Just back from ARDA’s convention in Orlando…it just gets bigger including the exhibition hall. There seems no end to the expenses exhibitors will go to, or maybe ARDA is just catching up other trade groups. Is there really that much money in travel certs?

I ran into two ‘old timers’ and ARDA stalwarts; Bill Ingersoll and his partner Stu Bloch. We compared our first ARDA/ALDA meetings. Stu and I were 1972 and Bill 1971, but heck, his father founded the organization! Are we in a rut or what?

Of worthy note, ARDA was at the Dolphin/Swan two years ago, and one of the bartenders swears he remembers some of us. Now, that’s an indelible impression.

Generally, the rooms are lousy, the elevators great, the concierge lousy, the food good and unlike Vegas [the other end of the alternate year switch] one can get out into the air humid as it might be.

I presented on a fractional panel dealing with mid-tier product vs. the PRC we all talk about so much. Congrats to the usually uninspired meetings committee for a very interesting topic and to John Sweeney, chair of the panel, for really excellent topics and questions. Geeze, I had to really think about what to say, which ended up in a self-serving white paper on them.

I shared the panel with Jeff Yamaguchi, ex MGM and now Global Resorts, and Dean Kneider of Intrrawest two really thoughtful pros. Dick Ragatz prodded us on as John Sweeney had a family illness and could not attend at the last minute. I think we made some sense…at least I know Jeff and Dean did.

The non-PRCs are really a fertile market and no one seems to pay much attention to them. Dick Ragatz defines them as selling for under $ik per square foot. To that I add regional locations, service levels and HOA fees to fit the buyer with family income of $150k vs. the PRC of $300k and up. Heck, if PRC’s are now selling at an average of $1800 per square foot that leaves a lot of room underneath for other product.

I did one of these fractions in Sunriver OR back in 1988-89. It’s a neat market. At times I wonder who really needs all the flash and dash of the uber-PRC? Of course, I say this as SRG is going three of them in sales!

Godsend this week: 18” of Sierra snow so Kirkwood can get a last shot at two skiing and selling weeks. As I landed in Salt Lake this AM, on the way back from Orlando, it was snowing, so Snowbird will be ecstatic, too. Durango is out of this snow pattern, and their season is all but over…a sub-par year for snow. Building continues at a great pace at Meriwether Ranch in Montana.

Next week I’ll be up in Minnesota, north of MSP, so if there’s a ‘burrr’ left I may get it.