HB ON THE SCENE: Timeshare Conference Proves Sky’s The Limit For Vacation Ownership Industry

ORLANDO, FL— Many of the timeshare industry’s major players were here at Orlando’s Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando today for the sixth annual Timeshare & Resort Investment Conference. Those players, along with various other hotel industry executives, presented evidence that the timeshare industry is poised to not only continue its steady growth but capitalize on the changing preferences and demographics of today’s leisure travelers. Formally entitled “Redefining Resort Development,” the conference began with an overview on the fundamentals of the vacation ownership market for the as-of-yet uninformed. Leading that presentation were Howard C. Nusbaum, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association, and David Clifton, managing director of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia for Interval International. Later on, a panel moderated by Bjorn Hanson, global hospitality industry partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers, focused on “The View From 50,000 Feet Up.” This session gave the audience a comprehensive summary of the major issues and trends facing the timeshare industry. The following session, which was also in panel form, presented a case study on a hypothetical asset that was being considered for a conversion into a timeshare property. The eight panelists, who represented different sides of the timeshare resort development industry, gave their opinions on what the owners of the property should do. Closing the day’s events was Peter C. Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell. In a session entitled “Emerging Lifestyles And Travel Trends: Implications For Timeshare Marketers,” Yesawich provided some compelling reasons for why the timeshare industry is ready to take advantage of pent-up user demand and new preferences. He said the trend of travelers wanting to “own” their vacations bodes well for timeshare resorts.