RCI Ventures Newsletter: Africa. May/June 2012 edition

NEWSLETTER for the RCI® Industry Community in South Africa

MAY - JUNE 2012

Reaching TOMORROW’S

timeshare buyers

Exclusive INDUSTRY PROMOTION

2012: RCI CELEBRATES 30 YEARS in South Africa this year

®

RCI® is the global leader in vacation exchange.Founded as Resort Condominiums International

in 1974 to facilitate exchanges among

condominium owners, RCI® quickly became

a DRIVING FORCE FOR GROWTH WITHIN THE

INDUSTRY and has been at the forefront ever

since.

In 1982, RCI® first opened its doors in South

Africa. RCI® started operating with its first group

of members out of a tiny office in northern

Johannesburg.

As we celebrate 30 years of dedication to the

Industry, so we look at some key facts about

RCI® and also, WE INVITE YOU TO WRITE IN AND

SHARE, THE MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE OF

YOUR CAREER WITH RCI®.

THE GLOBAL LEADER IN VACATION EXCHANGE

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RCI® Fact FileDID YOU KNOW?• …that 30 years ago, when RCI® South Africa

first opened its doors, the first-ever exchange

holiday bookings in South Africa were made

using a ‘card and shoe box’ system

• …that RCI®’s core business is exchange

vacations, providing its global community of 3.7

million timeshare owners worldwide with quality

vacation experiences

• ….that RCI® has more than 4,000 affiliated

resorts in 100 countries through week-for-

week and points-based timeshare exchange

networks

• ….that RCI® has 3 million members worldwide

• ….that RCI® provides its members access

to 8,000 affiliated resorts around the world

through exchanges and Extra Holidays rentals

combined

• …that RCI® is a founding member of VOASA,

established in 1990 to “create, maintain and

develop an environment within which the long-

term viability and growth of vacation ownership

through shared vacation ownership can be

optimally ensured”

• …that the RCI® South Africa booking systems

power all RCI® South Africa’s holiday bookings

as well as those of at 25 vacation ownership

clubs in Africa

• …that RCI® South Africa’s first exchange Club

model was SunSwop, and that RCI® still works

with SunSwop and still proudly services 8,000

SunSwop RCI® members in 2012

• ...that the Club Leisure Group and The Holiday

Club were the first to pioneer the points club

product in South Africa with RCI®

• ….that Orlando, Florida is the most visited

destination by RCI® members globally

• ….that RCI® has 7,783 employees globally

• ….that RCI® has 178 employees in South

Africa…and that the longest-serving South

Africa employee has been with RCI® for an

amazing 24 years this year

• …that RCI® South Africa pioneered the splitting

of weeks into mid weeks and weekends,

allowing members the opportunity to holiday

more often and with greater variety

• …that only in South Africa do RCI® members get

a minimum of 36 months to use their holiday

points. This is the longest points-validity period in

the world

• …that RCI® South Africa has proudly won two

ARDY’s for B2B Marketing excellence in 2010

and 2011 respectively at ARDA in the U.S.A. And,

in 2012 RCI® South Africa shares the Integrated

Marketing Campaign Award with RCI® globally

for its B2C contribution to “because your holiday

means…” marketing campaigns

• …that RCI® South Africa’s mobi site is the only

RCI® mobi site that is compatible with all smart

phones and that members can browse RCI®’s

local resorts on m.rci.co.za

• ….that RCI® South Africa’s website, rci.co.za

uses some of the strongest encryption levels for

data – similar to those used by banks

• ….that RCI® South Africa indirectly keeps 4,600

people in Southern Africa employed

• ….that RCI® OSCAS first ran in 1987 so in 2012,

RCI® South Africa has been running the RCI®

OSCAS for 25 years in a row.

• ….that RCI® Oscas is South Africa’s largest resort

recognition and industry excellence awards

programme (and party of the year)

• ….that RCI® South Africa’s longest-standing

member has proudly been a member for an

amazing 29 years. (Yes, we have rewarded her…)

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We have all had ‘wow’ moments in our careers, from getting

caught in a hurricane in Florida to that memorable business

escapade…. and then that office party that we would rather

forget, right?

In honour of RCI® CELEBRATING 30 YEARS THIS YEAR,

we invite you, from the industry to enter our Ventures

“TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE” write-in competition.

Terms and Conditions: All entries must be sent to [email protected] by 30 June 2012. This competition is only open to employees or retirees of Industry companies who are associated with VOASA. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The prize is not transferable. The prize is cash only and may not be substituted for any of RCI®’s products or services. Employees of RCI® are not eligible to enter.

