“Discoveries are often made by not following
instructions,
by going off the main road, by trying the untried.”
- Frank Tyger -
In the process of planning a trip one often starts by acquiring a map. The one
sure thing we know about maps is that someone has already been there if the map exists. If one is in the process
of starting an exploration only two things are necessary and one of them is not a map. For exploration one needs
only a starting point and an innate feel about the quest or intent.
On this subject we could rely on the cliché, the commonplace such as ‘the grass is always greener’,
‘the road less traveled’ or ‘thinking outside the box’ to define the point, however, that would be ‘taking the
easy way’. For this trip we may need a Jeep (Ready for anything), Land Rover (A postcard
from the edge) or Hummer (Like nothing else) for there may not be any road all the way to our
desired destination.
What
we will need is the will to make the attempt. In The Little Engine That Could, a small train carrying
toys confronts a seemingly impassable mountain. Try as they might, the toys cannot convince the Rusty Old Engine
to say anything but “I can not.” It is left up to the Little Blue Engine to overcome insurmountable odds and pull
the train to the other side with its rallying cry, “I think I can-- I think I can.” We
may also need the vision
of Gene Roddenberry who went ‘Where no man had gone before’ aboard the
Starship Enterprise.
In November all roads will lead to Washington, DC where each year 400+ usually gather for the ARDA Fall Conference.
There will be Board and Committee meetings, Round Table discussions and the Foundation usually puts on a Think
Tank. While I am sure that the subject of this year’s session has already been determined, I do hope that it will
be one of the following questions that need exploration.
~ Is the survival of the Independent Developers
important?
~ If they don’t want to be called should we call
them?
~ Are Timeshare Owners Industry Stakeholders?
~ How can we really change our image?
~ Who actually represents the Home Owner Associations?
~ Is branding and consolidation the only way?
~ Is timeshare marketing limited to direct mail,
telephone solicitation, and OPC?
~ Will there ever be teeth in the enforcement
of the Code of Ethics?
~ What do the typical timeshare sales organization
and a pyramid scheme have in common?
FINAL THOUGHT
Wait, haven’t we ‘been down that road before’? We know that it’s a safe passage and will present few obstacles
that would impede our journey. Because we’ve passed this way many times the scenery has no appeal. The shoulders
of the road are littered with discarded stuff that no longer had any value to those who passed this way. This way
offers no challenge and we find no joy in watching the mile markers go by indicating we are getting closer and
closer to completing this jaunt. They’re just numbers and after a while they become meaningless.
Yes, we started at a point we were very familiar with and still have a clear understanding of the quest or intent,
it’s still the same and no exploration is necessary or desirable. Any illusions about discovering a new thoroughfare
have been long clouded by the reality of greed.
I for one think that our industry must someday soon follow the path laid down by Robert Frost in his
“The Road Not Taken”
