JUNE 2020
MONTHLY NEWS & UPDATES
Hello Friends,

Welcome to what I am calling “the other side”. I see daily updates on resorts and sales sites reopening and new cleaning and sanitation protocols being implemented. The positive is (we) our friends and colleagues are getting back to work and people are vacationing again; but the negative is that we are nowhere near having our industry back on the tracks and there is still so much work to be done. There is also the looming doom and gloom that we might be on the cusp of another shutdown. No matter our personal preferences or opinions, political party or conspiracy beliefs, each of us have to play a part in helping to prevent going backwards while still moving forward! I have not lost the faith and I hope you have not either. #CARESTRONG

Shout out and thank you to Andrew Graft with Access Development who has shared some positive insight on their contribution while “Coping with COVID19 Crisis” in this issue and we hope more of you will share your insights for future issues of QuickConnects. Everyone’s story of survival and revival from this pandemic is important and could prove beneficial to other members, please consider sharing your personal and/or company story.

To add more sorrow to our recent state of pandemic, our industry lost a couple of pioneers in recent months. As I took a moment to catch up on reading industry publications earlier this week, I found it apropos that a tribute / memorial letter (in the June Resort Trades) was written to the family of Ed McMullen by Christel DeHaan (RCI’s Founder) who passed away herself earlier this month. While I did not personally know Ed or Christel, I had met them both a few times and have been aware of their presence in our industry for many years. As I read Christel’s letter to Ed’s family, I could not help to think that his reflections of her impact on our industry likely would have been very similar if not the same. Ninety (90) years of combined experience from these two pioneers have paved the way for all of us to carry on their torches and live out our own legacies. 

On behalf of C.A.R.E. Members and C.A.R.E. Board of Directors, I share gratitude for their obvious and integral presence in our industry and condolences to both the McMullen and DeHaan families. 
COVID-19 and C.A.R.E. MEMBERS RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
By: Andrew Graft, Senior Vice
President of Marketing,
Access Development
After 35+ years, we thought we’d seen it all. The Black Monday market crash, the “dot com bubble,” 9-11, and the banking crisis/recession of 2008. Yet nothing in our history at Access Development prepared us for the extraordinary events of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When our company received the official stay-at-home order in March, we got an unexpected crash course in working remotely. Our IT and HR teams shifted into warp-speed – one providing the technological support we needed to conduct business effectively; the other overseeing the policies, procedures and internal communications to help bring a “working normalcy” to company-wide operations.

Having put our business continuity plan into motion, we established two critical imperatives. The first was protecting the safety of our employees (i.e., company-wide working from home). The second was ensuring the well-being of our client partners and their members – many of whom found themselves isolated, fearful and economically uncertain.

As America’s largest discount network, we at Access found ourselves in a unique position to help. In addition to our deeply discounted rates for travelers (hotel rooms, rental cars, theme park tickets, etc.), we specialize in saving people money on the kinds of purchases people make every day. So that’s what we set out to do.
First, we mined our database for the best discounts on “everyday essentials,” designed to help members reduce the cost of groceries, take-out / delivery meals, home office supplies, online education, and family entertainment. Next, we created a playbook to help organizations distribute the offers to as many of their people as possible.

In a matter of hours, discounts on daily necessities became our #1 most visited and redeemed savings category – thanks in large part to the membership groups that were committed to getting aid into the hands of the members who needed it.

It was a bittersweet moment, of course. Lives and livelihoods worldwide are still suffering the impact of COVID-19, and challenges remain ahead. Whatever the outcome, we expect to look back at this time with pride – knowing that our employees, our members and our clients are fighting it together.


HOW YOUR COMPANY HAS DEALT WITH THE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC?

SHARE YOUR STORY IN JULY'S ISSUE OF QUICKCONNECTS.

CONTACT BONNIE KOSCO FOR MORE INFORMATION
Perspective Interviews
Giving Industry Leaders a Voice
By: Gaeten Babin

I once was at a function where the guest speaker asked us how many years each of us had been working in the Vacation Ownership Industry. Then he asked us independently what our area of specialty was. It was a relatively small room with approximately 70 attendees. There were Millennials with high social media expertise but only a few years in the working force and Baby Boomers with decades in the Industry. And yes, there are still a good percentage of Baby Boomers active today in the Timeshare business. Roles varied a great deal. Sales, Marketing, Operation, I.T.; Titles from Sales Executives, Marketing Managers, Telemarketing agent, General Managers, just to name a few. The average time working in their area of specialty was 12 years…12 years x 70 attendees. That means 840 years of experience in a single room; 840 years of experience in the Vacation Ownership Industry varying from one year to almost 40 years involvement. Just think if one could harness this experience.
Perspective Interviews is an initiative created by G. Babin Consulting and INTUITION Brand Marketing that has a goal of sharing the experience of the true leaders in the Vacation Ownership Industry as we are living through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Tourism worldwide has been negatively affected by the likes of what we have never seen before. The good news is that everyone who has been a guest on Perspective Interviews reassured us that as fast as we witnessed the instant stop of travelling, we will rebound with a vengeance. Take a few minutes to listen to Developers from Canada to the Caribbean, Marketing experts and Association Leaders. They are all inspiring, embrace the challenges this Pandemic has brought upon us and guide us to a “New Normal” that just may be better than the traditional methods we have used for years. Safe travels everyone.

Perspective Interviews can be found here: https://perspectivemagazine.com/videos . More videos in progress, so be sure to check back often for new content.

About Perspective Group / INTUITION Brand Marketing. Perspective / INTUITION offers business solutions for companies that help to increase performance and revenue in the areas of sales, marketing, product development, branding, customer engagement and reputation management. Learn more at

About G. Babin Consulting. With nearly 30 years in the Vacation Ownership industry, Gaeten Babin has extensive experience in all facets of the industry, from Director of Sales and Marketing to Vice President. Through these many years, he has had the honor to attend and speak at most industry conferences, including ARDA, CVOA, GNEX, and AMDETUR to name a few. His work as an authoritative on effective development within the Vacation Ownership industry has also resulted in frequent publications in industry-leading news outlets. Learn more www.gbabinconsulting.com .
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