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WRITER’S TIPSLet your writer’s ink flow and think about one of the highlights or experiences of your career in the Vacation Ownership Industry where RCI® was involved. Put pen to paper or point your keyboard to email and write to [email protected] by no later than

30 June 2012. Your letter will be reviewed by the editorial team of Holidays magazine and, if chosen, it could also be published in an edition of Ventures. Of course, the ultimate is R30, 000 cash in your personal bank account! Don’t forget to please include your contact details and who you work for currently.

EXCLUSIVE INDUSTRY PROMOTION!

Trip down memory lane...

THE BEST TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE STORY WILL BE AWARDED WITH R30, 000 CASH!

All you have to do is put pen to paper and

share one of your most memorable career

experiences that you associate with RCI®.

TO CELEBRATE

RCI® SOUTH AFRICA

TURNING 30

R 30 000WIN

SHARE AND WIN

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R 30 000

Industry Calender of EventsVOASA CONFERENCE, 10 - 12 JUNE 2012

RCI® Africa is once again, the proud Platinum sponsor of the fourth annual VOASA Conference. The event will take place at the

Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel in Durban from 10th – 12th June, 2012.

The 2012 conference agenda will cover information and the trends in the South African Shared Vacation Ownership industry.

Expert presentations and panel sessions will investigate a range of topics relevant to fractional and shared ownership. Look out for what RCI® is launching too!

For more details, visit voasa.co.za

RCI® OSCAS, 2012RCI® will hold the OSCAS Resort and Industry Excellence Awards evening on 19 June 2012 in Johannesburg. Attendance by invitation only.

THE RCI® CHRISTEL HOUSE OPENThe mission of CHSA is to help children around the world break the cycle of poverty, realise their hopes and dreams, and become self-sufficient, contributing members of their societies. CHSA is a place for children to grow, to develop, and to achieve dignity and success.Christel House children learn the values of respect, responsibility, independence and integrity. They realise that the opportunities and care provided to them by Christel House emanate from love and our desire to help make the world a better place.

Please join RCI® in supporting Christel House to raise some much-needed funds by joining the

RCI® Christel House Open Golf Day at De Zalze Golf Course, Cape Town on 31 May 2012.

R3,500 per 4 ball R1,350 per single

Please RSVP to Carla or Lizelle at Christel House on 021 704 9407/8 or email: [email protected]

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Message from Dimitris Manikis

s 2012 starts to reach its mid-point, the economy is placing increased pressure on our industry. This is a time for mental

toughness during challenging times. The story of the frog that was placed in a pot of water but does not exercise his power to jump out may be an old one, but it still holds a true and valuable lesson to take action. The importance of meeting current challenges in a spirit of partnership is now more relevant than ever. The importance of exercising one’s power by re-engineering some aspects of our offering and to change to a model of partnership is an aspect of strength and fortitude.

he last six months have been exciting times as RCI® both globally and locally. Ten ARDY awards for RCI® at ARDA in March,

new global innovations launched at ARDA, and locally, 1 club affiliation renewed, 23 exchange resort affiliation contracts renewed, 6 new rentals and exchange contracts, 210 resort calendars rolled, a white-label resort directory delivered and 3 new exchange resorts affiliated. What an awesome vote of confidence from you the industry, thank you! At RCI®, we are committed to a positive future, innovating products, re-engineering processes, enhancing our business development presence and re-structuring our business development reach to continue to support the success of all our affiliates and of the industry.

t gives me great pleasure to announce the promotion of Majeed Sayeed and Ravani Naicker both to Affiliate Services Manager.

Majeed assumes his new position as Affiliate Manager. Majeed and his team are responsible for managing and maintaining the relationships and day-to- day servicing and support of key clients such as: Quality Vacation Club/Univision Group, VRS, Funseekers Club, Global Grand Vacation Club, Club Mykonos Club, Dream Vacation Club, Club/Leisure Options, Legacy

Hotels and Resorts, ECB Leisure and Go Touchdown Resorts. As well as all independent affiliated resorts in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Garden Route.

