It sure was great to be “back home again in Indiana” with my C.A.R.E. friends a few weeks ago at our 67
th
Conference! While I haven’t seen the official conference survey results; the unofficial results on the track is that C.A.R.E. gets the checkered flag for a second year in a row! The fun started in the foyer of the Westin Downtown Indianapolis with an exciting, and controversial, derby watch party and continued to a new auction format with a spontaneous, funny and fiery auctioneer. Mix in three fantastic keynote speakers, three valuable informative panel discussions and top it off on the track of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. C.A.R.E. attendees raced to the finish with lots of new memories and more importantly, new business opportunities.
After a crazy three months…I’m finally getting settled in my new job and new apartment in my new town! I’m truly ready to get back down to serious business without all the chaos I’ve been swimming in! If you have extended me any patience and grace during this transition time…I truly appreciate it!
I’ve just wrapped up my attendance (representing C.A.R.E.) at the AMDETUR Convention in Mazatlán and will have an update for you on that in next month’s QuickConnects. Below you will see an update of my attendance at ARDA World in Orlando in April. It’s great to represent our association worldwide and I look forward to growing our reach and member base in the coming years to solidify the work I’m doing while attending these events on your behalf.
Watch your emails in the next few months for our 2019 Summer C.A.R.E.
Connections
Digital Magazine, we only have one of those a year now too, so don’t miss it. It will include full updates on our 2019 C.A.R.E. Conference and lots more!
Summer is upon us; I hope you all have a good one!
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KRIS GUNN-HEDSTROM
NAMED C.A.R.E. 2019 PINNACLE AWARD RECIPIENT
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Kris Gunn-Hedstrom, Gunn Marketing Group, Inc., was awarded the Pinnacle Award during C.A.R.E.'s 67th Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kris later stated that "
I was so shocked to have been selected for this prestigious award! Once the shock wore off though, I was surprised at how nice it felt to have the hard work and sacrifices I have made over last 39 years recognized. I will be forever grateful to Tina (Hill) for nominating me and the committee for selecting me, I will cherish this award forever, thank yo
u!
As I mentioned at the conference, the Timeshare/Travel Industry has been very, very good to me.
I have been blessed to have worked with some really incredibly smart, wonderful
people whom many have become lifelong friends and some I consider family. When I entered this industry it was just an infant, I have watch it grow and mature into what it is today and I love it with all of my heart. It has always been my mission to try to raise the bar regarding customer service and compliance. I have tried to be a good example for my peers but especially for the next generation that is coming in behind us. My hope is that they will keep the industry moving forward so that it will also allow them to raise their families and live their best possible lives."
B
ob Kobek, CustomerCount and Jon Zwickel, CVOA, were also 2019 Pinnacle Award Nominees in recognition of their many industry and philanthropic achievements.
T
he C.A.R.E. Pinnacle Award honors an individual who has attained the highest level of excellence in the vacation industry for their achievements and has had a positive impact on the direction and standards of the industry and of the C.A.R.E. organization.
The Pinnacle Award is unique in that the recipient is nominated by the C.A.R.E. Membership. The winner of this lifetime achievement award must have demonstrated their commitment to the community through philanthropic activities and possess characteristics of leadership, integrity, quality standards and ethics.
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2019 RICHARD GALLARDO AWARD RECIPIENT AND ROOKIES OF THE YEAR HONORED IN INDIANAPOLIS
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During the Spectacular Evening of Recognition at C.A.R.E.'s 67th Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, conference attendees did much more than just enjoy the spectacular views.
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Rebekah Chipps, RSI Vacations, was named as the 2019 Richard Gallardo Award recipient. Rebekah later said "I was totally shocked and also very thankful when I heard my name announced as a nominee for the Richard Gallardo award. My time and service to C.A.R.E. is always just about helping its members get the best out of this amazing organization, so I was extremely surprised and honored when my name was announced."
C.A.R.E. experienced another "First" as two new member company representatives were named 2019 Rookie of the Year. Bob Kobek, CustomerCount and Greg Sheperd, Meridian Financial Services, Inc. were both recognized for their contributions to C.A.R.E.
Congratulations are most certainly in order to all 2019 C.A.R.E. award winners and nominees!
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In early April I had the pleasure of representing C.A.R.E. at the 2019 ARDA World Convention in Orlando, Florida. ARDA’s setup this year was unique in that exhibitor’s were able to choose from a traditional booth to a smaller kiosk or even a private suite that was conveniently located on the walkway to the exhibit hall and meeting rooms.
