Hefler International Group is the Orlando-based consultancy of Lawrence S. Hefler, a marketing and brand strategist specializing in the worldwide shared ownership industry - vacation ownership, fractional ownership, private residence  and destination clubs, and condo hotels.

With a successful career as a marketing executive at big brand companies including American Express, BellSouth, Boise Cascade, Walt Disney, and Hilton Hotels, Lawrence saw the need for a more sophisticated marketing and sales approach to the shared and fractional ownership industry. His goal is to help sales and marketing teams get to the next level. It's what they want; they just need help getting there.

Lawrence has built a reputation for getting results and taking businesses to the next level. He has been a leader in the fields of database marketing, direct marketing, online marketing and brand marketing. Most recently, he held senior management positions with Hilton Grand Vacations Company and Disney Vacation Development – two of the most respected and profitable names in the vacation ownership industry.

Today he is an internationally recognized marketing thought leader. He has been quoted and profiled in both trade and business media including The New York Times and Harvard Management Update , Advertising Age and DMA Insider magazine. He was a keynote speaker for the National Center for Database Marketing and chairman of the DMA's Marketing Technology and Internet Council for two consecutive terms.

In 2006, Lawrence Hefler was a delegate at the prestigious Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Washington D.C. The Summit brought together the CEOs and Chairmen of the world's foremost Travel & Tourism businesses, Cabinet Ministers, senior government officials and influential journalists from around the globe. In 2004, he participated in the Fortune Innovation Forum in New York City.

Through his active participation in global marketing forums both inside and outside of travel and hospitality, Lawrence is able to share proactive ideas with his clients as the industry rapidly changes.

What segments of the hospitality industry does "shared ownership" include?

Vacation Ownership includes a wide variety of products and plans, including traditional deeded ownership, fractional ownership, private residence clubs, vacation clubs and more. Many now broaden the term further to include non-equity destination clubs and condo hotels.

Hefler International can provide comprehensive consulting services to any company that falls under the shared ownership and resort  real estate umbrella. In all these industry spaces, there is a "specialized" type of marketing and sales process, with nuances and challenges, greatly influenced by regulatory entities, consumer protection, media awareness, and consumer education.