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Vacation Ownership Investment Conference A Success Once Again

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.

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For information on advertising and editorial opportunities with Perspective Magazine & Owners Perspective Magazine; the leading independent B2B & B2C magazines for the timeshare and fractional ownership industries visit www.perspectiverates.com

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Tagged: destination club, Florida, Floridays Orlando Resort, fractional, Grande Lakes, Marriott Lakeshore Reserve, Orlando, Peabody Hotel, Peter C. Yesawich, Private Residence Club, Robert Genetski, Shingle Creek Golf Club, timeshare, United States, Vacation Ownership Investment Conference, VOIC, Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa, Ypartnership

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The Registry Collection Programme Wins Prestigious Fractional Life Award By Unanimous Judges’ Decision The Registry Collection® exchange programme, the world’s largest luxury exchange network, was honoured to receive the Fractional Life 2010 Services To The Industry Award at the Fractional Life Summit on 19th February. The criteria for winning The Services to the Industry... [Read More...]

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Pacifico Diamante Private Residence Club In Acapulco Welcomed By Interval International To Its Global Resort Network Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group (Nasdaq: IILG), today announced that Pacifico Diamante Private Residence Club in Acapulco has joined its exchange network. The property will feature... [Read More...]

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New Bali Property Added To Global Exchange Network Peninsula Bay Resort Chooses Interval International Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group, Inc (Nasdaq: IILG), has added the Peninsula Bay Resort, situated on the Indonesian island of Bali,... [Read More...]

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20-Year Relationship Celebrated With Long-Term Renewal Between Interval International And Marriott Vacation Club Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating segment of Interval Leisure Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: IILG), today announced the renewal of its master affiliation agreement with Marriott Vacation Club International, the timeshare division... [Read More...]

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Guy Hall Promoted To Newly Formed Position Of Area Manager By Grand Pacific Resort Management Guy Hall Grand Pacific Resort Management,  a privately owned timeshare vacation ownership management company located in Carlsbad, CA has promoted Guy Hall to the newly created position of Area Manager.  In this new role, Guy will be responsible for the day to day operations... [Read More...]

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