There’s an excitement in the air for timeshare

Leading the way for in-person hospitality meetings, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) recently held its 2021 Spring Conference, Timeshare Together, at the J.W. Marriott Grand Lakes in Orlando, Florida – the largest event to take place at the property in the last year.

The more than 700 in-person attendees, and hundreds more attending virtually, heard from a phenomenal lineup of guest speakers that included FUBU Founder and Shark Tank judge Daymond John, NFL Official Sarah Thomas, best-selling author Kaplan Mobray, world champion triathlete and high-performance coach Siri Lindsey, as well as top executives from the leading timeshare developers, including Travel + Leisure Co., Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, Hilton Grand Vacations, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Westgate Resorts, Bluegreen Vacations, Capital Vacations and Diamond Resorts.

This year’s conference highlighted the experiences of the industry throughout the pandemic, how it adapted to continue delivering for consumers, and how it’s innovating to meet the needs of more families and vacationers into the future.

Capitalizing on the convention’s location in the Sunshine State, it also included a general session featuring Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Senate President Wilton Simpson. Their attendance and remarks demonstrated not only how well-respected the annual timeshare event is, but more broadly, how important the timeshare and tourism industries are to Florida’s economy, especially as it continues to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the course of the four-day event, the excitement of attendees – both to be back meeting in person and for the future of the industry – could be felt throughout the convention hall. By the end of convention, attendees headed home with four key takeaways:

• Enthusiasm for the timeshare industry is at an incredible high. Owners are eager to return to their properties, developers are excited to welcome both new and returning members, and the industry itself is innovating and eager to deliver incredible vacation experiences.
• Timeshare owners have let the voices be heard through the newly launched Love My Timeshare campaign, focused on sharing positive timeshare stories via social media. Love My Timeshare is definitely here to stay with much more planned for the future.
• It’s going to be a big year for timeshare, with a record number of bookings. Timeshare resorts are quickly welcoming back tens of thousands of travelers, and reservation data is showing performance beyond 2019 levels.
• Experiential travel is the wave of the future, and timeshare is ahead of the curve. To meet the needs of younger generations of travelers, timeshare is not only providing great accommodations, but unique experiences, like intimate concerts with top artists exclusively for owners, to go along with it.

Looking ahead to the second half of 2021 and beyond, it’s clear people are prioritizing their vacations, and ARDA members are not only ready, but eager to fulfill their promise to owners for a phenomenal experience. So stay tuned – big things are on the horizon for timeshare.

Find Jason’s comments (plus our publisher’s two cents copied  below) online at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/theres-excitement-air-timeshare-jason-gamel/

Sharon Scott Wilson (LION)

We saw so many old friends and made some new ones, too, like Lalita Bhulipongsanon whose name I have yet to properly pronounce! Thanks to Jason Gamel, Jenny Ochtera Davlin, Catherine Lacey, and the whole ARDA staff for all your hard work. #TimeshareTogether was a huge success!

Reprinted by permission, © the American Resort Development Association.