Going through the looking glass…gaining a totally different perspective? That’s what I did last week in attending the annual convention of Safari Club International. 22,500 attendees and 1100 booths at the Reno Convention Center.

I was there as part of Meriwether Ranch, which was a co-sponsor of the mega booth of our GM Teri Walsh’s brother, supreme wildlife artist John Banovich. Get this, in addition to his oils, all pre sold at north of $50-$100k he has a NASCAR deal and painted the hood of one that was auctioned off!

Safari Club is big on hunting and conservation. Booth position is based on the donations made to supported conservation programs. Good idea, no? Maybe ARDA or ULI could take note?

Thru the looking glass as I tramped the exhibit hall; no less than 182 outfitters and guides from the African Continent. Talk about jet lag in the faces of the exhibitors – a long haul from there to Reno! South Africa naturally, but lots of Mozambique, Namibia, and Rhodesia. Then, how about 13 outfitters from Asia including China, and 44 from the South Pacific [didn’t know that New Zealand was such a robust hunting venue], and 16 from Europe – lots of Spain. Of course tons from the USA and Canada.

Then there were the 10 ammo companies and how about the 14 optics companies [the better to see you with my Water Buffalo] and the 17 knife guys and then the 70+ gun and rifle manufacturers. All the famous names: Purdey, Bretta, Kreighoff, Remington, Smith & Wesson, Sturm, Ruger; Weatherly and Winchester.

I had not seen so much ‘money on the hoof’ so the $25,000 knife, or the $145,000 gun did not turn away the crowd. Lots of camo, too.

The logistics of getting the stuffed specimens to Reno much have been Herculean…no end of the aforementioned Water Buffalos, but full-size Crocs, scads of Mountain Sheep varieties from the World over…outfitters going to Iran and Kazakhstan and the other Stans, too; numerous leaping Lions, too many to count world record racks for Elk, Moose and deer, and Elephant and Giraffe heads – at every turn another display of the hunter’s success.

Did we sell any Meriwether fractions? Certainly, and Elk sausage and Roe Deer meat was grand, too, prepared by the NSACAR chef!

But, then there were the educational sessions: Designing Your Trophy Room, Sharpening Your Blades at Home and in the Field, Dark Secrets of Scope Sights Revealed, and then of course in the PM there was Dana Carvey and The Oak Ridge Boys. I was a babe in the woods!

Back to fractions next month!

January 10, 2008

Greetings to the New Year!

I'd like to share more information from the Harrison Group's presentation to the Recreational Development Councils at the Urban Land Institute October meeting. In my November bog I mentioned some of the material, but over the past two months I've though more and more about the data.

Source: Harrison Group for American Express Publishing

The concept that I had not thought much about was 'discretionary income' vs. household income. Sorry if I'm behind the curve on this. I know we are in the discretionary product market with vacation homes - that's clear , but, I had always thought of the 'household' part, NOT the part they had to spend of the household income. I guess assuming if the income was high enough they would buy.

Here' s how Harrison delineates wealth categories:

Affluent = annual, discretionary income of $125,000 to $249,999
Super Affluent = annual discretionary income of $250,000 to $499,000
Wealthy = annual discretionary income of $500,000+

Here's how the vacation ownership break down:

Own 2nd Home

Affluent 32%
Super Affluent 34%
Wealthy 49%

Own Timeshare
Affluent 20%
Super Affluent 15%
Wealthy 14%

Own Fraction
Affluent 15%
Super Affluent 12%
Wealthy 13%

Their Intention to buy:
Buy a Second Home
Affluent 21%
Super Affluent 28%
Wealthy 37%
Buy a Timeshare
Affluent 15%
Super Affluent 19%
Wealthy 11%


Buy a Fraction
Affluent 15%
Super Affluent 23%
Wealthy 14%

Wow, wow and wow on the 23% of the Super Affluent!

As we design the physical fractional home here's how these groups look at and how they play out with brands. We kind of know to use quality stuff, but….

Quality - 97% want quality and the reputation of quality
Craftsmanship - 96% want to have their property be reflective of this
Design - 81% go for who has a reputation for this




All you marketing folk read up here: What the wealthy are collecting?
Fine art 20%
Sound systems/media 18 %
Books/Rare books 18%
Fine Watches 18%
Yachts/Boat 17%
Vintage cars 14%

Great stuff, no? Gimme those Super Affluents almost a quarter of which want to buy a fraction!

Best to all.