Perspective Magazine’s Second Annual Global Networking Expo, GNEX 2012 – The Global Meeting Of Minds, took center stage at the Ritz Carlton Cancun in Cancun, Mexico as 177 delegates representing 91 companies gathered to seal business deals over January 31^st – February 2^nd, 2012.

Attendees from as far away as Australia, United Arab Emirates, Malta and Brazil converged for three days of outstanding panel discussions, informative presentations and clever social events to produce the most unique, globally-focused industry networking event on the 2012 calendar.

Participants such as Francisco Neto, Executive Director of Rio Quente Resorts in Brazil, Ashraf El Zarqa, COO of Emirates Vacation Club and Ramy Filo, CEO of Classic Holiday Group gave resounding reviews of the event, as the combination of audience-driven panel debate, business meetings, speed networking and nightly parties created an environment for delegates to build new and lasting relationships.

Numerous business deals were finalized throughout the event as the specially-designed networking lounge and extended networking time built into the conference agenda gave attendees the time and atmosphere to create strategic partnerships.

More information about GNEX 2012 will be available during the next few weeks on the conference website at http://perspectivemagazine.com/gnex.

Our thanks go out to our GNEX 2012 event sponsors and supporters:

Blue Strawberry Resorts,  Holiday Systems International, Sunset World Resorts, Dial an Exchange, Resort Television, Travel To Go, Interval International, Lloydshare, RCI, BuyaTimeshare.com, Customer Count, Emirates Vacation Club, First American Title Insurance Company, Hop-On, Merlin Software, Sell My Timeshare NOW, Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific, Track Results Software, Travel Guard, YachtsE, Circle One BlueBay Resort, El Cid Vacation Club, Grand Velas, Mayakoba Residences, Royal Resorts, Unlimited Vacation Club, Alternative Ownership Conference Asia Pacific (AOCAP), Australian Timeshare and Holiday Ownership Council (ATHOC), Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers (CARE), Canadian Resort Development Association (CRDA), The Pacific Institute, Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference, Resort Development Organisation (RDO), The Association for Timeshare Owners Committees (TATOC), Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa (VOASA), Women in the Industry (WIN) and Christel House International as Charity of Choice.

Next year’s event is already on the 2013 calendar as GNEX 2013 – The Global Meeting Of Minds makes its first foray into the United States at the world famous Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California during February 4-6, 2013. More information will be available in the coming weeks on the conference website at http://perspectivemagazine.com/gnex.

About Perspective Magazine

Perspective Magazine is the leading independent, multi-media information provider for the shared ownership industry. The company publishes five regional brands covering North America, Latin America, Europe & Middle East, South Africa, and Asia Pacific which are, combined, the most read independent trade publications globally for the vacation ownership industry.

The company’s consumer magazine, Owners Perspective Magazine, is the only independent consumer publication that specializes in promoting the benefits of buying shared ownership products to the general public and is also available as a specially customized developer edition for lead generation, in-room marketing and third party sales collateral. Owners Perspective Magazine’s online version, http://ownersperspective.com, also features a new guaranteed lead generation program specifically designed for resorts and developers. The site will host the company’s latest endeavor, Vacation TV, a streaming 24/7 online video channel full of information about vacation ownership products and services.

Perspective Magazine also operates a recruitment advertising service through TimeshareStaff.com (http://timesharestaff.com ),  fractional property listing services and a customized in-room Resort Television product that encourages on-site spending and vacation ownership sales.

GNEX is the company’s annual global networking expo which gathers the top industry professionals from around the world to network, create new strategic alliances and develop joint ventures that can benefit their businesses.

Perspective Magazine also publishes online through http://perspectivemagazine.com, hosts an online community of industry professionals through Perspective Forums, engages a social media audience of over 44,000 followers through its corporate social media accounts and is a media sponsor of 30 major industry events around the world.

For more information, please visit http://perspectivemagazine.com or email Steve Luba at steveluba(at)perspectivemagazine.com. For information on advertising and editorial opportunities visit  http://perspectivemagazine.com/advertise.

Building on solid tourism numbers in 2011, the Mexico Tourism Board predicts 52 million tourists will visit Mexico in 2012. This follows a strong winter break season with hotels in many of the top tourist destinations – from Cancun to Los Cabos — seeing a significant increase in occupancy compared to last year’s winter break.

