North Highland will be the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) World Global Timeshare Event from April 7 – 11 in Orlando. Throughout the conference, there are several opportunities to catch North Highlanders speak to a variety of hospitality topics. The conference provides the opportunity to learn about the latest trends from industry thought leaders and provides educational sessions to expand industry knowledge.
On April 9 from 9 - 10:15 a.m., Bill Caswell, principal and global hospitality practice leader, will speak in the “Ready…Aim…Tour – Prospective for Your Prospect” panel. This session highlights how to better target prospects, market more efficiently and provide a better guest experience. The session will detail how to communicate with prospects in a way they want to be communicated with and using AI and intercept marketing to provide more targeted messages.
That afternoon from 1 - 2:15 p.m. Bill will also be a speaker for “Don’t Discover like Columbus Did…Make Data Informed Decisions.” In this session, Bill will highlight how resorts can use existing tools to make precise decisions around who to target for their next customers. He will also discuss how resorts can strategically align organizational goals with their prospects in order to uncover hidden revenue.
Also on April 9 from 1 – 2:15 p.m., master practitioner Bobby Trivedi will be a panelist for “What’s in My Cart? – How Do We Get to One-Stop Shopping?” This session will take a look at what options are available for simplifying the complete customer journey. From reservations for flights, car rentals, activities and more, Bobby will help uncover how guests interact with their itinerary for sharing across social media platforms.
On April 10 from 3 – 4:15 p.m., associate vice president Wendy Poe will be a speaker for “New World Sales – Overcoming Objections Du Jour.” Through this panel, Wendy will speak to the new objections popping up against timeshares from AirBnb, Craigslist and more. She will also discuss the positive and negative aspects of social media influencers to market properties.
Closing out the conference, Michael Hollar, vice president, data and analytics, will be a panelist for “Artificial Intelligence – Impact on Sales & Marketing, Resorts, IT, Feedback/Measurement, Best Practices.” This session will highlight the integral role technology plays for resorts across sales and marketing and details best practices to effectively measure data and collect feedback. For more information on the conference, visit: http://www.arda.org/ArdaWorld.aspx.