Dream big – take action – play with those who turn up via Kriss Akabusi
The theme of RDO7 Conference 2016 was Taking Ownership, an extremely important concept to follow in these recent times of uncertainty. There have been huge upheavals lately in terms of the international economy and socio-economic climate. This in turn has had profound effects on international travel and tourism, with travellers and tourists now much more careful about where they decide to spend their important vacation time. Added to this has been the effects of a massive digital transformation in terms of the speed and reliability of the internet, increasing use of social media, online booking and sites such as Tripadvisor and Airbnb. All of these factors have left many issues for the timeshare industry to consider.
In the face of all these challenges it would be easy to start to think negatively about the future, with so many difficult factors to overcome. What better individual than the one and only Kriss Akabusi to kick off proceedings on the first full day of RDO7! We were looking to start off the conference with an impact and Kriss certainly delivered, with a presentation full of energy, passion and humour. These are all the traits that people have come to expect and love from Kriss who has transitioned from a world class international athlete to motivational keynote speaker perfectly.
Behind all of the excitement and entertainment of his speech though, there was also real substance and important information for those watching to take away with them. Kriss is a man who has dealt with a very difficult childhood which thankfully most attendees have never had to face. In spite of all the adversity he suffered when he was younger though he has been able to overcome all of this to enjoy a highly successful athletic and business career.
He is living proof of practising what he preaches in his speeches, that despite some of the biggest challenges that we face in life we must always dream big and take action. It is also very important to take ownership of our own destiny and not continually look at outside forces or people to blame.
In the following video Steve Clarke speaks to Kriss after his keynote speech about dreaming big, taking action and playing with those who turn up:
The timeshare industry has a fantastic product to promote with amazing resorts in beautiful locations and owners who are on the whole very happy. From this perspective then, the industry has a great future ahead of it, especially as people are choosing to travel more and more. The fortunes of timeshare could all change though if resorts decide to rest on their laurels and settle for the status quo, because there is huge competition in the travel market in terms of destinations to visit, places to stay and the experiences that travellers now want.
In his presentation Kriss shared amazing anecdotes from his athletic and business career and dared delegates to think differently and challenge the status quo. Because of past success it would be easy to believe business as usual can continue, but things can change very easily with brand loyalty becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. As Kriss explained though it is within the power of the industry to take ownership and make the relevant changes necessary to thrive.
A big part of this change is engaging with your guests through social media and not treating it as something separate from the real world. While social media will never replace handshakes, it can lead to a lot more handshakes. Your guests are definitely using social media even if your resort isn’t, so to be part of this conversation that may be going on about your brand online you need to take action and get involved. There is no time like the present to make the change. Boom!
Here at RDO we would like to once again thank Kriss and Steve for their excellent presentations at RDO7 and for appearing in this video.
To find out more about Kriss, including how your organisation can book him for inspirational sales speeches, or staff training, visit his website: http://www.akabusi.com/
He is also active on social media so connect with him on his channels:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/krissakabusi
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/nze-kriss-kezie-akabusi-mbe-a8a47b5
To find out more about Steve, including how your organisation can book him for inspirational sales speeches, or staff training, visit his website: http://www.eurekaselling.co.uk/
He is also very active on social media so make sure to follow along for inspirational posts:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uksalesmentor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salesmentor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uksalesmentor
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/eurekasales
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uksalesmentor/
If you would like to discuss anything with RDO regarding this blog post or other relevant topics, then simply add the hashtag #RDO7 or #RDOdigital to your tweet. Alternatively search #RDO7 or #RDOdigital on Twitter to see what else we’ve been discussing and you can easily get involved in the conversation.
The RDO7 conference 2016 was sponsored by CLC World Resorts & Hotels, Diamond Resorts International, Interval International and RCI at the Platinum level, and Dial An Exchange, Generator Systems and Shawbrook Bank at the Gold level. We thank them for their support.
