Perspective Magazine, an industry leader in providing independent timeshare and fractional information in print and online, knew that an effective brand strategy was needed when the company decided to launch the Perspective Magazine Awards program.

A new and innovative global awards program that was to tie together the magazine's four readership regions of North America, Europe & Middle East, South Africa and Asia Pacific needed a distinctive identity and the result is the newly unveiled logo designed by one of the most respected marketing companies in the vacation ownership industry, and recent winner of three ARDY awards, Brand Tango.

"We are very pleased at how well the logo has been received by the industry," said Paul Mattimoe, president and CEO, Perspective Magazine. "When you look closely at what first appears to be just a star you will notice that it is actually made up of 5 magazine covers that depict both our global reach and the diversity of each of the individual regions we operate in."

The official logo by Brand Tango contains five elements which combine to create a multi-colored "star", with each color to also be used separately when applicable to represent winners of individual regions of the world: blue for North America, orange for Europe & Middle East, green for South Africa and purple for Asia Pacific, leaving the gold for the outright winners of the non-regional categories.

"We're pleased that Perspective relied on our design expertise; and I have confidence that this will become an iconic symbol in our industry," said Joe Russoniello, president and co-founder, Brand Tango. "We wish Perspective every success with their premiere global conference."

The Perspective Magazine Awards are to be judged by a panel of industry experts, but also adds in a wildcard judge - the industry. Online voting has also been added to the mix in an innovative social media style campaign, allowing industry professionals to vote and nominees to promote themselves in a bid to win more votes. More than 600 votes have already been cast in the first few days of online voting and industry professionals can still vote up until April 29th by visiting http://perspectivemagazine.com/awards

GNEX 2011 will be held at the stunning Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas on May 11th-12th, 2011, with the Perspective Magazine Award winners to be announced at a Gala dinner on the evening of May 12th at the conclusion of the event. For more information and to find out how you can attend GNEX 2011, please visit http://perspectivemagazine.com/gnex

Delegates will gather for GNEX 2011 to network with colleagues from around the world in a setting designed to create new ideas for improving industry best practices. The expo will feature a welcome reception, interactive workshops, open networking time, an exhibitor hall and areas to foster individual business opportunities in addition to the Perspective Magazine Awards program.

Sponsors and supporters of GNEX 2011 include:

The Absolute World Group, Dial an Exchange, Resort Television, Yucatan Holidays, Citadel Trustees Limited, Connex, First American Title Insurance Company, ICE, Interval International, LeisureLink, Max Generation, RCI, First National Trustee Company, Alternative Ownership Conference Asia Pacific (AOCAP), Australian Timeshare & Holiday Ownership Council (ATHOC), Canadian Resort Development Association (CRDA), Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers (CARE), La Asociaciуn Mexicana de Desarrolladores Turнsticos (AMDETUR), Ragatz Fractional Interest Conference, Resort Development Organisation (RDO), Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa (VOASA), American Airlines, Avis Rent A Car and Christel House International as Charity of Choice.

Rising fees at Horseshoe Resort have timeshare owners accusing the resort's management of trying to force them out.

The increase has resulted in 792 empty timeshare weeks for the 2011 year. Skyline International Developmenti s now asking current timeshare holders to pay for those losses before the building is forced to close.

"This is our vacation property and we feel that it is getting taken away by a big corporation," 10-year timeshare holder, Leah Connor said on Saturday. "Vacations are supposed to be all positive and happy. This is really taking away from that."

Skyline purchased the resort in 2008 for a reported $37 million.

Since then, those who hold leases with The Lodges timeshare saw their per timeshare week maintenance fees go from $435 in 2009 to $709 in 2010, rising to $1,108 in 2011.

The Lodges is comprised of 40 units, with two bedrooms each, located at the base of the ski hill.

More than 200 timeshare holders attended a special meeting on Saturday at Horseshoe Resort to discuss the situation.

"I think it's totally unacceptable. It's too much," said timeshare holder Marge McCauley. "Many timeshare holders are retirement people on fixed incomes. Where is that money supposed to come from? I'm very sad by the whole thing."

