Press Release

Timeshare consumer champions the Timeshare Association (Timeshare Owners and Committees), known as TATOC and LiveShareTravel, a leading timeshare and fractional online magazine, have announced they are to collaborate to help promote consumer interests.

As a silver affiliate of TATOC, LiveShareTravel will work with them to take the latest news, information and advice on buying shared ownership products (timeshare and fractional) to a wider audience of existing owners and potential buyers.

LiveShareTravel will have a regular column in TATOC’s quarterly Sharetime Magazine highlighting member resorts and various themes around the timeshare and fractional purchase. TATOC meanwhile will join in developing an educational base for interested buyers on LiveShareTravel – helping to take the site’s Consumer Guide to the next level.

The two organisations will also link up across social media channels to further share information about the industry to owners and potential owners.

Harry Taylor TATOC’s executive chairman said: “TATOC is delighted that LiveShareTravel has become a silver affiliate. They provide a great service to the industry. We are developing some great ideas together, which will be beneficial to owners, prospective owners and our industry partners. It is an exciting time for both organisations and we are looking forward to our on-going collaboration.”

Sarah Lee publisher of LiveShareTravel said: “We are really excited about our affiliation to TATOC. As an organisation it is rightly respected for the work it does in representing consumer interests and reaching out to the industry.

“We all know timeshare and fractional are great travel products and we showcase their benefits in our news and features.  Working with TATOC we aim to offer more of the information that’s so important to consumers as they consider a shared ownership purchase.

“We’re also impressed by the way TATOC has been cementing relationships between government agencies, the police and the legitimate industry. It has introduced a code of conduct for timeshare re-sales, launched a very successful resort accreditation programme and their excellent consumer helpline produces a monthly report aimed at stopping the scams that the public are subjected to.”

Ends

Notes to editors   

The Timeshare Association (Timeshare Owners and Committees), known as TATOC, was formed in 1989 and is the only elected consumer association representing the interests of timeshare owners in Europe.  There are 90 member resorts located across Europe giving TATOC access to over 350,000 timeshare-owning families. Individual members and professional business affiliates from the timeshare industry community also support the association.

The mission of TATOC is to safeguard and enhance the timeshare holiday experience for existing and prospective users and to be the voice of owners. In recent years, TATOC has focused not only on increasing the membership base but also raising the profile of the association and timeshare in general, establishing TATOC as the recognised voice of the timeshare consumer and an informed point of contact. The association is now a regular contributor to the consumer press and works closely with the UK authorities.

LiveShareTravel is one of the world’s leading online magazines promoting timeshare and fractional products to travel and lifestyle investors.

LiveShareTravel was launched in 2010 by Maia Communications Ltd to showcase the very best in timeshare and fractional lifestyles with news, features, consumer guides, resort listings and more. As well as being the destination for comprehensive information on timeshare and fractional, LiveShareTravel has a host of travel and lifestyle feature content and videos.

Contact:        Sarah Lee

Email:             sarah.lee@maiacommunications.com

Tel:                 +44 (0)1536 626727

Contact:        Harry Taylor, executive chairman

Email:             Harry.taylor@timeshareassociation.org

Tel:                 +44 (0) 161 237 3518

Maia Communications

With only one month to go to the Shared Ownership Fractional Summit MENA 2011, we’re pretty excited as Maia’s leading online shared ownership magazine LiveShareTravel is media partner for the event.

Not only will the Summit at Dubai’s Burj al Arab on November 21 offer fantastic opportunities for networking, but a broad agenda of presentations and panel discussions will focus on business opportunities and overcoming the region’s challenges. Last year’s event in Abu Dhabi was a great success as attendees explain in the following video…

There’s still time to book your tickets to Shared Ownership Fractional Summit MENA 2011. Meanwhile LiveShareTravel will be offering publicity to all conference attendees so get in touch with the LiveShareTravel team on info@livesharetravel.com to put your company before its shared ownership investors.

Maia Communications

LiveShareTravel – the shared ownership showcase is delighted to announce it is joining with Fractional Life as media partners for the Shared Ownership Fractional Summit MENA 2011.