SECTUR, The Mexican Ministry of Tourism reported that the number of air arrivals in December 2011 was up 13 percent compared to the same period in 2010. More than 1.07 million international travelers visited Mexico in the last month of 2011, a record for December.

In addition to an increase of visitors from the US (10.6 percent) and Canada (9.1 percent), Mexico received significant year on year increases from Spain (6 percent), Italy (10.5 percent), Argentina (21.4 percent), and France (12.4 percent).

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Trading Places International (TPI) today announced that the 4 Seasons at Desert Breezes Resort has been awarded the prestigious RCI Gold Crown Resort property designation by RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange.

A select number of RCI affiliated resorts meet RCI’s requirements for recognition and have earned the RCI Gold Crown Resort award. These resorts have attained high levels of excellence in resort accommodations, hospitality and member experience as measured by RCI.

“4 Seasons at Desert Breezes Resort is honored to have achieved this prestigious RCI designation,” said Tom Newman, director of Resort Operations at TPI. “The association’s board of directors, through diligent planning and oversight and working with its managing agent, Trading Places International, plan to maintain this Gold Crown status by providing owners and guests the quality accommodations and services we are known for.”

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FARROW Commercial Construction, a nationwide commercial construction company based in Santa Rosa, CA has files filled with Customer Care Questionnaires.

Westin Kierland

According to Rick Cratty, Director of Operations for FARROW, “we never leave a job site without getting some feedback.  At the close of 2011 we went through our files and were pleased to find an overwhelming amount of “Atta boys!”

With numerous construction projects completed this year, FARROW reports that 100% were rated as “outstanding in all categories.”  For instance, from the General Manager of the Hilton in Fort Wayne, IN comes this review:  “Overall best renovation process I have every experienced!”  Scott Caldwell, Resort General Manager at the Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale says FARROW exhibited “Great leadership, Quality and Customer Care.”  In Branson the client was “very pleased with the overall communication, flexibility and cleanliness” for a project at Branson Suites at Fall Creek.  Mark Sedillo, Resort General Manager at the Ridge Resort in Sedona put it honestly when he said FARROW made the process as “painless as possible.”

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Effective January 1, 2012, Festiva Hospitality Group has selected to partner with Wells Fargo Insurance Services as its insurance broker and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) as its health and dental insurance benefits provider. This new partnership is an important milestone for Festiva, which has been partially self-funded for health and dental insurance for that last six years.

“With the ever-changing state health care reform, Festiva decided to move from being a partially self-funded program to partnering with Wells Fargo in a fully-funded insurance plan with a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) for two basic reasons. We want our employees to get the best benefits available and we want to ensure the long-term health of Festiva and our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP),” said Terri Kirkpatrick, Human Resources Manager for Festiva.

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The Lubner Group, internationally respected for its hospitality and commercial design work, has recently completed the total renovation and installation of new furnishings for five “Old Conch” styled buildings with a storied past at the Coconut Beach Resort in Key West, Florida, positioning the resort to enter a new phase in its legendary history.

Located at 1500 Alberta Street on the Atlantic side of Key West, the vacation ownership resort is set against lush gardens and quiet walkways with white verandahs and French doors opening to the sea. The Lubner Group’s design challenge was to blend existing Victorian gingerbread architecture – rich with living history – with a fresh lifestyle in an updated tropical design that invited guests to relax in serene tranquility. Amenities include a pool, Jacuzzi, and private beach. The resort has been named an Interval International Select Resort.

The Lubner Group (www.LubnerGroup.com) completed the six-month total interior renovation project in three phases. Work included the selection of all furniture, fixtures and equipment for the 32 one- and two-bedroom/two bath units plus the resort’s lobby. The Lubner Group also provided design direction for the kitchen and bath cabinetry and flooring.

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Phil Tufnell, former England Cricket Captain and sporting personality celebrated the New Year, and his return to Thailand, with a relaxed game of beach cricket against a local Phuket Cricket League Team and a stunning Thai island backdrop – directly outside his beachfront holiday villa.

Tufnell and family enjoyed warm Thai hospitality, five minutes from the island of Phuket, at the luxury all-villa resort The Village Coconut Island.  Taking time out not only to challenge The Village Coconut Island League Team but to host a charity dinner as Ambassador of the Absolute World Group – Thailand’s leading and multi award winning vacation ownership brand – attended by local dignitaries, press and cricket enthusiasts. The event raised EURO1,325 for Absolute’s charity of choice, the Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation, supporting children effected in the Thailand Tsunami disaster.

