownership professionals were neither pleased with how 2009 had gone so far nor entirely optimistic about 2010.

“We were all disappointed we were not going to have an event this year, but then we had this event,” said RCI Vice President of Development Dimitris Manikis. “Everybody was a bit negative in the beginning, but everybody’s leaving with a smile on their faces – we heard some great success stories, and I think we’re all ready for a challenge in 2010. We’re a great bunch of people, great companies, great people to work with, and I think we’re going to have a great year.”

So what turned people’s attitudes around? It was, in this case, participation in The FORUM Conference, held 9 and 10 December at the Sofitel London Heathrow Hotel. The FORUM was a not-for-profit event arranged and hosted by Generator Systems and Perspective Magazine to enable the European timeshare and fractional industry and international guests to reflect on the economic downturn of 2009 and discuss best practices and innovative ideas for 2010.

An Event Overview
Spanning all aspects of the shared ownership industry, The FORUM drew from the experience and knowledge of more than 30 industry experts from Europe, USA, Asia, South Africa and Mexico. A combination of seasoned veterans (and a few outstanding newcomers), inspiring speakers, panelists and moderators took a look at the difficulties of the past year and then looked forward to new opportunities.They discussed everything: legal and financial hurdles, the need to adapt and the desire for change, new sales and marketing techniques, regional and local challenges and more. But perhaps most importantly, topics actually were discussed by everyone.

Each person in attendance was given ample opportunity to pose questions, make comments, and even disagree with a presenter, which happened more than once. This combination of expert advice and instant vox populi feedback translated into real-world answers and oftentimes practical, workable solutions to challenges facing our industry. The FORUM provided an honest, open and frank environment to share views and encourage cooperation as we enter a new era.

What’s more, in various sessions participants broke down the issues by geography, evaluated and analyzed the latest industry statistics and facts, and talked directly with RDO leaders about legislative changes and other issues facing shared ownership. According to FORUM attendees, two of the main reasons for attending the event were networking and hearing the latest industry news. The FORUM powerfully met both these objectives: Shorter sessions and an intimate and relaxed setting for coffee breaks and lunches maximized networking opportunities, and knowledgeable speakers coupled with a truly interactive format meant that those there heard up-to-the-minute reports on what was going on in shared ownership worldwide.

Importantly, the conference content worked on two levels: Long-time industry players were able to glean knowledge from their peers, while new entrants to the industry could learn a great deal.

“There was practical information that we need. Especially for us, a development that’s just starting to go into the fractional industry, so this is exactly the kind of forum that we need to gain credible information and all the details we don’t know about,” said Regan Berger, sales and marketing director for Promotora Golf Fain S.L. “[The legal session] which essentially opened our eyes to a few things that we hadn’t thought about thus far.”

“It’s always good at least once a year to catch up with your fellow industry experts and to swap stories and to see how they’re getting on in this business,” said long-time industry player Peter Booth, managing director of Pestana Vacation Club. “And once again find out if you can learn a little bit, because you never stop learning in this business and there’s always something to pick up and take away and implement back home at your resorts. For me it’s been enlightening and a couple of things that I’ve penciled in to follow up when I get back to Madeira.”

Popular Sessions
Session highlights according to attendees were the sales and marketing and fractional sessions, as well as the open-agenda, open-mic Gloves Off! session.

In the session, Selling & Marketing to the new consumer: What Works for You?, panelists and participants shared what worked and what didn’t over the past 12 months; listened with interest as Philip Watson, managing director of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, described a new TV advertising program that looks set to unleash a sustainable cost-effective route to market; and heard Paul Mattimoe, CEO of Perspective International, describe how his consumer publication, Owners Perspective Magazine – through aligning with major brands outside of the industry, such as British Airways – was proving that consumers have a greater appetite for timeshare and fractional products than some would think.

In another session, Is Fractional the Future of the Shared Ownership Industry?, panel speakers and members of the audience opened up about what actually was selling in 2009, providing actual sales totals at various properties worldwide. Attendees also discussed the various definitions of the word fractional and debated the differences between fractional and timeshare interests. It was clear that most fractional developers still wanted to disassociate themselves from the timeshare industry, despite hearing that the two products were in fact legally considered the same type of product.

The Gloves Off! session lived up to its name, as attendees fiercely continued their examination of fractionals and where again some fractional developers still battled with definition issues, even when comments came from other developers and even fractional exchange companies to the contrary. But most importantly, this session allowed for a much needed group discussion to take place that involved major players in the industry debating (and essentially shaping) the future of the shared ownership industry – something that in Europe, at least, is extremely rare. On a separate topic in this same session, delegates also got into a quite-spirited and controversial discussion of how to rid the industry of unscrupulous holidaypack scammers.

But the meeting was not all about heated debate on serious subjects. The FORUM scored a major coup in featuring two industry icons, each of whom had scarcely spoken at shared-ownership events during the past 10 years. John Spence, chairman and owner of Karma Royal Group, has over 25 years in the business, but he delighted the crowd with brilliantly funny anecdotes from his pre-resort music-industry days and his early days in our business. Roy Peires, chairman and founder of Club La Costa Resorts & Hotels, fascinatingly explained how his company came to be among the leading lights of timeshare in Europe and one that is, by its innovative and progressive approach, defining the standard and shaping the way in which its more than 50,000 members enjoy their holidays.

Summing It Up
“Without an RDO conference [in 2009], there were few opportunities for all interested parties within the industry – developers, exchange companies, finance companies – to actually get together in one place and at one time and not just socialize, but talk business,” said Michael Myers, Interval’s vice president of resort sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.” And without it, we would have had to wait a whole year. If you don’t bring the industry together, it tends to go off in separate directions.”

Others agreed with Myers’ assessment. “It’s very easy to get down when you read doom and gloom in the papers all the time,” commented Leslie McCann, group marketing director for Seasons Holidays Plc, who effused about The FORUM and then mentioned an additional benefit to attending: “If you just come away from an event like this with one idea and make it your own, that’s what it’s all about, really.”

