Building a World-Class Celebrity Ambassador Program

They say you should never meet your heroes — but we disagree.

Many years ago, we observed that modern travelers wanted more from their vacations than just a cold drink and a seat by the pool. They wanted to truly experience their trip, and add a personal touch to their well-earned break from the routine. They wanted something different from their timeshare, and from that, the Diamond Celebrity ambassador program was born.

Diamond members have exclusive access to a wide variety of celebrity experiences as part of their ownership. These experiences range from private concerts and one-on-one access to some of music’s biggest stars, stadium tours with a baseball legend, personal lessons from a golf professional, or even a chance to race go-karts against a 2-time Daytona 500 winner. We’ve found a new way for our members to create timeless memories with their families and friends.

This industry-changing idea didn’t emerge overnight, of course. Here’s a look into how we built a world-class celebrity ambassador program from the ground up, and why it’s been such a hit with Diamond members.

It All Started At Dinner

Over the years, our experiential platform allowed for the integration of more than just celebrity meet-and-greets – and thus, #DiamondLIVE was created.

It all started at a dinner with my buddy Colt Ford, a talented country music star and former pro golfer. We talked about how modern-day travelers love building memorable experiences like concerts into their vacations, and we envisioned the idea of an exclusive concert series just for Diamond members.

A few months later, Colt put on a live acoustic show at the Brian Gay Invitational, which has now transformed into the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. That night became our proof of concept, as my email inbox became inundated with members who loved the show and wanted more opportunities to attend private concerts and events.

The Value of Relationships

Colt Ford became our first Diamond music ambassador, and graciously introduced me to fellow musicians in his circle who we thought would be a perfect fit for our Diamond brand. Next, we brought on Jana Kramer, who was on the same record label as Cole Swindell, Colt introduced us to Lee Brice, and the roster just kept growing from there.

Unlike the typical concert arrangement, right from the start our performers are welcomed into our Diamond family. Our intimate #DiamondLIVE concerts provide a safe environment for artists to try out new songs, mix it up with an acoustic performance and create a personal connection with the audience in a way that just isn’t possible in an arena or stadium. We typically do over 125 shows every year, giving Diamond members plenty of opportunities to take advantage of these events in top destinations like Hawaii to Las Vegas, Virginia Beach and Orlando.

?A Genuine, Personal Celebrity Experience

Our #DiamondLIVE concerts are an intimate experience with just a few hundred Diamond members in attendance for each event. Our artists will often do meet-and-greets with fans before and after the show and engage with the audience — and may even take song requests — throughout their performances. Our shows have a “living room” feel, and members frequently reach out to tell me how cool it was to see their favorite musicians try new things and create a much different live music experience than what both the artists and fans are used to.

The Diamond Celebrity ambassador program goes far beyond music, too. Through our Events of a Lifetime? series, Diamond members have enjoyed Yankee Stadium tours from Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson, and have attended spring training baseball games in Arizona alongside Hall of Fame pitcher and my personal mentor Gaylord Perry. Go-karting with Daytona 500 winner and NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip is always a fan favorite, and recently, members have been able to participate in personalized golf classes from our newest ambassador Annika Sorenstam, one of the best golfers of all time.

So, what’s the secret to creating a great experiential vacation platform? Our celebrities actually want to be there and spend time getting to know our members. So many celebrity “fan events” are merely stars mailing it in to fulfill a contractual obligation, but not at Diamond. Our ambassadors share our passion for helping people create once-in-a-lifetime memories and make the most of their vacations.

?Always Pushing the Envelope

We are always seeking out new artists to join the Diamond family. Throughout this year, members have opportunities to see our celebrity ambassadors from country music perform, and we’re adding rock, pop, and other genres to our lineup as well with performers like Joey Fatone & Friends, Scott Stapp, 38 Special, Maddie Poppe and more.

?The challenges of the pandemic showcased our series’ adaptability when we launched our #DiamondLIVE @ Home series in April 2020. Our Diamond ambassadors broadcasted live from their homes directly to our members through Facebook Live and Instagram Live to bring live entertainment and real-time audience participation straight into the audiences’ homes. These live concerts, where members could submit questions and song requests for Diamond ambassadors, truly lifted people’s spirits during a time of uncertainty. Its impact was recently rewarded with a 2021 ARDA Award for Best Social Media Campaign.

?Diamond Resorts also led the charge in bringing back live music to fans. Beginning in September 2020, we worked carefully to host safe and socially distanced events for our members in their favorite destinations. To do this, we often needed to modify the layout at our usual venues in order to follow local regulations, but our Diamond team worked hard to produce these experiences and let people return to the vacation experiences they love.

?We built our Diamond Celebrity ambassador program for people who want to get more out of their vacations. Memories are priceless, and we are proud to have built a program that allows both our members and our Diamond celebrities to look forward to every event.