Page 8 - VIRNA 2017 JAN-MAR

A GLOBAL
OUTLOOK
JANUARY – MARCH 2017 RESORTDEVELOPER.COM VACATION INDUSTRY REVIEW
International Shared Ownership
Investment Conference Sheds Light
on a World of Timeshare Opportunity
BY LAURIE CHARLES
12 13
LEFT: Hugh Riley,
secretary general
and CEO, Caribbean
Tourism Organization;
William Marlin, prime
minister of St. Maarten;
Edmund Bartlett,
Jamaica’s minister
of tourism. RIGHT:
Guest speaker Scott
Stratten, president,
Un-Marketing.
Roy Peires, founder and chairman, CLC World Resorts & Hotels; Stephen Weisz, president and CEO, Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp.; Peter
Yesawich, vice chairman emeritus, MMGY Global; Craig Nash, chairman, president, and CEO, ILG; Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO, ARDA.
No words sum up the 18th annual International Shared Ownership
Investment Conference better than the opening remarks from David
Gilbert, president of Interval International.
Gilbert’s proclamation set the stage for the two-and-a-half-day
seminar, which featured discussions, panels, and presentations from
industry leaders, marketing experts, and even a head of state. Interval
hosted the event at the Eden Roc Miami Beach Resort & Spa, October
24 to 26, in conjunction with the Info-Exchange Seminar on October 25.
While the conference proffered networking opportunities for industry
veterans and potential entrants alike, more than 500 attendees were also
treated to global insights about the product, trending markets world-
wide, and a celebration of Interval’s 40th anniversary.
A Sphere of Possibilities
Even with industry changes, competition from the sharing economy, and
the challenges of serving the millennial market, a rush of optimism filled
the halls of the Eden Roc. “Shared ownership is a compelling business
model for resort developers who want to make quality vacations avail-
able to consumers in a flexible and profitable way,” says Gilbert. “This
year, we continued and enhanced our focus on international markets,
which are the growth areas of the future. As part of the conference evolu-
“The state of the industry is strong — not just
in the U.S., but in locations around the globe.”
Maria Cordova