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Lodging demand trends continue on a solid recovery trajectory, despite heightened global macroeconomic risk stemming from European sovereign debt concerns and a slowdown in China, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings.

Fitch’s report, ’2012 Lodging & Timeshare Outlook: The Penthouse View,’ provides a cross-sector perspective of the industry. Positive operating fundamentals support a stable outlook across four subsectors, including lodging C-Corps, lodging real estate investment trusts (REITs), CMBS with high hotel exposures, and timeshare asset-backed securities (ABS).

Hotel property-level operating performance should continue its solid improvement in 2012-2013 as a result of a favorable supply/demand outlook.

U.S. RevPAR remains roughly 5% below the 2007 peak. Fitch’ 2012 base case currently reflects 4%-5% industrywide RevPAR growth in the U.S., followed by mid-single-digit growth in 2013.

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RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange, and The Registry Collection program, the world’s largest luxury holiday exchange program, will organize and co-sponsor three Shared Holiday Ownership Workshops in 2012. The workshops provide essential information for those involved in the shared holiday ownership industry or anyone interested in entering the field. The first workshop takes place in Istanbul, Turkey, on February 6, followed by workshops in Edinburgh, Scotland (April 25) and Vienna, Austria (May 22).

“We are proud to be organizing and co-sponsoring the Shared Holiday Ownership Workshops in 2012,” said Sean Lowe, managing director, EMEAI, RCI. “At RCI, we value education and lively discussion surrounding industry topics, and the interactive programs for these three workshops will provide new information and perspectives to all attendees.”

Topics covered at these workshops will include:

• Why shared holiday ownership?
• The range of shared holiday ownership options including timeshare, fractional and mixed-use models
• How shared holiday products work
• Legal structures
• Efficient and effective sales and marketing
• Customer care

The workshops boast an impressive lineup of speakers who will make appearances in at least one of the workshops, including: Dimitris Manikis, RCI; Paul Mattimoe, Perspective International; Philip Bacon, HVS; Christopher Allen, Hutchinson & Co Trust Company; Eric Gummers, Howard Kennedy; Piers Brown, Fractional Life; Lisa Migani, FNTC; Philip Broomhead, FNTC; and Ioannis Verdelis, Best International.*

The co-sponsors of the workshops are HVS, FNTC, Howard Kennedy, Best International and Citadel.

Visit www.SHOWorkshops.com for more information and booking forms.

*  Speakers may be subject to change

About RCI
RCI is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange with over 4,000 affiliated resorts in approximately 100 countries. RCI pioneered the concept of vacation exchange in 1974, offering members increased flexibility and versatility with their vacation ownership experience. Today, through RCI^® Weeks, the traditional week-for-week exchange system, and RCI Points^®, the industry’s first global points-based exchange system, RCI provides flexible vacation options to its 3.7 million RCI subscribing members each year. RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals and the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN). For additional information visit our media center, rciaffiliates.com or The RCI Blog. RCI also can be found on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

About The Registry Collection program

The Registry Collection program is the world’s largest luxury exchange program comprising over 33,000 members and more than 160 affiliates on six continents. More than 180 properties are available through The Registry Collection program and are either accessible for exchange or under development. From condo hotels and high-end fractional resorts to private residence clubs and fractional yachts, The Registry Collection program provides members with access to an elite network of the finest vacation properties at some of the world’s premier destinations, as well as personal concierge services that are available 24 hours a day. The Registry Collection program is offered by RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN). For additional information visit our media center or theregistrycollection.com.

Vacation ownership software leader SPI Software recently announced a new client, Worldgate Timeshare, located in Kissimmee, Florida, has chosen SPI Orange Software as its enterprise IT solution. Worldgate Timeshare is a mixed-use property with 429 guest rooms and an array of amenities, catering to both the vacationing family and the business traveler.

“Worldgate’s IT requirements were a little more varied than what a cookie-cutter system could offer,” comments SPI VP of Sales Matt Brosious. “Thanks to SPI’s use of table-driven technology, our system will be flexible enough to encompass their needs. We anticipate that they will enjoy using our suite of software products to help them handle their business operations much more efficiently than ever before.”

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