McCauley, of Brampton, has owned one week in July since 1982 when The Lodges first opened.

"There seems to be a lot of mistrust as to what's going on," she said.

Peter Cowley, resort general manager, explained the increased maintenance fee comes from a newly instated refurbishment fund to update the building, minimum wage increasing and lawyer fees related to a lawsuit.

The HST has also resulted in a $96 per timeshare week increase. In addition to the increased maintenance fees, Skyline is asking for $913 per timeshare week from the 933 timeshare holders in good standing.

When the 2011 budget was created, it was calculated based on having 1,725 timeshare holders dividing the maintenance, refurbishment and the timeshare owner's legal fee, Kevin Toth, president of Skyline Hotel and Resorts, stated in a letter to the timeshare holders dated March 23, 2011.

The cost was determined to be $1,108 per timeshare week.

With 792 timeshare holders deciding not to use their weeks this year due to the increased fees, the 2011 fees had to be reassessed, Toth stated in the letter.

The reassessment required an additional $913 for each timeshare week.

The Lodges costs nearly $1.3 million each year to operate.

Because 71.5% of the total budget is fixed fees, all 2011 maintenance fees will be depleted by June 17 if the additional $913 is not paid, Toth wrote.

Without the reassessment fees, Skyline, as the property manager, will have no funds to pay The Lodge's expenses.

"Without the funds, the property manager will be unable to provide any services or maintain the building, effectively being forced to shut down the Lodges," Toth wrote.

In 2009, the timeshare holders took out a class proceedings act on Horseshoe Resort.The suit resulted in a settlement of how The Lodges was to be operated.

According to Skyline, the document says current timeshare holders must divide up the maintenance costs.

Timeshare holders say this is being misinterpreted.

"I don't think the judge meant for the last person holding the bag to be paying for the whole building," said former timeshare committee member, Kristin McKenzie.

McKenzie would like to see the settlement go back to the judge to clarify the decision.

Timeshare holders also accused Horseshoe Resort of not attempting to find new timeshare holders.

Cowley says this is not the case.

The information is on the resort's website, was sent out on its mailing list and was put in every single hotel and timeshare room.

"We did sell some," Cowley said. "We got a couple, maybe a dozen."

There have been "hours and hours" of discussion on how to sell more weeks, Cowley said.

When asked by The Packet whether Skyline had a plan to force timeshare holders out, Cowley responded that The Lodges building is in the resort's master plan.

When Skyline purchased Horseshoe it spent $1 million developing a "massive" master plan.

The plan is to make Horseshoe Resort into a miniature Blue Mountain, Cowley said.

The Lodges building is included in that plan alongside a replica which would sit behind it.

"The feeling is we want to rip it down," Cowley said. "It's a big ass concrete building. To tear that thing down and build it again would be nuts."

However, "the master plan doesn't go into the detail of who's in the building," Cowley said.

Timeshare holders are a boost to Horseshoe.

"Kicking them out puts us in a worse place," Cowley said. "It's in our best interest to keep that thing rocking and rolling."

Cowley explained that during slow months of the year when the resort "can't even give away hotel rooms" the timeshare owners keep the resort open.

"Having that building full all-year-round allows a revenue flow for activities in the spa and the restaurants. If The Lodges was full of people we would have more people employed."

Toth told the timeshare holders that Skyline will be able to keep The Lodges open with current funding until September. Three months longer than he previously stated in the letter.

No definitive decisions were made at the meeting. The new timeshare committee, named on Saturday, will be speaking with Skyline further on the concerns.