Overall, people seemed to really enjoy the event in addition to appreciating its business benefit. Further attendee feedback indicated they also believed the conference was a good value for the money and that it was well-organized, two reasons why those who took the time to comment rated the meeting as either good or excellent overall.

“It’s been fantastic, bringing everyone together,” saidRobin Mills, communications chairman for RDO. “I’m really grateful for what Generator and Perspective have done. It’s been the right mixture of networking, sessions, individual speakers and party.”

Possibly most significant, however, is that many attendees left the conference with a positive outlook for the future of the industry. “It’s been a great time for the industry to come together, and I think we’ve accomplished a lot,” says Interval International Managing Director David Clifton.

“It looks like people are optimistic that 2010 is going to be better than 2009.”

Generator Party Rocks The FORUM
Of course, there was a Generator party at The FORUM – and Generator-hosted bashes are renowned for their great music, freeflowing drinks and let-down-your-hair fun.

The evening began with an elegant dinner and good conversation. A supposed maître d’, chef and server turned out to be a trio of gifted operatic singers in an extremely entertaining comic routine that captivated the entire audience.

Later, as people moved from the dining to the dancing, an energetic and talented cover band got people moving and grooving right away. It also didn’t hurt to have the conference’s “Generator Girls,” who were dressed all in white and had been serving champagne at the entrance, move inside and invite attendees to join them on the dance floor.

It has been said that many times that our industry “knows how to party,” and perhaps it is best to borrow a phrase from Las Vegas: What happens at the Generator party stays at the Generator party.

“There were a few sore heads this morning,” noted Robin Mills on the day after the party, “including mine.”

The 11th annual event draws a decent crowd despite economy

The 11th Annual Vacation Ownership Investment Conference (VOIC) was held September 14-17, 2009 at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Florida – a venue known for its quirky longstanding tradition of “marching” ducks in and out of the library each day at the designated time like clockwork.

VOIC itself seems to run like clockwork as well. But while the yearly event has occurred regularly for more than a decade, there were some doubts this time around given market conditions. Not that the conference wouldn’t be held – its organizers remained committed throughout – but that attendance would be soft. Many people were pleasantly surprised that the event actually did happen, thinking that it would be canceled like some other industry meetings.

But just over 500 industry professionals attended the event – and while that is down from the previous year’s 626 official attendees, conference organizers were very pleased thinking attendance might be as low as 300 to 400 people. What’s more, 20% of attendees were based outside the United States, which is an increase year-overyear – and a fulfillment of the intent of VOIC to help educate potential new entrants to the industry, whether they are involved with timeshare, fractional, private residence club or destination club projects. And the feedback from attendees was that the conference went extraordinarily well.

Networking and More
Following tradition, VOIC kicked off with its golf networking event, this year held at Shingle Creek Golf Club on its David Harman-designed course. Back at the Peabody, a fundamentals-oriented session and welcome
reception were held on the first day of the conference as well, but most the real takeaway content of the conference would be found during the many informational, educational and networking sessions occurring over the following two days.

A concerted effort is made to reach out to related industries (such as golf-course, hotel and second-home development) to help educate them on and draw them into shared ownership. The introductory sessions are
specifically geared to accomplish this goal. At one of these sessions, audience members were asked to raise their hand if they were a developer who was not in the industry but was currently exploring it. More than half of the approximately 300 in attendance did so. The conference reinforces the point that there are still plenty of opportunities in the vacationownership industry. In fact, actively lending companies – including several conference sponsors – were at the 2009 VOIC.

Despite the challenges in the marketplace, industry professionals were busy conducting business at and around VOIC during these four days in Orlando.

Knowledge Sharing
Perhaps what is most intriguing is the amount of insight industry experts are willing to share in an open forum. Those listening in could easily glean the benefit of years of experience in development, marketing and sales, finance and other key areas.

This year’s keynote speakers offered volumes of knowledge as well. A particular highlight was the irreverent and opinionated Robert Genetski, Ph.D., a featured conference luncheon speaker. Genetski, an interest-rate
forecaster and investment banker known for his research regarding and advocacy of classical economic principles, was an energetic and entertaining speaker who aptly held the interest of the crowd despite being an expert in a relatively dry field. Genetski’s criticisms of the U.S. Federal Reserve and multiple White House
administrations were delivered with insightful observations and sharp wit.

In what has become an expected and much-looked-forward-to event each year, Peter C. Yesawich, Ph.D., chairman and CEO of the Ypartnership agency, served as a featured luncheon speaker as well. Yesawich updated the crowd on the latest results from the widely anticipated National Travel Monitor, in which he explained travel and leisure patterns and how they are evolving. In addition, Yesawich also shared highlights from a recent survey of the resort real estate interests and preferences of affluent travelers.

Resort Tours
The fourth and final day of the conference comprised road trips to various Orlando-area resorts so that industry newcomers could see first-hand the daily operation of a successful project. This year, tour attendees chose among three visitation options that represented different products: Floridays Orlando Resort, which is a condohotel; Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa, representing independently branded timeshare; and Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve at Grande Lakes, a hotel-branded timeshare resort.

The dates for next year’s Vacation Ownership Investment Conference have been set already: the 12th annual event will take place October 4 through 7, again at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. For more information, visit
www.VacationOwnershipInvestment.com.

VOIC: Why You Should Attend and What You’ll Get out of It
The Vacation Ownership Investment Conference is one of the top industry events, focusing on the successful resort financing, development, branding, marketing, selling and management of vacation ownership properties. Industry professionals and those looking to enter the industry gain multiple benefits by attending:

- Discovering how vacation ownership can maximize a project’s earning potential

- Learning the latest on acquisition development and end-loan financing

- Exploring the boom in fractional resorts and private residence clubs

- Making valuable contacts, including developers, hoteliers, lenders, vacation ownership experts and government tourism officials

Attendance is geared toward resort developers considering or currently developing any type of vacation ownership product; lenders eager to learn about vacation ownership financing, and interested in meeting new and current vacation ownership developers; and existing players looking for capital or development opportunities.