The summit will be held at the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel, Dubai, 21^st November 2011 and LiveShareTravel (www.livesharetravel.com) will be reporting all the news and information before, during and after the conference.

Sarah Lee publisher of LiveShareTravel said: “We are very pleased to be working with Fractional Life on this major event, one of the most prestigious in the shared ownership calendar. The shared ownership market in the Middle East is gathering momentum and the conference being organised by Fractional Life will help drive its success.

“Fractional Life has always held first class conferences. They are sources of invaluable information, forums for ideas and debate, and where industry leaders do business. We look forward to helping make Shared Ownership Fractional Summit MENA 2011 a resounding success.”

Piers Brown founder of Fractional Life said: “LiveShareTravel shares our goal of raising awareness of the fractional and shared ownership sectors, and we are delighted to welcome them aboard as a media partner for our Dubai event. The MENA region has huge potential for asset sharing and the conference promises to be a fascinating event, offering great networking and educational opportunities.”

This is the second shared ownership summit organised by Fractional Life and this year the focus will be on all aspects of, and best practice in shared ownership including timeshare, fractional, destination and private residence clubs together with emerging fractional sectors such as yachts, aviation and supercars.

Additionally, presentations and panel sessions will highlight current market conditions, resort financing, development, branding, marketing, selling and management of vacation ownership properties. Delegates will also benefit from exceptional networking opportunities and meet the expert sessions.

Speakers include Brad Lincoln, The Best Group; Chris Allen, Citadel Trustees; Dimitris Manikis, RCI; Piers Brown, Fractional Life; Shafi Syed, RCI and The Registry Collection.

ends

Notes to editors

LiveShareTravel is one of the world’s leading online magazines promoting shared ownership and fractional products to travel and lifestyle investors.

LiveShareTravel was launched in 2010 by Maia Communications Ltd to showcase the very best in timeshare and fractional lifestyles with news, features, consumer guides, resort listings and more. As well as being the destination for comprehensive information on timeshare and fractional, LiveShareTravel has a host of travel and lifestyle feature content and videos.

Fractional Life is the number one consumer lifestyle brand dedicated to growing the fractional ownership marketplace. The company has three divisions: interactive, fractional conferences and exhibitions (the Fractional Life Expo will be four years old this year) and publishing. With 19 different categories including fractional property, destination and PRC clubs, aviation, boats and yachts, classic and super cars and more, the website is the most comprehensive for users looking for help and purchase advice from over 300 fractional operators.

In April 2010 alone the website achieved over1,600,000 page impressions making it the most popular fractional ownership website in the world. Fractional Life: The Smarter Way To Own.

For photos or interviews

Contact: Sarah Lee

Email: sarah.lee@maiacommunications.com

Tel: +44 (0)1536 626727 or +44 (0)794 1022147

Contact: Piers Brown

Email: piers@fractionallife.com

Tel: +44 (0)7879 652447

Maia Communications

PRESS RELEASE

LiveShareTravel, the shared ownership showcase and online magazine, is proud to welcome Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket as a sponsor of its consumer guide to buying timeshare and fractional properties.

LiveShareTravel is the world’s leading online travel and lifestyle magazine showcasing timeshare and fractional resorts.

Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is the European leader in timeshare resales, located in Bournemouth in the UK, with over 30 years’ experience in the industry. The company has been a pioneer in bringing a professional and trusted solution to timeshare owners wanting to sell their timeshare and those who want to purchase one.

Given timeshare’s longevity, spanning 30 years in Europe, the circumstances of early purchasers may have changed. Families grow up and no longer holiday together or perhaps an owner’s financial situation, age or fitness become factors in limiting their travel.

By providing a buoyant and successful resale platform, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket can offer timeshare owners and new purchasers every assurance they can sell their timeshare should their circumstances change.

Timeshare resale companies like Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket specialise in matching buyers’ needs with the weeks available from their database of sellers. And the company is listing its timeshare resales at resorts across Europe, the US and more on LiveShareTravel.