Ravani Naicker and her team are dedicated to Club Services and Support and are responsible for the day-to-day management of key clients such as The Holiday Club, I Exchange, VMS, Club Leisure Group, Goodersons Leisure, Southern Sun, Global Grand Vacation Club, as well as all affiliated resorts in the KwaZulu Natal region.

eamus Moore is the Group Affiliate Services Manager with the responsibility for New Business Development for The Registry

Collection and RCI® for Sub-Saharan Africa as well as management of key clients such as Sun International, The Vacation Group, Southern Sun, Zimbali, Pezula and The Legacy Private Residence Club.

rom a product perspective, we are working on bringing the industry more value-adds from an experience perspective, and more

destinations for our members into which to book. Watch this space, we will be launching a new platform for industry staff later in the year!

nd, we are working harder at using technology to improve efficiencies and turnaround times for members

and affiliates alike. We are also forming more partnerships with affiliates in the marketing space. If you would like to talk to us about how RCI® can help you in the more efficient delivery of marketing and/or technology, please give me a call. RCI® has tremendous ability to deliver customized value in these areas and we are already helping a number of affiliates to achieve their objectives in this regard. Look out for what we are going to launch at the VOASA conference, which will feature new offers to the industry in South Africa.

Inside RCI®

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urther to this, there is an old frontier that is presenting exciting new opportunities for development of timeshare, vacation

ownership and fractional ownership possibilities: Africa. In this edition, Ventures features a developer that has achieved amazing success in Ethiopia and we hope to feature more about

this in editions to come. If you want to know more about the opportunities in Africa reach out to us.

What an exciting time ahead! Once again, thank you for your support.

Dimitris

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FORGING NEW AND EXCITING GROUND IN AFRICA

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Africa Vacation Club – AVC, a holding company for AVC Ethiopia Plc. is a South African registered company operating in Africa since 1989 and a leader in the timeshare and leisure industry. This is a very large organization within the timeshare industry in sales, offering marketing and development throughout the whole of Africa, including offices in South Africa, Nairobi – Kenya, Dar-Es-Salaam – Tanzania, Kampala – Uganda, Kigali – Rwanda, Kinshasa – Democratic Republic of Congo and of course Addis Ababa – Ethiopia. AVC offers its members access to over 200 resorts in Southern Africa and Africa, with additions to the resort portfolio on an ongoing basis.

Ventures spoke with Sonia Pasqua, the developer of AVC.

What is your vision for AVC?

Since its commencement in September 2004 in Addis Ababa, Africa Vacation Club Ethiopia (AVCE) Plc. has established a name associated with quality accommodation, service and vacation ownership in Ethiopia, providing luxury time share holiday opportunities to some of the most beautiful and breathtaking destinations around the world.

How does the Club add value to Ethiopia?

Despite being an international development company, we work locally. AVC’s primary purpose in Ethiopia includes promoting Ethiopia as a tourist destination to all its club members throughout Africa and beyond. AVC have introduced the benefits of club membership to its members in Ethiopia and

Making it IN THE VALLEYAFRICA VACATION CLUB - ETHIOPIA

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built one of the first five star resorts 225 km’s South of Addis Ababa called Langano Vacation Club (LVC). In addition to this, AVCE is committed to give Ethiopians the opportunity to travel abroad on holiday, thus experiencing the wonders and joys of the world while increasing the flow of tourists into this wonderful country and to experience the magic of Ethiopia’s Rift Valley region and beyond.

How many members does the Club have?

Presently, the club has 2,000 paid members investing in a timeshare plan that allows them to plan their dream vacation every year to visit different locations.Members of AVCE have the flexibility of usage, exchange and rental of their timeshare property through AVC and as RCI® members with 3,900 resorts in 95 countries.

What resort units did you build?

In keeping with Ethiopian construction and design, and also to follow environmental best practice, we built Tukuls and Villas. And, our units have a 4-star/ RCI® Gold Crown grading.

Traditional Tukul offers accommodation in three different levels for up to 6 persons, with a fully equipped kitchen, two bedrooms with adjacent bathrooms decorated with marble and glass fittings, and a sitting room spherically arranged. Tukuls are equipped with satellite TV, DVD, DSTV, HiFi system, and Air conditioning. A typical Tukul comprises of 100sqm.

The lake front Villas have 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms, a living and dining room with captivating lake view, a spacious patio with barbeque, an open kitchen, helpers quarters, secure car park, clay roof tiles, and complete garden. In addition to these, it is equipped with a modern stove, microwave, refrigerator, air conditioning, traditional style lamps, and water heater. A typical Villa comprises of 230sqm.

What have been the challenges that you have had to overcome as a developer doing business in Ethiopia/Africa?

Surprisingly, as a developer, the most difficult part has been to overcome the limited banking systems more so than development rights or the other usual permissions and contracts that a developer needs to get right. The main issue is that no credit cards are used in Ethiopia and Ethiopian citizens are not allowed to do internet transactions. So we have made our own plans with members. Once processes were put in place, we have it running quite smoothly now.