Each year, the Vacation Ownership Investment Conference distributes to attendees complimentary copies of research studies and reports specifically created for the shared ownership industry. This year’s conference-goers received the following data, which has a retail value of US$1,500:

- Financial Performance 2009 Edition: A Survey of Timeshare & Vacation Ownership Companies – published and sponsored by the ARDA International Foundation, and conducted by PriceWaterhouseCoopers – helps in understanding overall economics of the industry and in tracking industry trends

- State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry, 2009 United States Study – published by the ARDA International Foundation and compiled by Ernst & Young – presents key characteristics of the U.S. industry

-Economic Impact of the Timeshare Industry on the U.S. Economy – commissioned by the ARDA International Foundation and compiled by PriceWaterhouseCoopers – is a detailed analysis of the direct, indirect and fiscal impacts the industry has on the U.S. economy

- Vacation Timeshare Owners Report 2009 Edition – commissioned by the ARDA International Foundation and compiled by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates – evaluates various attributes of long-term owners and recent timeshare purchasers

- The Affluent Shared Ownership Buyer: 2009 Market Profile – drawn from the Ypartnership 2009 Portrait of Affluent Travelers – offers an in-depth exploration of the lifestyles, social values, travel habits and resort real estate preferences of the top 8% of U.S. households

- Affluent Market for Vacation Homes: Full and Fractional Ownership and Destination Club Membership 2009 – published by the American Affluence Research Center – tracks the behavior, attitudes and
preferences of the wealthiest 10% of U.S. households

Visit www.VacationOwnershipInvestment.com for more information.

The Fourth Annual Luxury Markets Symposium – organized by Group RCI and sponsored by The Registry
Collection, and aimed at finding new business opportunities – was held October 6 and 7 in Mexico City.
Participants heard about trends and experiences they can take advantage of at their resorts.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Andrés Oppenheimer, a renowned journalist and expert on Latin American subjects. Oppenheimer spoke about the region’s future and how specific countries must take advantage of circumstances that will allow them to foster the tourism industry, and he explained that times of crisis are also times of opportunity.

During his talk, Oppenheimer highlighted that Mexico shows great opportunity for medical tourism and that – with a few modifications in its legislation – it must take advantage of this trend. On the same line, the famous journalist described the strengths of medical tourism, suggesting they are related to Mexican hospitality, the care provided in hospitals and the country’s low costs.

He stated that another valuable niche for Mexico is to concentrate on Chinese tourism. “Over 100 million Chinese are expected to travel through the world in the coming years,” he said.

Oppenheimer was very emphatic in his conclusion, stating that: “The economic context has been difficult. However, it is not the Great Depression of 1929. The United States is not going to disappear, and neither will the capitalist model. Today, this country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is larger than if you added together the four GDPs of the four countries that follow it in size.”

Discussion Panels
Group RCI set up discussion panels and used this learning environment to allow attendees to approach experts and express their opinions and knowledge about different areas.

Ricardo Montaudon, president and executive director of Group RCI Latin America, pinpointed the essence of the largest resorts for participants in the panel “The Experience of Mega-Resorts.” Montaudon defined them
as very successful, flexible businesses that provide different products for different clients. He also revealed that part of the secret for mega-resorts lies in the land where they are developed.

The panel on “The Advantages of the Mixed Use Project” concluded that it is a strategic, well-thought-out and well-analyzed model that becomes profitable both for the developer and its members. In order to find success with this model, the business must be well structured, designed and created according to the
country’s social and economic environment.

Areas of Opportunity
One of the subjects that attracted a lot of attention during the Luxury Markets Symposium 2009 was Active Living – the market for active adults over 50 who are independent and have a very social lifestyle. Data provided suggests that between 2007 and 2050, 10,000 people will retire in the United States every day. A business niche in two important markets was highlighted: the market with high purchasing power and the
middle market. In the case of Mexico, Morelia and Los Cabos were mentioned as places that have potential for the U.S.-retiree community.

One of the key points during the talk on “How to Differentiate Oneself in an Adverse Environment” was the way in which brands are crucial; it is the prestige of resort development firms that provides their guarantee. Another point was that this luxury market is about experiences and not just properties. An aspect that became clear among all attendees is that Mexico must reposition itself in the retirement market – and not just in the luxury niche, but also in other segments.

Not everything was about business, however. Symposium attendees were able to participate in two tasting events: a red and white wine-tasting with Monte Xanic wines, and another with Johnnie Walker.

The Luxury Markets Symposium 2009 clearly met its goal of accomplishing an exchange of experiences. Attendees learned new ways of confronting difficult moments, strengthened their knowledge in order to make their resorts grow, and saw trends that can help them diversify their businesses.

European Seminar Included Timeshare Professionals and Owners for Frank Discussions

Late September 2009 saw Dial An Exchange host a controversial seminar titled Timeshare Stripped Bare. The venue was the picturesque Barnsdale Hotel & Country Club timeshare resort, located in the middle of England’s smallest county and nestled on the banks of Rutland Water – and arguably one of the most popular resorts in the UK.

The seminar saw a unique combination, with timeshare industry professionals and timeshare owners invited to attend. Some industry insiders even expressed nervousness at involving owners in sensitive discussions on some of the industry’s biggest challenges and most controversial subjects.

As the conference proceedings unfolded though, it became clear that there were no grounds for such concerns. The event attracted an intimate but engaged group, consisting of some of the major players within the timeshare industry, resort committee members and individual timeshare owners who were keen to hear what the experts predicted for the future of timeshare.

The seminar was organized and moderated by David Lilley of Dial An Exchange and supported by parent DAE Live, representatives of which had journeyed from Australia to support the event.

Given the provocative title to the seminar, independent observers could have been forgiven for thinking the event was being staged to attack and undermine the timeshare industry. This was definitely not the case.

Lilley made a point of drawing out the many positive experiences that timeshare extends to its customers, and despite the fact that there were many disgruntled owners in the audience, when Lilley asked his ritual question about the levels of satisfaction that owners get from the product, many hands were raised in acceptance of the undisputed fact – that when timeshare is sold and serviced correctly, it is a wonderful product.