Sarah Lee publisher of LiveShareTravel said: “We’re delighted to be working with Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket. It is a greatly respected company that helps people realise their travel and lifestyle needs.

“We are passionate about sharing the very best that the shared ownership market has to offer with our readers and timeshare resales is an important aspect of this.

“Owners looking to sell should only deal with recognised and reputable timeshare resale companies like Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket and never discuss their details with anyone who cold calls them.”

Phil Watson managing director of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket said: “It became very clear that LiveShareTravel has a strong passion for both travel and shared ownership and this is something that we share with them.

“As such, it was a natural choice for us to support them by committing to a sponsorship package. We are sure that this relationship will provide positive benefits, not just for each other, but also for the readers, owners and industry as a whole.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

UK-based Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket operates strictly in line with the Timeshare Act of 1992 and is a member of RDO (Resort Development Organisation) – the industry’s governing body. Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is also a supporter of the new resales code of conduct introduced by TATOC (The Association of Timeshare Owners Committees).

LiveShareTravel was launched in 2010 by Maia Communications Ltd to showcase the very best in timeshare and fractional lifestyles with news, features, consumer guides, resort listings and more. As well as being the destination for comprehensive information on timeshare and fractional, LiveShareTravel has a host of travel and lifestyle feature content and videos.

For photos or interviews contact:

Sarah Lee
Email: sarah.lee@maiacommunications.com
Tel: 01536 626727

Mark Pelleymounter at Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket
Email: mark.pelleymounter@wwth.net
Tel: 0871 7816781

Maia Communications

PRESS RELEASE:

LIVESHARETRAVEL BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE AT FRACTIONAL SUMMIT EUROPE 2011

Maia Communications is pleased to be able to introduce its newest product – LiveShareTravel (www.livesharetravel.com) to delegates of Fractional Summit Europe 2011, being held at the Marriott London Grosvenor Square, London from February 17-18.

LiveShareTravel is the shared ownership showcase, marketing and promoting developer properties through rich and engaging online magazine and multimedia content.

LiveShareTravel is a customised marketing package unique in placing professional travel writers in resort from where they generate real-time reporting, capturing the complete property and destination experience. The writers also use real-time marketing channels to generate a customised platform from which to showcase a property’s offering to a wider audience of potential buyers.

In January 2011 LiveShareTravel attracted more than 191,000 views of its client content and has achieved an Alexa ranking of 526,491 – all just 12 weeks after its initial launch.

Maia Communications director Sarah Lee said: “I’ve been working with the Fractional Life team and attending the annual Fractional Summit for some years now and have seen how it engages the best and most progressive developers and professionals in the industry.

“For this reason we valued the opportunity to exhibit at Fractional Summit Europe 2011, which has as its theme Building for the Future. We believe LiveShareTravel adds a new dimension and approach to the marketing of fractional lifestyle properties and is set to contribute significantly to the growth of the fractional industry, raising awareness of how great the product is with the widest audience possible.

“Fractional properties are a fabulous product for our times, with so many developers of high-end residential properties looking for new routes to closing sales.

“The one thing everyone in this industry agrees on is that fractional offers an exceptional lifestyle and it needs an exceptional marketing tool to show how it enriches the lives of its buyers. LiveShareTravel tells a fractional property’s story as it is lived – sharing it through video, vibrant photography and colourful features with a global online audience.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Maia Communications is a dynamic, creative marketing communications agency specialising in travel, lifestyle, shared ownership and property. Maia Communications launched LiveShareTravel in November 2010.

For more information on LiveShareTravel visit: www.maiacommunications.com/livesharetravel, contact Sarah Lee on 020 7193 4223 or email: info@maiacommunications.com

Maia Communications

We’re very excited here at Maia as we are set to join our favourite author and TV presenter Juliette Foster for an interview live on Twitter about her book Breaking News and more from 6pm this Wednesday.
It’s a great chance for aspiring journalists and writers to get the lowdown on working in TV and for the rest of us to get the inside track on Breaking News. The book has caused huge controversy in the media as people speculate who could have been the inspiration for its fictional newsroom characters. Juliette has so far remained tight-lipped, but she might let you into a few secrets on Wednesday.
This is the first ‘twinterview’ Juliette has ever done. In fact as a journalist more used to asking the pressing questions of the day it’s rare for her to be facing questioning herself. What’s more, Nicholas Owen won’t be asking the questions like in her most recent interview. This is the opportunity for anyone to ask questions of the BBC World presenter.