A timeshare salesman who stood charged with cutting a colleague across the face with a champagne glass after testosterone levels rose during celebratory drinks was let off because he was found to have acted in self-defence.
The police failed to produce witnesses who could have shed more light on the case, the magistrate remarked in her judgment.
The incident started with a show of bravado at La Palma Pub in St Paul’s Bay in October 2007. The accused, Peter Seed, 48, of Mellieħa and his colleague, James Hannan, both British, were out celebrating successful results as guests of their boss, accompanied by other colleagues.
The two men had bought three bottles of champagne costing about €160, which their boss had given them to buy drinks, when an argument broke out between them over who was the better performer.
All of a sudden, Mr Seed smashed a glass in his face, Mr Hannan testified in court.
“My memory flashes back at what I describe... it felt like a wet slap and then I turned and saw and focused on Peter Seed. He had a glass in his hand, it was a broken glass,” the witness said. “He then struck me again and I shielded myself by raising my right arm over my face. I was struck again and I also have stitches in this part of my body.”
Mr Hannan has a scar stretching from his left ear to his mouth, which a doctor testified was likely to be permanent.
The version the victim had given to the police was slightly different, the court pointed out. In his statement, he had said Mr Seed first broke a glass on a table and pointed it at his face.
In his own testimony, Mr Seed said that when Mr Hannan turned up at the bar he started bragging that he was better at the job than the accused. Mr Hannan suggested they bet their Christmas bonus on who was the better salesman.
The victim then put his face very close to that of the accused, backed away and hurled a punch at him, to which Mr Seed instinctively raised his arms to protect himself. As Mr Hannan moved towards him, the glass shattered on his face, the accused testified.
With blood pouring down his face, Mr Hannan challenged him to a fight outside and had to be restrained by the barman, Mr Seed added.
Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani noted the accused and the victim had said there were at least 20 people present at the time, yet not even the barman, who would have been a pertinent witness, was called to testify.
The magistrate said that after taking into consideration all the circumstances and the testimony, she found that Mr Seed had acted in self-defence. Although he had exceeded acceptable limits, this was understandable as he had been taken unawares.

Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE: BXG), a leading provider of Colorful Places to Live and Play®, today announced that it won a Gold ARDY Award in the Resort Design Division at the 2011 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Awards in Orlando, FL. Bluegreen’s newest timeshare resort building, Building 3000 at Bluegreen Wilderness Club at Big Cedar®, won the Gold Award in the Resort Design Division for best Interior Design: New Resort Unit.

This annual competition honors organizations and businesses in the timeshare and resort industry that have achieved the highest level of excellence in a variety of different categories. The ARDA Awards Program recognizes nominees based on outstanding sales and staff accomplishments, product design and advertising.

“This award solidified the strength of the Bluegreen brand and product while recognizing our commitment and passion for design excellence,” says Timothy Schwering, Director of Planning and Design, Construction and Development at Bluegreen Corporation. “Building 3000 won because of the strength of its team. Everyone contributed to the design concept and it shows in the quality of the product and the level of detail.”

Bluegreen Wilderness Club at Big Cedar® resort is located in Ridgedale, Missouri. The new Building 3000 was developed as a luxurious addition to the already sprawling resort property. Each unit in the building was designed with an intricate eye for detail while maintaining the integrity of their outdoor surroundings. This is also the first building on Bluegreen’s Ridgedale, Missouri resort campus to feature high-end Concierge and Presidential units exclusively.

“Building 3000 is unique in that it used local craftsmen to build most of the furniture and architectural detailing,” Schwering said. “In an era where most interior product is being manufactured overseas, we made the distinct effort to employ people within a short distance of the project site. The craftsmen and artists felt a deep commitment and sense of ownership in what we were doing. It has also been a great green story because we were able to limit our impact on the environment and carried that message over to the guest experiences inside the suites.”

Bluegreen was selected as a finalist in 18 categories, each of which fall under a larger division including Resort Design, Management and Administration, and Advertising, Promotion and Communications. Each category entered by Bluegreen included competition from other organizations and business in the timeshare and resort industry, including Marriott, Holiday Inn, Hilton RCI and more.

The exchange company RCI has received reports from some of its Members that they have been contacted by persons claiming to represent the above organisation who have falsely represented that Resort Service and Care/ RSC is linked to RCI.

RCI would like to make clear that it has no relationship whatsoever with Resort Service and Care/ RSC