Lilley kicked off the seminar with a typically forthright appraisal of the challenges the timeshare industry in Europe faces. The concerns raised in Lilley’s opening address were emphasized and quickly justified by the opinions expressed by three of the business delegates in attendance.

When Lilley asked the question What percentage of timeshare owners in Europe wish to exit?, however, the weighted answer from the three knowledgeable people in their opinion was a remarkable 50%.

Legislative Issues
Following on from the opening introduction, Geoff Chapman, a director of TATOC, delivered an interesting and precise summary of TATOC’s work to support timeshare owners. Chapman presented a variety of statistics sourced from the existence of the TATOC help line. The most pertinent parts of Chapman’s presentation centered on where consumer issues originate from, with bogus resale companies and holiday clubs being the biggest issues.

Simon Jackson, managing director of Macdonald Resorts, shared his views on the subject of product repositioning and new product development. Jackson has already developed a reputation as an executive who would happily engage in a united alliance to tackle the industry’s biggest challenges, but with the seeming absence of such initiatives, he is clearly prepared to pioneer new activities. This was evidenced by the Macdonald 5 Year Holiday Product, which was very well received, commended by all members of the audience and described as the product of the future.

One of the most memorable presentations of the seminar came from Ramy Filo, chairman of DAE Live and CEO of Classic Holidays. Filo revealed that the Australian timeshare market is somewhat ahead of Europe in many areas.

Australia already has a sales certification platform and a clear appetite to create products that have appeal to the customer. One of the most poignant messages that emerged from all the speakers on display was Filo’s simple but powerful statement: “The way I see it, we have products and we have customers. If the products are not appealing, we need to change the products because we cannot keep changing the customers.”

Phil Watson, managing director of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, gave a lively and frank discourse on the subject of resales. Watson encouraged owners to be less clumsy in handing over money to companies that make unsolicited cold calls and stated that members wishing to relinquish their ownership needed to be realistic about the value of their timeshare.

Watson shared some examples of his company’s media work and his personal attempts to change the perception of timeshare by embracing some of the more expensive but higher impact advertising vehicles, such as television.

New timeshare legislation is set to have a profound impact on the timeshare industry in Europe. Alex Radford, a solicitor from leading law firm Irwin Mitchell, gave a condensed and layman’s term summary of the EU legislation that becomes active in 2010.

In the audience debate that followed Radford’s speech, it became clear that whilst there are some commendable elements to the new legislation, other parts of it could be described only as a suppressant to reasonable and honest business. The total ban on any form of deposit, for example, is a restriction that is not placed on too many other industries around Europe.

Maintenance-Fee Defaults
The subject of increasing maintenance fees and the growing trend toward court action for defaulting owners was expected to create fierce debate. The reality, however, was that there was quite a degree of empathy and understanding toward those developers who now see it as necessary to take defaulters to court.

Martin Beesley is one of the few respected timeshare resort developers in Europe. He boldly took to the floor to explain why his two resorts (Fairways Club in Tenerife and Pueblo Evita on the Costa del Sol) had this year started to take court action against defaulters. Beesley explained that those owners who were choosing to default were simply placing an increased liability on the remaining members of the club, and this served only to compound the challenge of suppressing maintenance fee increases.

Beesley also pointed out that the bogus holiday pack companies seem to regard the owners at resorts where court action was not being taken as easy prey for their fraudulent products.

In summarizing the maintenance fee session, Lilley drew out a diagram to explain the consequences of taking court action versus those of doing nothing.

Whilst Lilley made the point that he personally had very mixed views on the subject of taking owners to court, the audience offered little resistance to the suggestion that court action, when thoroughly considered from a holistic viewpoint, was not necessarily as negative as some owners would suggest.

Other Noteworthy Presentations
One of the more eagerly anticipated speeches was delivered by Matthew Moody, former head of Revenue Management at RCI Europe. Moody covered the subject of trading power and had the business delegates transfixed at the complexity of the subject.

Paul Mattimoe of Perspective International took the delegates through a chronological summary of his company’s evolution, his survey on timeshare owners and general attitudes toward timeshare. He also shared the objectives of their two magazines. Mattimoe has broken many perception barriers with his new consumer magazine, Owners Perspective, arranging distribution deals that include the likes of British Airways’ First Class Lounges worldwide, more than a dozen similar airline, hotel and resort agreements, and respected UK supermarket chains such as Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s.

Consistently growing at a rapid rate and currently reaching more than 50,000 consumers a month, the magazine is attracting advertising support from many major hospitality brands and leading developers around the world.

TATOC Chief Executive Harry Taylor concluded his short interview with David Lilley to publicly recognize the work that David had done to support TATOC over the past few years with the award of six bottles of fine wine.

Veteran Sutton Hall resort chairman Neville Greenwood, with 18 years on his resort’s committee behind him, shared some insight into the trends that he has observed over the years, particularly in relation to  repossessed weeks and the methods his resort use to get them back into ownership.

The concluding session of the seminar was on the subject of sales certification.

The panel of the speakers and other business delegates all agreed that a sales certification platform would benefit European timeshare but this really needed to be backed by the authorities and enforced, for it to have any major impact and sustained value.

Under the spotlight of scrutiny and some heavy criticism for daring to cover such sensitive subjects in such a public way, Dial An Exchange emerged with strong credibility after tackling such thorny subjects. The comments made on timeshare owner forums has already justified and confirmed the value in such events. Timeshare owners want to see their issues discussed and debated with a solution-focused attitude.

With such a positive response and some useful networking sessions for the business delegates, you can expect that the next event will have at least a few more attendees – and draw even more attention.

David Lilley chooses to leave Dial An Exchange
While no announcement was made at the event, it transpires that the Timeshare Stripped Bare event was Lilley’s last public performance as Managing Director of Dial An Exchange Europe.

While working for DAE, Lilley had continued to operate his own marketing company (www.marketinginnovations. co.uk) since 2007.

When asked about his reasons for leaving DAE he commented: “Philip Green (the owner of DAE) and I decided we did not want to make an announcement about my departure at the seminar because we did not want to take the focus away from the objectives of the seminar.