I met with several great new C.A.R.E. member prospects and will be working the next few months to hopefully solidify some new memberships. Why can no one commit on the spot? Why does it take years to close some of these deals? Why do some say they will attend your conference and then not show up? Why do some say they will join when they never have any intention of doing so? It’s just life…right? I always seem to come home from these events excited about all the new contacts and then feel like I did something wrong when they don’t come through. But I’m no quitter, I’ll keep trying.
Most importantly, because of the support C.A.R.E. receives from our auction donors and auction participants, we are consistently present more than ever before! Funds raised from the auction are used to market C.A.R.E. and primarily covers travel expenses so that I’m able to represent the association in full force each year. Thanks for being a part of our growth; whether it be in size or stature, we are growing in the right direction.
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2021 CONFERENCE SITE TO BE SELECTED IN SEPTEMBER 2019
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With C.A.R.E.’s transition from semi-annual conferences to annual conferences the association is still in the learning curve of change. We opened the floor in Indianapolis at the 2019 C.A.R.E. Conference and discussed why the board was not prepared to present the 2021 conference site proposals for a vote. We wanted to share some feedback and let you know the status of this very important voting matter.
In previous years conference site proposals were solicited and presented for a vote during our fall conferences, approximately 18-months in advance. While having previously announced that conference site selections would be to present future conference sites for vote at our annual conference, we encountered some challenges in preparation for our 2019 conference vote for 2021 options.
Here are a few of the challenges we encountered:
1. This year proved difficult gaining viable proposals for 2021 conference site options due to seeking location options more than 24 months in advance and it seems hotels like to book their large conferences first and fill in the alternative dates with smaller conferences like C.A.R.E. So there really weren’t enough proposals for the board to consider and narrow down to two sites for member voting.
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2. Several of the proposals we did receive didn’t match with the financial guidelines that C.A.R.E. needs to maintain to keep our attendee registration and room night costs down.
3. We wanted to give Mexico a fair consideration and this proved difficult to do without, time consuming, multiple conversations with our board and Mexico constituents. We have tabled Mexico as an option for a C.A.R.E. Conference at this time but the majority in attendance would like to see it considered again. We will share more details about Mexico as a conference site destination option in our 2019 Summer C.A.R.E.
Connections
Magazine.
So, with these challenges, the board decided to table the 2021 conference site voting until later this year where we will conduct voting via email-proxy. It is very important that each voting member cast their vote via email-proxy so that we maintain integrity in our vote.
Our Administrator, and Conference Committee Co-Chair, are once again working on formalizing conference site selections for board consideration where selections will be narrowed down to two options for member vote.
Please
contact
President Linda Mayhugh at any time should you have any comments, questions, concerns or suggestions on this topic or any C.A.R.E. business.
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C.A.R.E. VICE PRESIDENTS ELECTED and APPOINTED IN INDIANAPOLIS
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Two Vice Presidents were elected for three-year terms during the conference in Indianapolis.
Incumbent Vice President,
Corina Violette, Resort Travel
& Xchange, was re-elected.
The C.A.R.E. Board of Directors also welcomed
Sarah Ferguson, VacationCondos.com, as
Vice President.
Additionally, the Board appointed Greg Crist, Association of Vacation Owners, as an Associate Advisory Board Member.
C.A.R.E. Board Members are volunteers and their willingness to donate their time and energy on behalf of C.A.R.E. is greatly appreciated
.
Click Here
for additional information regarding C.A.R.E.'s Board members.
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WYNDHAM PHILADELPHIA HISTORIC DISTRICT
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
APRIL 4-7, 2020
REGISTRATION OPENS JANUARY 2020
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Three (3) Vice Presidents (for three-year terms) will be elected at C.A.R.E.'s 68th Conference in Philadelphia, PA. To be nominated:
1. You must be the Authorized Member Representative (voting party) of a C.A.R.E. General Member in good standing.
2. You must have passed the Accreditation Level One Test. (Test will be administered prior to Old/New Business on Monday.)
Submit your resume to Deb Sansom by September 6, 2019. For additional information regarding participation as a C.A.R.E. Board member, contact
Please consider becoming a nominee for a Board position in 2019 as this is a great opportunity to give back to C.A.R.E. and grow professionally. Your participation will help secure the future of C.A.R.E.!
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September 23-25, 2019
FAIRMONT CHATEAU WHISTLER
Whistler, BC, Canada
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C.A.R.E. Wants to Feature You!
Contact us
now to find out how your logo, linked to your site, can be right here!
Special Member Only Introductory Rates for 2019!
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