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With Regards: Archives ~ |
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When attending the recent spring ARDA Conference in Orlando (April 2001) I observed an old and familiar pattern at the Educational Sessions, in Town Hall and at the General Session. In planning for the conference the organizers (planners & hotel staff) judged the subject to be presented, the individual or collective individuals who were to make the presentation, the anticipated demographics of the attendees and came to the point where decisions were necessary as to the most effective venue to accommodate the presentation. The planners and hotel staff often found themselves in a quandary. The most efficient use of space (meeting room) and equipment (chairs) would be to set the room so that the last person to arrive for the session found the last available chair waiting for him/her. Almost at every turn they found that the seating arrangement contained a front row of seats and standing room at the rear of the venue. Both the planners and the hotel staff knew that most of the front row of seats would be vacant and that the standing room in the back would be full. This situation is not uncommon; in fact it is an all too familiar pattern in how we attend meetings and how we approach life. Let's use a hypothetical ARDA Conference attendee to demonstrate this front row phenomenon. Because he was a member of ARDA, John received all the preliminary direct mail promotional material, read all the articles in Developments, Timeshare Business, Vacation Industry Review and The Timeshare Beat, however, he did not take advantage of the early bird discounts on registration and better travel cost, because he was just not ready to commit. Who knows what would happen between now and the time of the conference? Just one week prior to the conference John determined that he was going to go ahead, take a chance and go to the conference. Upon arrival in the host city and checking into his hotel, John went to the convention center and began the registration process where he paid the fees, received his credentials and attendee kit. This kit contained a very detailed day-by-day, hour-by-hour schedule of conference activities and sessions, and a handy day planner designed for his pocket. That evening John sat down and completed his agenda so that he could maximize attendance at the conference. He was extremely diligent in selecting the educational sessions based on the subject matter and the presenters because during each session period he had several options from which to choose. The next morning John checked his day planner and identified his first educational session. His excitement began to grow because the subject was one which was high on his interest list, and the presenter was obviously well qualified on the subject. Upon arriving at the meeting room John's reaction was one of confirmation because the room was almost full and the crowd was buzzing with anticipation. There were a few seats scattered throughout the room and most of the seats in the front row were empty, however John chose to join the several attendees who had assembled along the rear wall. The ARDA conference ambassador came by and advised those along the wall of the seats which were available but found no takers. Just prior to the start of the session, the moderator stepped to the podium and stated: "There are several seats available up here" pointing to the front row, "please come forward and find a seat." One young lady did so, however John along with several others, made themselves comfortable leaning against the back wall. This front row phenomenon would repeat itself time and time again during the conference for John and for the many others who always gathered at the rear of the rooms and refused to occupy the vacant seats. The reason for this phenomenon could be found in the thought process of those filling the rear room ranks.
Final thought Like you, when I was a kid I hated it when Mom made me sit in the front row at church because in that front row I could not do things, which would demonstrate that I was not all that interested on hearing what the preacher had to say. Back then I was just not yet ready to commit to the message being delivered. As a kid I would not have been caught dead sitting in the front row in any class at school, that was for the teacher's pets and other geeks. In the back I could pull Mary's hair, throw spit balls, pass notes and generally avoid paying attention to the stuff Mrs. Jones was writing on the blackboard. Back then I was just not committed to becoming informed. I hope that I have outgrown those tendencies Thus , I wonder why anyone would go to the expense of attending an ARDA (or any other) conference, studying the program, making out a day-by-day, hour-by-hour schedule and actually showing up at those educational sessions if they have no interest in hearing what the speakers have to say, absorbing what the powerpoint presentation projected and generally becoming more informed. Along the way somewhere I learned that on the front row I became less distracted and thus better able to assimilate that which caused me to be there in the first place. The back of the room is like taking a "spit bath" which at best was a "hit and miss" proposition or a "lick and a promise". As my Pop would say: "You're not going to get clean if you're not committed to getting wet." Immerse yourself in life, in your profession and come on in the water is great.
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Jerry Sikes, RRP / CHA, is President of Professional Resort Operators, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona. He has 35 years in the Hospitality Industry / 25 years in Timesharing, and is the current Co-Chairman of ARDA Arizona as well as Chairman of the Arizona Timeshare Management Association. Jerry is a frequent guest speaker regionally and nationally on all aspects of Timeshare Management and a frequent contributor of articles for industry publications. Email: boyjerry@cox.net Phone 480-947-3300 Fax 480-947-6853 Web site: http://www.protimeshare.com |
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