So what to ask? Here’s a little potted history on Juliette for inspiration:

Born in London, Juliette’s media career began in BBC local radio after graduating from St David’s University College Wales with a degree in History/Church History (see all you aspiring journos – you don’t need a journalism degree to make it!). She then followed up stints on Channel 4′s Dispatches with a number of other hard-hitting documentaries before moving to TV-AM, financial news station Bloomberg and then on to anchor Sky News, where she’s interviewed everyone from Tony Blair to Margaret Thatcher and Henry Kissinger. Four years later Juliette headed over to BBC World to present World Business Report and she’s been there ever since, bringing us the latest business and investment news, while spending the rest of her time penning Breaking News, her first novel.

But her career hasn’t all been about hard-hitting news, Juliette has also starred in The Vagina Monologues, sung on Five’s All Star Talent Show and had heaps of fun playing the spectral ghost in David McGillivray’s horror Worst Fears. Most recently Juliette has become lady mayoress of Surrey Heath and writes an entertaining blog - My Breaking News, in which she touches on some of her mayoral encounters.

So don’t miss this opportunity to quiz one of television news’ most established journalists and the publishing world’s most exciting new writers –  send your questions to @juliettefoster and include the hashtag #cueBreakingNews with your tweets. See you there!

Maia Communications

There is a big shift taking place in how brands relate to consumers and many marketers have realised the importance of influencing the influencers. This is also true in destination marketing. Recently Land of Valencia, the regional tourist board, held a number of ground-breaking blog trips – you can read posts from the trips here.

During the last one to Benicassim we met with Land of Valencia’s promotion executive, Joantxo Llantada. Here in our interview with him he offers an overview of their work, return on investment, and how the internet is changing the way people behave with brands and, in turn, the way marketers need to focus their campaigns.

Influencing the new influencers, part two: Joantxo Llantada from maiacomms on Vimeo.

Maia Communications

In our web-dominated world we often hear the phrase ‘content is king’ from people arguing against an obsession with SEO keywording, and quite rightly. But rarely do we hear people talk about the importance of good communication.

Content – be it the written word, photos, videos or podcasts is communication and as we all know the inherent value of good communication, shouldn’t we consider it to be king?

Since the beginning of time communication has helped civilisations develop and paved the way for modern economies. Yet it is constantly evolving – from cave paintings and early dialects to the printed word and multimedia platforms. But what we are seeing today is that the way people communicate ideas and share information is undergoing another revolution and it’s savvy companies that are engaging with them.
Today we’re more connected than ever before thanks to the increase in netbooks, iPads, smartphones and other mobile devices that keep us in touch wherever we are. Like it or not, this is giving rise to a whole new type of communication. But in a world where more and more things are competing for our attention it is increasingly hard for companies to get their message across.

Consumers aren’t necessarily any more demanding, but they are more aware of the many options available to them and they research your company and product online before getting in touch. So what will they find? A smart, well-presented and SEO-keyworded website? A lively and engaging blog? A community of happy customers and brand advocates engaged with your social media profiles? Or will they find a faceless company who’s strongest communications tool is a banner page advert?

Fact is people need to feel engaged with you and your product and word of mouth recommendations are proving more and more vital to businesses. According to Erik Qualman’s Socialnomics 78% of people trust reviews from their peers, but a mere 14% trust advertising. These stark figures illustrate the huge shift in our society and the way we seek information.

So there’s a clear need to interact with your customers – show the face behind the brand and build community to help customers understand your company and what makes you unique. Consumers don’t want spin, PR fluff or advertising, they want to form a relationship with your company and brand and good communications – be it features, blogs, photos, videos or podcasts is all important. So be natural, engage, and have fun in your online communication.

