The 2011 D23 Expo has come and gone. Let's take a look at how both Disney Vacation Club and the Aulani resort in Hawai'i were featured.
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One of the highlights of the inaugural D23 Expo in 2009 was undeniably the scale model of Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa. Physical construction on the resort was in its early stages with completion nearly 2 years away. Knowledge of the project was limited to a few pieces of concept art until Imagineers showed up with a dramatic model showcasing many of the intricacies of Disney's Hawaiian paradise.
Aulani model on display at 2009 D23 Expo
Fast forward to 2011. Many had great expectations for the second edition of Disney's fan Expo. Sadly the Expo's Disney Vacation Club content suffered from the same lack of depth which plagued much of the weekend.
The DVC booth itself was relocated from the main exhibit hall to the prestigous Carousel of Projects pavilion. Its '09 location seemed more appropriate, snuggled in amidst displays for the likes of El Capitan Theater and Disney Weddings. Disney Vacation Club sales Guides were present throughout the event to discuss the virtues of Vacation Club ownership and to arrange on-site tours of the Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel which was selling at the time.
Parks and Resorts Carouse of Projects
Moving DVC's display from the Expo floor to the Parks pavilion undoubtedly increased foot traffic but it seemed out of place adjacent to a Radiator Springs Racers ride vehicle and an elaborate model of Walt Disney World's Fantasyland expansion.
Perhaps the DVC booth was placed inside the Carousel of Projects out of necessity--as a space filler in a pavilion which was regarded as underwhelming compared to the previous Expo's display.
D23 Expo Disney Vacation Club display
Disney Vacation Club and Aulani were featured in separate, side-by-side displays within the Carousel of Projects. The separation may have been prompted by the same legal issues which lead to the suspension of timeshare unit sales at Aulani. Or it may have simply been designed to position Aulani as more than a Disney Vacation Club property--Disney has over 300 traditional hotel rooms in the facility in addition to the 480 DVC villas.
Visitors to either exhibit found a modest assortment of photographs and promotional literature.
The Disney Vacation Club booth had a limited supply of "mini Menehune" figurines to distribute to visitors.
Mini Menehune (with "old" DVC logo at base)
Upon exiting the Carousel of Projects, attendees could visit a remote version of Mickey's of Glendale--the employees-only shop located at Walt Disney Imagineering. Mickey's of Glendale featured a selection of Imagineering logo merchandise as well as t-shirts and other items promoting projects which are still under construction. Shirts and pins promoting the attractions of Cars Land were popular among attendees.
Also available was a wide assortment of Aulani logo merchandise. Baseball caps, t-shirts, tote bags and other items were available for purchase...and will undoubtedly find their way into the resort gift shop upon opening.
Aulani womens' t-shirt and tote bag for sale at Expo
Aside from the Carousel of Projects, Aulani was featured significantly within the keynote address of Tom Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
Staggs set aside about 12 minutes of his Parks and Resorts presentation--held in the main arena before roughly 4000 Expo attendees--to promote Aulani. The segment began with a short video clip followed by a live performance of "Pearly Shells" by Hawaiian musicans and dancers.
After providing a resort overview, Staggs introduced a taped segment featuring lead designer Joe Rohde who was too busy applying finishing touches to attend the Expo in person. Aulani's grand opening is scheduled for August 29--just 10 days after the D23 Expo presentation.
Staggs does his best Joe Rohde impression
At the conclusion of the Aulani content, D23 awarded one audience member with a free trip to the resort. The winner was selected by virtue of occupying the one arena seat with a D23 sticker affixed to the bottom. It just so happens that the winner was seated just two rows behind us. So close...
The complete Aulani segment of the Parks & Resorts session is available in the YouTube video below. The Aulani content runs from the start of this clip until roughly the 12:00 mark.
Disney Parks has also made available a high-quality version of the Joe Rohde segment.
It is worth noting that at no time during the Aulani segment did Tom Staggs utter the words "Disney Vacation Club." While this may have had some relation to the ongoing sales moratorium, timeshare solicitation laws likely came into play as well. There are limits as to how any developer can market a timeshare product to a group of potential customers. By limiting the Aulani overview to the facility itself--which also houses hundreds of hotel rooms--Disney was able to avoid having the Expo session branded as any sort of timeshare sales presentation.
Sadly that was the extent of the Disney Vacation Club / Aulani presence at the three day 2011 D23 Expo. There were no signs--nor word--of the pending Grand Floridian expansion. The Expo featured over a dozen breakout sessions on topics such as "History of the Disneyland Hotel", "Music of Pixar" and postage stamp issues. Aulani would seem to be a prime candidate for a similar session but Expo organizers apparently felt otherwise.
While the Expo had much to offer fans of Disney's theme parks, films and merchandise, the Disney Vacation Club content was lacking. The vast majority of the DVC information available at the Expo could have been found at any preview center or Doorway to Dreams outlet. By all appearances, the Expo was just another opportunity to sell new memberships rather than satiate the appetites of current members seeking something new and different from their vacation investment.