What are the most beneficial aspects for you as a developer in doing business with RCI®?

I think the choice of RCI®is a given in order to give a developer the credibility and flexibility in the developer’s product offering. This helps the sales process tremendously. In terms of fulfilling exchanges, Ethiopians are very keen to see the world and RCI® has always delivered value in this regard.

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MODUMELA LODGE Botswana

ocated on the eastern side of Botswana, 68km from Francistown, Modumela Lodge offers guests the ultimate African bush experience.

The main lodge complex comprises a restaurant, bar, shop, and reception surrounded by Modumela trees. All accommodation includes a ceiling fan, tea/coffee making facilities, a wooden deck and mosquito nets. Not all chalets are self–catering. Breakfast and dinner is included daily at an extra rate for non-self-catering chalets. Guests can enjoy game drives, nature walks, bird watching, fishing and swimming or just relax in the tranquil surrounds.

MORRUMBENE BEACH RESORT Mozambique

orrumbene Beach Resort is a breathtaking resort, situated in the Morrumbene district of the Inhambane

Province of Mozambique, 450km north of Maputo. All thatched chalets are within 200m of the beach. The chalets comprise gas geysers, self-catering kitchen with a gas stove, oven, fridge, freezer and all basic utensils. The resort offers endless peace and tranquility. Guests can enjoy the pristine beach, swimming, snorkeling, surf fishing and collecting shells. The protected bay lends itself to various water sport activities. The resort can only be accessed by 4x4 vehicles. It is advisable to take precautions as Mozambique is a malaria area.

NEW local RCI® Affiliated Resorts

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from accross the GLOBE

ARDARCI® is celebrating 10 ARDA Award wins at ARDA Convention held in April in Las Vegas.

Chief among the brace of awards received by a vacation exchange company at the ARDA 2012 Awards Gala Dinner was the highly-acclaimed ACE Excellence in Customer Service trophy, presented to RCI® for its customer service delivery in the online holiday planning space.

Geoff Ballotti, CEO, RCI ®, told Ventures: “We are absolutely thrilled to be awarded the ACE Excellence in Customer Service Award”.

“Our most vital assets at RCI® are our customers. Listening to, engaging, and servicing our customers online allows us to improve our relationship with them and improve the image of timeshare through the overwhelming voice of those who sincerely

believe that owning a timeshare is a better way to vacation.

“Online and social engagement is becoming an ever-so-critical component of legendary customer service delivery and we’re honored that ARDA has chosen to recognize us for it.”

RCI® took its Count On Me! customer service culture to the next level in 2011 by leveraging social media monitoring of the timeshare and vacation exchange industries on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and other online media. RCI®’s social media customer service team, working out of a dedicated command center at the company’s headquarters, actively educates consumers about the many benefits of timeshare and RCI® membership, responds to questions or concerns about timeshare ownership and exchange, thanks consumers for their positive mentions and even wishes them well on their upcoming vacations.

CELEBRATING 10 ARDA AWARD WINS

GREAT SERVICE, LOCAL DELIVERY

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• Human Resources Individual Contributor: Stephanie Bramel• Human Resources Team: RCI® Indianapolis Human Resources Team• Logo Design: Your World Your Way Sweepstakes• Special Event: 2012 Global Top Guide Summit• Integrated Marketing or Public Relations Campaign: Because Your Vacation Means the World to us.• Video Production: RCI® TV• Web Site: Share Your Vacation by RCI®

• Social Media Programme or Campaign: RCI® Social Media Program• Interactive Internet Advertising Campaign: Platinum Acquisition Monthly

RCI® was also recognized with the following awards:

On behalf of everyone at RCI®, we’re delighted to win 10 awards from ARDA today,” said Ballotti.RCI® decided many years ago that exceptional customer service combined with industry leading marketing and technology would be what differentiate us and make us the vacation exchange leader we’ve become.

Being recognized with the ACE Excellence in Customer Service award along with these nine other awards further reinforces for us that what matters most are our members and affiliates who rely on us to help them grow their businesses.

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By leveraging the combined purchasing power of the more than 4,000 RCI®- affiliated resorts, Strategic Sourcing has negotiated a quality supplier programme at low prices, allowing affiliated resorts the opportunity to purchase products at competitively negotiated rates. With dozens of

suppliers representing key product categories such as appliances, electronics, bedding, linens, furniture, cleaning supplies, exercise equipment, pool lifts and more, RCI® Marketplace makes it easy to find and order many products and services.

