Vancouver, BC (October 30, 2013) - - The Canadian Resort Development Association (CRDA), the trade group representing the Canadian vacation ownership industry, recently staged its most successful conference.

VO-Con, The Vacation Ownership Conference marked a turning point in the revitalization of CRDA. Last week more than 100 attendees from Canada, the US and Mexico participated in plenaries that featured industry leaders sharing trends, ideas and business opportunities.

“With the theme of ‘exploring the business of vacations’, we brought together the industry’s key players to learn, network and take advantage of B-2-B opportunities”, said Jon Zwickel, CRDA’s President & CEO. “The industry rallied around VO-Con and further established our association as the voice of the Canadian vacation ownership.”

The highlight of VO-Con was the closing plenary, during which more than 50 industry executives brainstormed to create “The Next Great Shared Ownership Resort”. CRDA hopes to publish the results of the session as an industry white paper which will serve as a template for creating a market-responsive, innovative, financially successful resort.

The conference’s most exciting event was the announcement of the winner of CRDA’s first annual Cornerstone Award. The award was established to recognize those who have laid the foundation for the continued success of the Canadian vacation ownership industry. The winner – Whistler Vacation Club – is  a homeowners association that overcame financial adversity to accomplish fiscal stability, member engagement, rebranding and property improvements.

Chris Thompson, CRDA’s recently elected Chair and Executive Director of Membership Programs at Intrawest Resort Club Group said, "Riding on the success of VO-Con, the CRDA team is already planning next year’s conference, which will be held in Toronto.”

About CRDA:

CRDA is an industry association that is dedicated to furthering the ownership-based vacation and resort development industry, both in Canada and abroad. Since its founding in 1980, CRDA has become the preeminent industry association representing all forms of Vacation Ownership in Canada. The Association is governed by an elected Board of Directors. CRDA regularly hosts conferences that encourage B-2-B opportunities, networking and education.

Contact: Jon Zwickel, [email protected] , (604) 538-7001

Website: www.crda.com