September 2009 Developments - 12

Around the Industry INDUSTRY NEWS results of the annual salary survey of the timeshare/vacation ownership/fractional industry. The salary ﬁgures for the 2009 study come from participants that originated from the 20,000+ contacts maintained by Executive Quest through its newsletter subscriptions; like last year, the survey included 31 categories from Sales & Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Resort General Managers, CEO’s, CFO’s, etc. A full copy of the salary study may be purchased at www.execq.com. Unlike last year, this industry has been affected by the recession. Decreases in tour ﬂow and marketing occurred causing the industry to suffer a very trying year. Estimates by ARDA President Howard Nusbaum project an 8% decrease in sales for 2009. With many companies cutting back on marketing and tour ﬂow, as may be expected, marketing and sales positions had the most decrease this past year. Regional marketing management together with vice presidents of marketing had a reduction in compensation of about 10% while sales and marketing directors as a group had reductions of 20%. Due to the lower tour ﬂow, the compensation for sales managers, vice presidents and regional vice presidents which are often tied to a percent of sales revenue had a negative 25% overall. Administrative positions, such as CFO, COO, HR, or operations management, held steady on income. However, CEOs, presidents, and owners had a decrease of about 33% from the previous year, as the economy and therefore the timeshare/fractional/vacation ownership/hospitality industry struggled. by expert speakers on pressing industry issues, followed by workshop sessions to discuss these issues and propose working solutions to the challenges discussed. Topics include timeshare resales, realities of the exchange system, maintenance fee collection, marketing and lead generation, sales techniques and certiﬁcation, rental programs, and new products. While the primary objective of the seminar is to support timeshare owners and management companies, it will also be of particular interest to resort committee members, resort developers, marketing and resale ﬁrms, and suppliers to the timeshare industry. Interval International & Resort Afﬁliates Support CTO Education Foundation for 10th Consecutive Year branded for resort and hotel properties, ResortProSource has created a separate Web site where product details for the linen and terry line is available. A visit to the newly launched Web site shows the wide range of patterns—from stripes to ﬂoral to solids. Custom options are also available, including satin or lace trim, cashmere blankets, silk robes, slippers, and spa bags. The informational Web site helps resort managers decide which linens to consider for purchase. It answers questions like “Why is Egyptian cotton the best, and does it really come from Egypt? What does thread count mean? What is a sateen ﬁnish? How do you know if a towel will dry well? And what about down and feathers?” Whirlpool Corporation Design+Development Group Expands Education for Architects The Whirlpool Corporation Design+Development Group (D+DG) is now offering an additional continuing education unit (CEU) course as part of its curriculum for industry architects. As the ﬁrst appliance manufacturer to be honored with the AIA Continuing Education System (CES) Award for Excellence, the D+DG continually provides architects and designers with innovative and collaborative education. The course, “Downdraft Ventilation,” is available for CEU credit at AECdaily.com’s On-line Learning Center. This latest course provides an overview of downdraft ventilation systems, including discussions on venting, ducting, ﬁlters, installation, indoor environmental quality, and design. Dial An Exchange to Host UK Seminar to Resolve Timeshare Industry Challenges Dial An Exchange (DAE), one of the world’s largest independent timeshare exchange organizations, will host a global seminar in the United Kingdom September 28-29 to create a forum for industry professionals to discuss and propose solutions to some of today’s top challenges. The theme of this conference is “Radical Thinking & Decisive Action,” reﬂecting the challenges the timeshare industry faces as the world navigates this economic crisis. The seminar will consist of presentations Interval International and resorts afﬁliated with its exchange network continued their ﬁnancial support of Caribbean tourism education with a $15,000 donation to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Education Foundation. The check was presented by Neil Kolton, Caribbean Region Manager, Resort Sales and Service, Interval International (center of photo); to Hugh Riley, interim secretary general, CTO (right); and Jacqueline Johnson, CTC, chairman, CTO Foundation (left); during Caribbean Week in New York City. “La Notte Linen Collection” Announces Web Site Launch Resort ProSource (RPS), a full service purchasing company for the hospitality industry, announced the launch of a new custom linen and terry line Web site: www. lanottelinencollection.com. As the exclusive distributor of the “La Notte Linen Collection,” a custom suite of products individually The Votes Are In—And It’s Not the Pink Hippo! Endless Vacation Rentals® Announces YourFatChance.com Vacation Contest Winners Endless Vacation Rentals (EVR), one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands (NYSE: WYN), is pleased to announce the winners of its YourFatChance.com vacation contest: Grand Prize winner Lawrence Kom from Hampton Bays, New York, and First Prize winner Tanya Ramirez from Davenport, Florida. From March 17-April 28, 2009, 12 Developments • September 2009

September 2009 Developments

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2009 Developments