RCI® Marketplace Launched

MAKING THINGS EASIER FOR OUR AFFILIATES

• Search and shop by supplier• Shop by product category• View product images and descriptions• Save items to a customized Favorites List for ease of reordering• Set account preferences• Access ‘Deals That Deliver’ and special promotional offers To learn more about RCI® Marketplace, visit www.rciaffiliates.com

On the new site, RCI®-affiliated resorts can:

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ith this application, users can enter their past and future vacations by either searching by any destination

around the world or by specific RCI® affiliated resort name. These places are marked on a map of the world with virtual push-pins. Once users choose a destination or resort, they can add other details such as travel dates, tag other travelers and add recommendations from their personal experiences at

the destination. They can also upload their favourite photos and videos from their trips by pulling from existing Facebook albums or uploading them from their computers or mobile devices.

The benefits of the app go beyond the ability to keep track of personal travel. Users can play with the different map functions to view their friends’ vacations or all app users’ vacations. They can also browse the posted

New RCI® Sales Presenter launchedoday’s tech-savvy consumers demand high-quality presentations that make use of the latest technologies. Through RCI® Presenter,

RCI® is now able to provide affiliates with a dynamic, interactive way to share information during sales presentations. This high-end touch-screen software, exclusively available to RCI® affiliated resorts, is being offered free of charge to those affiliates that enroll in the RCI® TV Resort Showcase package.

“We saw an opportunity to support RCI® affiliates with RCI® Presenter by giving them a technology-forward means of providing the quality content presented to consumers,” said Gordon Gurnik, president, RCI®. “We are investing in these new touch-screen tools on behalf of affiliates because we believe RCI® Presenter will be an important point-of-sale tool to educate potential purchasers and improve sales conversion rates.”

RCI® Presenter comes with engaging content promoting RCI® products and services, and its modular format gives affiliates the ability to select only the content that suits the specific needs of their resorts and existing sales process. These distinctive and dynamic presentations will provide staff members with the tools they need to meet high consumer demands, capture attention and garner interest in timeshare and exchange.

This announcement follows in the footsteps of one of RCI®’s most popular innovations: RCI® TV Resort Showcase. This lead-generation tool gives affiliates the opportunity to highlight their resorts online with RCI®TV, and now on sales decks via the RCI®

Presenter, through professionally-made videos, which have been met with positive feedback from both affiliates and members.

RCI® Presenter, which was developed in collaboration with technology company Generator Systems, will also be made available to affiliates who choose not to enroll in RCI® TV Showcase Package for a fee. All associates will be responsible for acquiring the necessary hardware to feature the Presenter at their sales sites. To further assist affiliates, RCI® and Generator Systems have negotiated discounted pricing on integrated touch-screen monitors, as well as free shipping in the 48 continental United States and nominal shipping fees for the rest of the world.

“Generator Systems have been industry leaders in this field for many years. We are excited to be part of this collaborative effort and to be able to offer yet another innovative sales solution to our valued affiliated properties,” added Gurnik.

To view more information about RCI® Presenter visit www.rciaffiliates.com

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New RCI® “Share Your Vacation” application on Facebook

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EVOLVE, GROW, DISCOVER

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recommendations, photos and videos to get an idea of what to expect at locations all over the world, which will help in planning their future vacations.

Another fun feature is the ability to compete with other users by collecting “tokens” and unlocking hidden trophies. Each activity completed on the app – including sharing vacations, posting travel tips, and viewing videos – is worth a certain number of tokens.

If they accumulate enough tokens, users will find themselves on the leader board. The more they do on the app, the more tokens they can earn! Users can also unlock hidden trophies based on their activities on the app. Different combinations of behaviors, such as adding vacations in specific areas or adding pictures will allow users to unlock and showcase fun and unique trophies.

Want to know where RCI® subscribing members are going? Another interesting feature, Vacation Trends,

features a map display of the locations where some of the 3.8 million RCI® subscribing members are booking vacations in nearly real-time.

For more information or to view a simulation of the “Share Your Vacation” app, go to the Share Your Vacation landing page, or go straight to the app by searching “Share Your Vacation” on Facebook.

New journeys…rom RCI® Ventures, remember to keep in touch with your South Africa business development team, AND DON’T FORGET to enter the

competition by writing to www.rciaffiliates.com

Until next time, see you at the VOASA Conference or at the OSCAS…or, see you where you stand!

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