The Spring Conference 2023 Timeshare Together: Leaders and Innovators

If the message at the 2022 ARDA Spring Conference was “we’re back,” the theme at the 2023 show was “It’s getting better all the time.” The feeling of incredible optimism about the timeshare industry and its participants was reinforced by speeches and sessions that highlighted the latest consumer, industry and economic research that all demonstrate the incredible resilience of our industry.

With more than 1,200 attendees from over 250 companies and about 20 countries, all seats were filled and the stellar line up of inspiring speakers and industry experts commanded attention.

In the ARDA Kick-Off General Session, ARDA President Jason Gamel opened by reflecting on his 25 years in the industry (four of them as President and CEO of ARDA). His four-word summation of what he has seen: always evolving, forever consistent. Although the industry adds new experiences and ways to enjoy timesharing, the consistency of the resort industry makes timeshare the best way to vacation. The challenges of the past few years led to innovations in marketing, sales and housekeeping. He also highlighted recent ARDA International Foundation research that shows that the growing youth movement of today’s timeshare owners, with rising numbers of Gen-Z and Millennials purchasing, and that the timeshare industry is thriving, with 90% of owners saying they are satisfied with their purchase, and 84% indicating they would buy again.

The 2023 Theme of Leaders and Innovators carried through the entire meeting, and the opening session set the tone as ARDA Chairman and Travel & Leisure Co. President and CEO Michael Brown led into speaker Lisa Bodell, an Innovation Expert, Founder of FutureThink and Author. She provided insights into the creative process and how to “think different, be curious, ask killer questions, and kill stupid rules.”

Other incredible speakers included Alison Levine, who inspired attendees with her story of leading the first United States all-female expedition to climb Mt. Everest. Notable quote: “Sometimes you look up at a mountain and think, I can’t, and then you climb it anyway.” Celebrity chef Jeff Henderson recounted his experience leaving his past as a drug dealer and inmate behind to become a best-selling author and host of his own Food Network Show. Suneera Madhani, founder of Stax, who hosts a female empowerment podcast called “CEO School,” shared her love of travel, destroying the gender wage gap and how she built Fin Tech’s latest unicorn company valued at over $1 billion.

In the Leadership Lineup: Executive View of the Industry session, a diverse panel of executives from arrivia, Capital Vacations, Travel & Leisure Co., Westgate Resorts, Hyatt Vacation Ownership, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. provided behind-the-scenes information on developments at their companies. It was interesting to see new faces on the dais from many of these companies, along with their fresh voices.

In another session, Travel Trends Insights: Voices from Outside the industry, tourism leaders from the Orlando area shared how they work together to keep Orlando at the forefront of the world’s travel and tourism industry.

The Power Innovation Sessions and Micro Sessions both featured smaller audiences, but not smaller thinking. The AIF Market Research panel had authoritative voices on trends in travel and tourism, including the researchers who work on behalf of the AIF. A key finding is that while discretionary spending is expected to decline overall, timeshare owners are still planning to travel.

A very high-energy session focused on branding, and Gamel had his hands full moderating the panel of enthusiastic brand ambassadors. Key takeaways include engaging all team members to play a role in branding, activating sales centers as a part of the resort experience, and integrating the brand into every aspect of customer experience.

ARDA’s many committees also met during the conference, and the Legislative Committee drew a lot of interest both for its meeting and for the State Regulators’ Luncheon. You can read more about those sessions in detail here. Members of ARDA WIN took the opportunity to strategize regarding its highly successful annual conference.

Networking opportunities abounded throughout the conference, whether in the many hosted lounges or at receptions hosted by #LoveMyTimeshare and Interval International, or even at the Rise and Shine Fitness Event on Monday morning and led by a professional triathlete, Malachai Henry.

After spending time focusing on the overall industry’s success, the final event focused on individual and company successes. An always-impressive event, the ARDY Awards Ceremony gave everyone from maintenance technicians to housekeepers to marketing executives to CEOs a chance to celebrate their achievements and bask in the spotlight. After the hardware was distributed, as everyone filed outside to enjoy the final reception, plenty of winners were making a stop to get one more picture with the #LoveMyTimeshare statue. After all, we all love timeshare!

–Judy Kenninger heads Kenninger Communications and has been covering the vacation real estate industry for two decades.