February 2010 Developments - 76

Last Word Active on All Frontss we come together next month in Vegas for the ARDA 2010 Convention and Exposition, March 14-18, you have the perfect opportunity to pop into one of the nearly three dozen committees, task forces, forums, and council meetings that will run in conjunction with our annual meeting. The busiest committee day of the convention is Monday, March 15, when most of these groups will meet to tackle the critical issues we face as an industry in 2010. This year, more than ever, ARDA and your industry need you—and by “you” I mean your proactive, engaged participation on all fronts. which are about to go through a major review (much like the AICPA changes in the United States a few years ago). Howard Nusbaum, RRP The “Value” Front ARDA’s volunteer groups, in all of their forms, are critical for handling such recommendations and thus become the lifeblood of the association—especially in these unique and often challenging times. It may seem counterintuitive to commit time and people to ARDA when all of us are faced with “doing more with less” in our businesses and daily work-load. I want to challenge that thinking. This is now the time to work together. We cannot allow ourselves to be so focused on parochial interests that we lose sight of the bigger goal: the industry’s overall health and future well-being. Some of the best business relationships have also been born from this collaborative work. If you are one of the 500 members who are already involved in a committee, taskforce, forum or council, I personally want to thank you. If you are not yet part of one, I encourage you to join one now—see you at ARDA. Viva Las Vegas! The Front of Choice Before I invite you to learn more and consider joining the nearly 500 ARDA members who already participate in one of four different types of association operational groups, I’d like to explain what they are and how they work. Standing committees and subcommittees are designed for ongoing functions (such as meetings, membership, and government affairs). Task forces are temporary groups created by the Board of Directors to address specific issues and report back to the Board (such as new business models, lender education, and a Resales Model Act). Forums are a place for industry stakeholders to debate, discuss, and give life to new ideas for the industry. And lastly, councils are designed for those individuals within a specific industry discipline to come together, sharing best practices and developing policy recommendations for the Board (such as General Counsels, CFOs, and HR directors). Often, policy recommendations are put before the ARDA Board of Directors for action. It is through these working groups that new industry initiatives, as well as documentation of best practices, can be sketched out and then pushed forward. For instance, ARDA’s State and Federal Legislative Committees focus on the most recent changes to laws and regulations, as well as critical tax issues and battles around the country. These working groups are an excellent way for you to plug into a certain area and make a difference. One other note: the opportunities at Convention aren’t just U.S.-centric in their focus. Our “International Marketplace” session offers the same type of must-have information for those of you working in the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa, as our industry compatriots around the world share their insights. The Advocacy Front Our elected officials—whether local, state, or federal—are reacting (and will continue to react) to the credit, housing, and banking crisis by attempting to enact laws to prevent future crises. Ironically, few believe that it was a lack of laws or regulations that caused our country’s present woes; yet, as history indicates, government typically tries to fix what it perceives as broken. I predict, therefore, that 2010 will be a busy year for ARDA’s federal, state, and local advocacy staff and volunteers— thus, why ARDA needs your personal contribution of time more than ever! The “New Business” Front In addition to advocacy, ARDA needs member input on a host of important issues we’re facing. Issues such as how to best present our vacation ownership industry to new sources of financing; how social networking and the age of the Internet can impact your business; how the growing resales scams will affect the uneven, unregulated secondary market; and how best to tweak the current business model in light of tight credit markets—these are just four of today’s topics that various ARDA working groups are addressing. Two other top-of-mind issues (perhaps less sexy) are (1) the privacy of our consumers’ financial and personal data, and (2) the international accounting rules, 76 Howard Nusbaum, RRP President Developments • February 2010

February 2010 Developments

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2010 Developments