I’ve had an enjoyable two years at DAE. I think they are a terrific, customer-focused company and Philip and I part as friends. Indeed, I will still be doing some work for DAE in 2010 at two of their members Roadshows, as well as organizing and moderating another business seminar. I will also continue to be editor of their
Holiday Access Magazine.

My decision to leave DAE was purely that I wanted to explore other business opportunities and dedicate more time to some of my personal business projects. These projects include a specific rental service for owners at independent resorts called Rent Your Week and a rescue package called Resort Rescue for resorts that find themselves in financial difficulties.”

David Lilley can be reached at +44 (0)7872 13 13 14 or visit www.marketinginnovations.co.uk

Big Winners Include Fairmont, Marriott, American Airlines and Host Hacienda Tres Rios; Awards Help Traveling Public Find Best in Class

Hacienda Tres Rios, an all-inclusive luxury resort in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, was the setting for the 2009 World Travel Awards’ North and Central America regional ceremony, held on the warm, tropical evening of September 21, 2009.

The World Travel Awards (WTA), described as the Oscars of the global travel and tourism industry, acknowledge the “best of the best” out of more than 500 nominees. The event was held in partnership with Hacienda Tres Rios, Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau, Yucatan Holidays, Yucatan Travel, RCI and Vive Mexico. Luminaries attending the event included Mexico Secretary of Tourism Sara Latife Ruiz Chavez, who also serves as governor of the state of Quintana Roo. In a statement appearing in the printed guide to the award festivities, she acknowledged the WTA organizers and sponsors, thanking them for “bringing here this important event which consolidates the image of Mexico and Quintana Roo within the world tourism map.”

The host resort had been nominated for recognition in several categories and proved its world-class status, taking the top nod as Mexico & Central America’s Leading Green Hotel and Mexico and Central America’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort. Opened in November 2008, Hacienda Tres Ríos is the first resort of five at Tres Ríos. Hacienda Tres Ríos Resort boasts 273 suites featuring native materials and offering breathtaking views of the turquoise Caribbean Sea.

The unique onsite Tres Ríos Nature Park is open exclusively for resort guests, who can enjoy guided nature tours through 326 acres of pristine tropical jungle criss-crossed by three fresh-water rivers, dotted by 10 cenotes and home to 90 species of fauna and 120 species of flora.

While it is easy to see why Hacienda Tres Rios was named top all-inclusive, the elements that make an exceptional green operation blend seamlessly into the guest experience, striking a delicate balance of luxury holidays and conservation. This eco-luxury resort, located in a nature preserve, was constructed as part of a master plan that included more than two years of comprehensive environmental studies. The architectural design was based on rigorous environmental criteria and the buildings were placed on areas of lower environmental value. What’s more, in 2006 the Mexican government recognized Hacienda Tres Rios as a “regional and national model for sustainable tourism development.”

“In less than one year since opening,” said Tres Rios CEO Orlando Arroyo Marroquín in the guide, his resort “has become internationally renowned as the first luxury sustainable tourism development in Mexico.”

This commitment to ecological conservation “has garnered the recognition of the Mexican government as well as the major travel industry events in England, Spain and Germany, where we have been invited to share our experience as a case study,” he continued. “With the support of the important international organizations such as Green Globe International, World Heritage Alliance of the United Nations, Sustainable Travel International and Rainforest Alliance, Hacienda Tres Rios is a clear example that Quintana Roo and Mexico are ever working towards improving tourism and a healthy environment.”

Area Well Represented
But Hacienda Tres Rios isn’t the only reason to visit the Yucatan Peninsula. The area was well represented on the awards platform, winning several other WTA honors. Among them were Selvatica Puerto Morelos as Mexico & Central America’s Leading Adventure Park; Tulum, Mexico as Mexico & Central America’s Leading Beach; Terminal Punta Langosta, Cozumel, Mexico as Mexico & Central America’s Leading Cruise Port; Chichen Itza, Yucatan as Mexico & Central America’s Leading Cultural Heritage Destination; and Cancun as Mexico & Central America’s Leading Destination.

In other awards, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts bagged four North American awards including Canada’s Leading Golf Resort, Canada’s Leading Ski Resort, Canada’s Leading Business Hotel and North America’s Leading Golf Resort. The Leading Hotel Brand for North America went to Marriott Hotels & Resorts, and North America’s Leading Destination went to Miami.

WTA crowned American Airlines as North America’s Leading Airline and Mexicana Airlines as Mexico & Central America’s Leading Airline. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City were named North America’s and Mexico & Central America’s Leading Airports, with The Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Rey (California) and Camino Real Aeropuerto (Mexico City) taking the honors for North America’s and Mexico & Central America’s Leading Airport Hotels.

The full list of winners for the World Travel Awards North and Central Americas can be found by logging on to www.worldtravelawards.com

How Winners Are Chosen
The World Travel Awards were launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognize excellence in the world’s travel and tourism industry. Thousands of votes are cast by travel professionals from 183,000 travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe. Votes are cast globally by fellow industry professionals in 919 different categories. In 2009, WTA opened the voting to the traveling public as well.

The inherent principles under which all nominations are judged are:
• Consistent overall business performanceand success
• Understanding visitor needs and expectations for a supreme customer experience
• High levels of customer satisfaction
• Valuing personnel
• Excellent internal and external communications
• Enterprising product expansion and development
• Fostering innovation, creativity and enterprise
• Expansion and development, and
• Team work that helps a company to deliver longer-term corporate vision

In 2009, regional ceremonies have also taken place in Dubai (Middle East region) and Durban, South Africa (Africa region). The European Ceremony is scheduled for October 17 at Praia D’ El Rey Golf & Beach Resort, north of Lisbon, Portugal. South America, Caribbean, Asia, Australasia and the Indian Ocean Ceremonies are slated for November 7 at the Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel in London.

The 2009 Grand Final of World Travel Awards is set for the following night in the same venue. “This year’s winners can display the official World Travel Awards symbol with pride on their sales and marketing literature,” explained Graham Cooke, president of the World Travel Awards, “offering travelers a cast-iron assurance that what they are buying is a guarantee of travel excellence.”