Whether your company has a website, or profiles on Facebook, Twitter etc. or not, people are researching and writing about you on the internet.  So ask yourself, do you want to inform the world about your brand or product or let consumers make up your story – good or bad?

Maia Communications

We all know the internet is transforming the media landscape and the way that people find information. In the past the media giants held the power to influence and controlled the message through newspapers, magazines, television and publishing. But blogging and social media has changed the  balance of power. Word-of-mouth recommendations are becoming more and more important as a new breed of influencers is born.

Recently Land of Valencia, the regional tourist board, held a number of ground-breaking blog trips – you can read our posts from the trips here.

During the last one to Benicassim we met with deputy tourism minister Victoria Palau. Here in our interview with her she offers her view of the revolution taking place in tourism marketing and the increasingly central role that social media is playing.

Influencing the new influencers, part one: Victoria Palau from maiacomms on Vimeo.

Maia Communications

We’re often told social media is the future (make that now) and of the opportunities it holds for the travel industry. But rarely do you see destinations embracing it and using it to full effect.

That is until recently, when Land of Valencia – the regional tourist board in eastern Spain, invited a group of bloggers to experience their destination with a series of trips. The first took in the city of Valencia and the European Grand Prix. My reasons for attending #blogtripF1, as it was known on twitter, were two-fold – to write posts for Sarah Lee travels blog and connect with other travel tweeters, bloggers, and destination marketers sharing ideas about social media in travel.

There are more than 36,000 Google results (blog posts, tweets, photo albums, podcasts, videos and more) for #blogtripf1

In organising this type of trip Land of Valencia was as brave and daring as it was cutting edge. Those that dare to go first with new initiatives invite those who don’t or do not want to understand to take shots at them. They may also place their careers in jeopardy if others fail to appreciate their vision. This is particularly true for social media where the regular measures of PR/marketing success and return on investment (often judged by advertising equivalent rates) are more difficult to assess. So I salute all those with not only the vision but the courage to drive this forward such as Juan Llantada, Arantxa Ros, Jimmy Pons and Lasse Rouhiainen (a crack Spanish social media team brought together by Land of Valencia’s Juan).

If these visionaries are correct, and I think they are, then the future for marketing, particularly in destination travel was cast around us in the five night trip.

Content, publicity and trends

An eclectic group of photographers, bloggers, traditional journalists, and video makers assembled in Valencia, and each brought their individual skills and viewpoints to their content output. The content and publicity generated by this disparate group of 20 or so bloggers was considerable and unlike pieces in print publications which are read and quickly abandoned to the “great chip shop in the sky” these pieces have been tweeted and retweeted, shared on Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and more and will be viewed by people interested in the Formula 1 and Valencia for months, even years, to come.

Furthermore the #blogtripf1 hashtag was Spain’s number one trending topic on twitter during the trip and for some time after – getting information on the destination out to millions of people. Added to that there are now more than 36,000 Google results (blog posts, tweets, photo albums, podcasts, videos and more) for #blogtripf1 – a figure sure to impress any destination marketer.

Refreshing results

#blogtripF1 was a pioneering and refreshing approach to destination marketing and aside from the obvious figures it produced the following results:

1. Unlike traditional journalism, the bloggers’ stories didn’t die on publication. With social media the information is available forever online. A month after #blogtripF1 new content is still being generated and further publicity gained.
2. Bloggers’ trips are not restricted to print or broadcast journalism. #blogtripF1 showed that a multi-faceted media approach can work with writers, podcasters and videographers producing complementary, and yet different reports of their experiences.
3. What Land of Valencia did wasn’t new – this was a tourist board influencing the influencers. However in the past this was traditional media, via advertising and PR-driven editorial. But as the communications landscape is transformed people are increasingly turning to bloggers and online media channels as trusted sources on travel destinations and providers. As word-of-mouth recommendations become more and more important bloggers should not be underestimated as a crucial part of the destination marketing mix.

Maia Communications