RCI to Sponsor AIF Open at ARDA 2007 Convention

For the sixth consecutive year, RCI Global Vacation Network will be the presenting sponsor of the AIF Open Golf Tournament, the primary annual fundraiser for the ARDA International Foundation (AIF). One of the highest-profile and anticipated industry events of the annual ARDA Convention & Exposition, the golf tournament will take place at the Orange Lake Resort and Club in Orlando on March 25. 

Last year’s AIF Open raised more than $90,000. Thanks to its sponsorship over the last five years, RCI Global Vacation Network has helped raise over $430,000 for AIF. The AIF Open typically draws more than 250 competitors and over 20 corporate sponsors each year.

 

“RCI’s ongoing, generous participation as the presenting sponsor of the AIF Open has helped advance the timeshare industry by generating significant funds for research and education programming for the industry,” said Howard Nusbaum, president and chief executive officer of ARDA.

 

As one of the timeshare industry’s premier annual events, the AIF Open offers companies prime exposure to decision-makers in the timeshare industry. Companies interested in participating as sponsors should contact Sherry Eggers, ARDA’s director of sales and marketing, at 202-371-6700, ext 116 or seggers@arda.org.

 

For more information about the AIF Open or for on-line individual or team registration, please visit www.ardafoundation.org.

 

The ARDA convention attracts 4,000 top timeshare industry professionals who gather to network, learn the latest industry trends, visit hundreds of industry suppliers on the exhibit floor, and enjoy glamorous entertainment events. The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) is the Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. Established in 1969, ARDA today has over 1,000 corporate members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with expertise in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate. The membership also includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, and owners through the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC).

 

The ARDA International Foundation (AIF) conducts research and develops education programming for the timeshare industry. The Foundation’s mission is to “support, conduct and disseminate research and technical studies that will enhance and improve knowledge for the public and the industry, and develop educational resources that will optimize value, operations, acceptance and service for the industry and the public.”

 

RCI Global Vacation NetworkSM is the global leader in leisure accommodations with exclusive access for specified periods to approximately 55,000 vacation properties in more than 100 countries. Organizationally, RCI Global Vacation Network is comprised of RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and provider of travel services to businesses and consumers; The Registry Collection®, the world’s largest luxury exchange program; NorthCourseSM Leisure Real Estate Solutions, an international leader in providing the full spectrum of advisory, research, asset management and turnkey solutions and services; and various leading vacation rental brands. Collectively, the company delivers vacation experiences to leisure travelers around the world and provides products and services to business customers that support the growth of the vacation ownership industry. RCI Global Vacation Network is a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, one of the world’s leading diversified providers of travel-related products and services for business and individual consumers, with leading brands in lodging franchising, vacation ownership, vacation rentals and vacation exchange.