Travel excellence such as provided at Hacienda Tres Rios. “It seems fitting,” said Cooke, “to celebrate the North & Central Americas awards ceremony in this beautiful destination, which sets the bar for the global travel and tourism industry, and creates hope for many young travel professionals.”

Top 5 Facts About the World Travel Awards

1. 3,600 travel companies, destinations and organizations are nominated every year
2. An average of 167,000 travel agents and industry professionals record their votes every year
3. Ten awards categories are dedicated to sustainable tourism
4. World Travel Awards nominations are decided by an independent panel of industry experts
5. Judging criteria takes into account every aspect of the business including overall performance, product
development, innovation, creativity and customer satisfaction

The Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa (VOASA) held its first conference in South Africa on 24th May and 26th May 2009. Once known as the Time Share Institute of South Africa (TISA), this convention saw the official launch of VOASA’s new name, logo and identity, signalling a re-invention and dramatic change for the industry body and enabling it to grow with changing marketplace to incorporate fractional ownership and other shared ownership product types.

The conference opened with a presentation by keynote speaker Mr. Howard Nusbaum, President of the American Resort Development Association, reviewing the shared vacation ownership industry in the USA and highlighting the effects of the global credit crisis.

Toni Anderson who is a Certified Assessor described the benefits of star grading. The Tourism Grading STAR System assesses, monitors and brands South African Tourism products. She explained the process involved for a resort to receive a star grading and went on to tell us that it will contribute toward the sustainable tourism growth in South Africa.

Brendan Hughes, who is a Senior Consultant at Michalsons Attorneys, spoke about the significant impact that the new Consumer Protection Act will have. “The Act will have a significant practical impact on the nature of contractual warranties provided to consumers, refund policies and the general formulation of contractual terms and conditions, particularly standard form contracts and the way in which those contracts must be interpreted by courts,” He carried on to say ‘Although the Act puts up several new legal hurdles for businesses to clear, it also offers businesses the opportunity to promote confidence and certainty in their offerings to consumers, and this will ultimately help drive consumer purchasing decisions,’ said Brendan.

Professor Piet Delport of the University of Pretoria gave a very informative presentation concerning the interaction between the Share Blocks Control Act 1980 and the new Companies Act. Highlighting the duties and liability of directors, corporate governance and the enforcement of duties and rights of shareholders, Professor Delport also covered transitional arrangements with regards to the implementation of the Act.

The shared vacation ownership industry has taken on its responsibility of implementing ways to help decrease global warming, and as such the VOASA conference attracted delegates like Greg McManus of the Heritage Environmental Management Company and Barney Beukes of SIRAC to address the audience of resort developers. Greg discussed environmental rating and management systems for responsible tourism whilst Barney presented to delegates SIRAC’s energy-saving heat pumps. ‘Hot water is the major consumer of power in a home,’ said Barney. ‘By utilising a SIRAC heating pump you can save 65 per cent of your water-heating costs by employing the free solar energy that is available. The SIRAC heating pump is ozone-and globalwarming- neutral and it has been accepted by the Montreal Protocol.’

Henry Greyling from Seef Fractional talked about the growth of Fractional ownership in South Africa and gave us an insight into the regions where fractional sales are predominant which include Exclusive Golf Estates, especially those with spas for the ladies. Other leisure developments including bush lodges are particularly popular as well. The most popular regions in South Africa are currently Kwasi Zulu Natal and Cape Town.

Deon Robbertza from Zoom Advertising which is the first advertising company in South Africa to be 100 per cent carbon neutral discussed the subject of ‘Adapt or Die – The Conscious Brand’. ‘It’s about single-planet living and offering consumers an ethically correct choice, ’Deon said. ‘It’s about leaving our environment in a better state than we found it for our children but also sustaining realistic business growth. “There is no point waiting for consumers to demand this choice – we should be offering it as a matter of principle”.

Dirk Wilson from Fractional Advertising simplified the often confusing subject of internet advertising. He ran through 11 fundamentals of internet marketing success. Some advice he gave was – optimise each page, add Google Analytics to your website and always use quality images & banner adverts which will motivate viewers to click. Dirk explained the growth in internet use in South Africa to highlight to importance of the internet to your business. “With a rapidly growing internet user base – combined with faster & larger bandwidth allocation, South Africans are only on the tip of the iceberg in terms of market penetration. By 2010 an estimated 30+ million South Africans have fast internet access on their mobile phones alone.”

VOASA went on to recognise pioneers in the industry with an awards ceremony. Award categories, and winners, included: Industry Team of the Year (Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge); Industry Performer of the Year (Judy Pousson of The Holiday Club). A Lifetime Achievement Award went to Brian Stocks of Sun International Vacation Club, and Service Excellence to Dirk Wilson of FractionalOwnership.co.za. Dirk commented
“We are delighted to be acknowledged and rewarded by the industry for our hard work and efforts, particularly over the past year or so, it’s a team effort so thanks to our team for going the extra mile on many occasions as well as our clients for all their support”.

All the delegates at the conference also signed a FIFA soccer ball to demonstrate their dedication to, and support of, the 2010 World Cup festivities which will play a major part in boosting South Africa’s tourism next year. More on this subject will follow in a later issue.

In between sessions delegates were treated to refreshments and lunch, plus wine and chocolate tasting, South African dancers and a luxurious gala dinner, with free flowing drinks, several course meal and
entertainment making for a very successful and well organised business and social gathering of key industry players.

VOASA stands for ‘Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa’. It was previously known as TISA (Timeshare Institute of Southern Africa).

The name change was necessary in order for TISA (now VOASA) to evolve with the everchanging industry, an industry that is constantly introducing innovative new products and propositions – products such as Points Clubs, Fractional Ownership and Destination or Private Residence Clubs, which fall within the shared
vacation ownership category set out in the Property Timesharing Control Act No. 75 of 1983 and / or Share Blocks Control Act No. 59 of 1980. Though these new products are considered to be different from standard shared vacation ownership, they still require representation by an industry body.

