TATOC has announced an exciting programme of speakers for its annual conference which takes place from 9th-11th March at the Park Royal Hotel, Stretton, near Warrington.
The conference presentations commence on Saturday morning with TATOC executive chairman, Harry Taylor, and board member, Geoff Chapman, examining how the association, resorts and the industry in general are ‘Meeting the Challenges’ - the theme of this year's conference.
This will be followed by presentations from some of the industry’s leading players including Simon Jackson, chief executive of Macdonald Resorts Limited, who will discuss the importance of a comprehensive exit strategy.
Diamond Resort International’s Suzana Gomercic will consider the challenges facing resort management in Europe while Susan Crook will examine the impact of the E.U. Timeshare Directive one year on.
There will be an international feel with an update on what is happening in the U.S. from Lisa Ann Schreier, The Timeshare Crusader.
Professor Buhalis, from Bournemouth University, will make the conference’s keynote address. He will focus on the challenges brought by the eTourism revolution. The Internet has emerged as a pervasive and robust platform for tourism destination distribution and management. The Web 2.0 and consumer generated, content-based social media are developing these issues on a global scale. Only resorts, organisations and destinations that can take full advantage of the opportunities will be able to capitalise on the benefits and enhance their competitiveness.
As with previous conferences, the afternoon will include a question and answer session with a panel of industry experts including Phil Watson (Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket), Dimitris Manikis (RCI Europe), Linda Freer (Resort Solutions), Susan Crook (Diamond Resorts International), Robin Mills (Aroma), Simon Jackson (Macdonald Resorts) and Paul Mattimoe (Perspective International). The panel will discuss the key challenges facing the timeshare industry today and how these can be addressed.
There will be a number of break-out sessions covering various industry topics and presentations from TATOC affiliate organisations.
"We are delighted that so many leading players from the timeshare industry are attending this year and this reflects the increasing importance of TATOC as an association. It will be a great opportunity for networking and for our members to find out what is happening at other resorts and learn about new skills and opportunities", said Harry Taylor, TATOC executive chairman.
Delegate places and sponsorship opportunities are still available.
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