Each prospective member’s application and documentation will be vetted, not only for legal compliance, but also for consumer protection. All members of VOASA are required to adhere to the industry Code of Conduct. VOASA is committed to strong ethical standards. This is essential to promote the long-term interest of the shared vacation ownership industry in Southern Africa.

For more information visit www.voasa.co.za or call +27 (0)21 914 9693

VOASA Golf Tournament
The VOASA event kicked off with a golf event which was held at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club and sponsored by RCI.

Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club is one of the most prestigious golf clubs in South Africa. In its almost 130 years of existence, it has hosted 7 South African Opens and numerous other major tournaments. Royal is home to the biggest annual professional golf event in Africa, the Joburg Open, inaugurated in 2007, and has hosted the International Final Qualifier (Africa) for the Open Championship for three years in succession.

It was a fine day with 5 teams battling it out for first place, but in the end the winners were Connie Harding, Allan Roberts, Albie Roux and Phil Engelbrecht who each won a golf cart.

Fractional real estate professionals were brought together on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th April in London to attend the second annual Fractional Summit.

The Summit was held at the prestigious Hilton Metropole and organised by Fractional Life with headline sponsorship from Registry Collection and sponsors: FOC – Fractional Ownership Consultancy, Citadel Trustees Ltd, DCP International, Castello di Casole – Timbers Resorts, Preferred Residences, First American Title and yooPhuket. The event attracted over 210 fractional property developers, brands and service operators together with leading property journalists.

The theme of this year’s conference ‘Fractional ownership: the rewards and opportunities’ ensured a good turnout with delegates from all around the world including Denmark, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, USA, Cyprus, Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, South Africa, Dubai, Russia, Australia, Cape Verde, Lebanon, India, Croatia and the United Kingdom.

The event gave fractional professionals from around the world an overview of the current state of the industry in Europe with a two-day programme of presentations and panel discussions.

One of the recent causes for concern, which is linked to making consumers more aware of fractional ownership is the lack of a clear definition of the product, with different developers using different terminology in their marketing materials. On this subject, Preben Vestdam, Principal and CEO of Valhalla Associates discussed industry definitions of luxury fractional ownership, Destination and Private Residence Clubs and the requirements of each. He spoke about and highlighted the main differences between Destination Club, PRC, fractional ownership and timeshare and ran through everything the potential fractional developer who may be considering adding one of these to his mix of products needs to know, from business models in usage plans, preferred locations, pricing methodology, and success and failure factors.

Despite managing to achieve increased positive press coverage over recent months, there’s no denying that the fractional property market in Europe is very much in its infancy, so it was very inspiring to hear from Sarah Rezak who is a senior consultant from Ragatz Associates. Sarah presented figures to show the size of the US fractional industry and how the marketplace has grown to be worth $1.6 billion dollars in 2008 (down from $2.3 billion dollars in 2007). What is interesting is that many UK and European consumers buying trends tend to follow shortly behind the US. Currently in the US there are 138 Private Residence Clubs and 12 Destination Clubs. Sarah shared with us some interesting statistics about the satisfaction levels of fractional owners – 87% of Fractional Owners and 95% of Private Residence Owners said that knowing what they know now about their purchase, they would do it again.

Following on from an interactive panel session talking about the fractional hotspots around the world we were introduced to Marc Koerts, Managing Director, Avenio Prieuré and Marina Palmerio of Timbers Resorts. At a time when many real estate developers are considering whether to change the mix of their property and may be considering a shared ownership offering we heard from two very different fractional developers, Marc Koerts shared with us his journey from being a self-confessed ‘fractional novice’ last year to, 12 months on successfully launching his mixed use “Avenio Prieuré” fractional ownership development in Provence, France – his resorts were featured in Perspective Magazine in June 2009 (available online at www.theperspectivemagazine.com). Marina Palmerio presented Timbers Resorts’ and Castello di Casole’s vision. She explained that for many, their dream is to own their own home in Tuscany, Italy and that Castello di Casole offers one of Tuscany’s most remarkable villas and surrounding estates, but also the option of whole or fractional ownership.

Nick Turner, Vice President & Head of New Developments – Europe for Registry Collection discussed the growing trend of converting traditional real estate into Fractional Ownership and gave an overview of where the fractional industry is today. His session highlighted that there are 4 main typical destinations ski, golf, beach and urban. The cost of a fractional ranges from $99,200 to $247,000 and the units are fairly large – 1670 sq ft – 2500 sq ft. The largest potential growth areas would likely be Spain, Italy, Portugal, UK, France, Cyprus and Croatia. He went on to explain how the exchange programme with Registry Collection which is the largest in the world can add huge benefits to the Fractional offering by giving the fractional owner access to 160 of some of the world’s most exclusive resorts.

As a break from concentrating on the property arena, Richard Thomas, Director of Marketing for Jet Republic gave us an amazing insight into the world of Fractional Jet Ownership. He told us about the Jet Republic mission: to revolutionise private jet travel with dramatically improved service in the air and on the ground.

Despite the current economic climate he said that they have put their money where their mouths are and have just placed the largest order in European history – 110 Learjet 60 XRs valued at $1.5 billion. The Learjet60XR is the best in its class flying higher, faster and further.

Chris Allen of Citadel Trustees spoke about the importance of getting the right structure to support the right product, right from the start. He explained the importance of getting it right from the start with a structure which supports the product from a legal, operational, sales and marketing perspective. A structure that combines flexibility for future product development with complete security for added product credibility. Doing this is both cost effective and financially logical for buyer and seller and offers each an exit route. Linked to this was a presentation from Andrew Warren, Partner, Anne Taylor, Partner from Irwin Mitchell law firm which is based in London. They spoke about the important and controversial issue that the fractional industry is currently governed by the Timeshare Directive which is part of the Consumer legislation under review at the moment in the ECC. The timeshare (Fractional) contract is a contract of accommodation use for the duration of more than one year by which a consumer acquires the right to use one or more overnight accommodation for more than one period of occupation.

The current directive states that Fractional Ownership cannot be sold as an investment. Further stipulations are that pre-contractual information should be provided in good time before the consumer is bound by any contract or offer and specific information to be contained in timeshare, long term holiday product, resale & exchange contracts. The contract should be in writing in the language of the Member State in which the client is a national. Cooling off period is extended to 14 days from the day of conclusion of the contract. If the withdrawal form is not provided, the period of withdrawal expires after one year and fourteen days. There is a total ban on advance payments, provision of guarantee, reservation of money on account and acknowledgment of debt during withdrawal period for all contracts.

Greig Holbrook from Oban Multilingual gave us a fascinating insight into the multilingual Search engine optimisation. He explained how SEO works and gave us examples of what we needed to do to increase our rankings on Google but given that not everyone searches in English or even uses Google there were other things you could do to increase your rankings. Things such as Keyphrases: Cultural variants, Search Engines, content, Domain names/localisation, Global Social Media, Growth in penetration per country.

Claude Attala – Global Managing Director of Northcourse released the findings of the first ever research paper dedicated to the fractional property market in Europe. The study, titled “Europe: Trends In Fractional Real Estate 2009” identified the following: there are 90 fractional products in Europe in the form of private residence clubs and fractional properties. Over 70% of fractional properties are located within a mixed use environment. More than 60% of these are located near the beach or a golf course, although there has been a recent growth in urban properties. Italy was chosen by those interviewed as the most desirable location followed closely by France. Portugal is also popular, followed closely by the UK, Turkey and Spain.

Of those interviewed, 33% said they were likely and 13% very likely to purchase a fractional property in the future. The remaining 54% said they were not likely to purchase a fractional at present, which highlights the need for increasing awareness of the fractional product.

We then heard some very interactive panel discussions, ‘Live’ Fractional Practical Exercises, Capturing the high net worth fractional Consumer and connecting with different cultures.

Speakers and panellists were upbeat about the future of the fractional industry despite the economic downturn, pointing at a sustained growth curve in the European fractional property market over the next few years.

The newly-launched Fractional Life Summit Awards were also presented, amongst them was Avenio Prieuré, a luxury resort development company in Provence and member of The Registry Collection, scooping the Fractional Life Award for Innovation and Excellence, the top accolade in the fractional industry.

Delegate Quotes:

“In sharp contrast to the general economic news, there was an excited buzz as new projects and current fractional successes were discussed and planned” – Eric Gummers, Howard Kennedy

“You’ll have over 300 delegates at the next one – I hope you have the space” – Peter Matthews, Cave Creative

“I really enjoyed the fractional ownership conference, expected less, very impressed, will do a lot of business from it” – Vincent Barbera, Destination Sicily.

“Great fractional property conference – it served its purpose and I enjoyed all the speakers. I’ll definitely attend next year” – Chris Bannister, GRM Solicitors.

“I think it’s been one of the best conferences and feel very positive. I would have liked to have more representatives there, will bring more next year” – Richard Thomas, Jet Republic.

“I enjoyed the conference very much, very positive feedback, panel discussions were great. I got to meet everyone I wanted to” – Maurizio Bisicky, Marriott Vacation Club International.

“It’s the first event I’ve been to in a while that has exceeded my expectations. I noticed many new faces, both developers and suppliers coming into the industry. In a time when most markets are looking inwards, it was great to see people actually making plans to enter or expand their operations in the fractional market” -
Ioannis Verdelis, Select Ownership.

Nearly 2,000 golfers and hundreds of volunteers gathered for the seventh annual Group RCI Christel House Open international charity golf tournament the week of June 8. The Open is actually a series of individual tournaments spanning the world. This year, golfers at 19 individual tournament sites on five continents
participated in the event. The majority of tournaments take place in June with a few events taking place later in the year due to weather and other considerations.

World-wide proceeds are expected to be announced by year-end, once all tournaments have taken place. One hundred percent of cash proceeds will be utilized for programs and services benefiting more than 3,000 children who attend Christel House learning centres.

The tournament is largely supported by developers, resorts and vendors in the timeshare industry because of strong ties to Christel House founder Christel DeHaan, a recognized pioneer in the industry and co-founder of Group RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange. Timeshare industry companies sponsor and
host individual tournament sites on behalf of the charity.

“We are deeply grateful to our sponsors, including our Title Sponsor Group RCI, for their generous support of this year’s tournament. Likewise, our tournament site hosts are the event’s heart and soul. Their collective efforts have built the tournament into an annual tradition that spans the globe,” said DeHaan.

“We are absolutely thrilled to once again have the opportunity to sponsor the Group RCI Christel House Open and are humbled to help this world class organization’s efforts to break the cycle of poverty around the world,” said Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Group RCI.

“Our associates’ and affiliates’ passionate support of Christel House from Bundall, Australia, to Bangalore, India, improves the lives of countless children, families and communities that make up the Christel House community, and we are very proud of that.”

The UK tournament of the Group RCI Christel House Open charity golf day was held at Ealing Golf Club, Perivale, Middlesex on Monday 15th June 2009.

Ealing Golf Course was originally laid out by James Braid and later re-designed by Harryding. Colt, one of the greatest of all golf course architects who would go on to design Sunningdale, the East and West courses at Wentworth and Stoke Park.

The course is renowned for the condition of our course and the greens are some of the best in England. Golfing legends such as Peter Allis, Greg Norman, Bernhard Langer and Paul McGinley have played the course as well as celebrities like Sir Henry Cooper, football legends Ruud Gullit and Denis Wise and entertainer Matt Monro.

It is a challenging Par 70, 6,191 yards course that, over the years has produced players of the highest calibre in amateur golf. It is not a physically demanding course though so players of all levels and ages can enjoy a relaxing but challenging round.

The weather held out right to the end of play allowing all players to enjoy a dry round as teams of four battled it out for first place and a number of individual prizes.

The evening started with a drinks reception sponsored by Perspective International Ltd and followed with a
beautiful dinner, speeches from key sponsors and Christel House supporters, a charity auction and awards ceremony.

First Prize Winners were Team Vision, comprising of Stephen Price, Tony Dangerfield, Bertie Edwards and
Jimmy Kane.

The UK event raised over £20,000 for the children of Christel House.