OHI Connect wrapped this week with campground owners and operators gathering for a day and a half of networking and learning at Jellystone Park Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee. The second annual event was designed to combine practical workshops with opportunities to explore strategies and share experiences in a setting built for collaboration, OHI said in a recent release.
Attendees arrived on March 30 and jumped right in with a park tour. The evening rolled into a casual happy hour and dinner, giving everyone a chance to settle in, make new connections and reconnect with familiar ones.
March 31 was a full day that kept people engaged, OHI said. Hands on workshop sessions, facilitated by industry experts, took place both indoors and outside, which gave the day a “break from the norm” kind of vibe and kept things energetic. Attendees moved through conversations around revenue, operations, staffing, marketing and the technology tools people are using right now to run their businesses. The setting made it easy to be present and part of the discussion.
“The OHI Connect event was pure gold — not only for the educational content but also for the opportunity to network with peers in the industry,” said Carl Caudle, co-owner of Buck Hill Campground in Newland, North Carolina. “We will be implementing some of the lessons learned immediately and incorporating others into the ongoing operations of the campground.”
OHI’s focus was to give attendees multiple opportunities to think more strategically about the success of their businesses.
“Our theme this year was finding ways to work more on your business, rather than in it,” said David Basler, OHI’s chief strategy officer. “We encouraged real conversations and workshopped solutions to real challenges. This is where new ideas take shape, and it’s what makes this time valuable. This is exactly why we bring people together like this.”
The event registration was structured purposely as a buy-one-get-one, OHI said, so campgrounds could bring two team members for an affordable $175 fee.
“We really appreciated the ability to attend OHI Connect together for a single price because it was friendly to the budget and gave us the chance to attend different sessions and gain diverse perspectives,” said Christopher Caudle, co-owner of Buck Hill Campground and a recent graduate of OHI’s George O’Leary National School of Outdoor Hospitality Management. “Each session was so engaging that I never felt the need to get out my phone and check my email. Being able to share this experience has been invaluable.”
The optional half-day “Strategy Lab” session on Day 2 (April 1) offered a smaller group setting with a more focused approach. Attendees worked through a SWOT framework and spent time thinking through retail ideas and ways to elevate the guest experience. It was a chance to slow things down and spend more time on how ideas could translate back at their own parks.
The Caudle brothers, who chose to stay for Day 2, said it was invaluable as well.
“The sessions, especially the interactive lab experience — which took place in the Park’s store — on merchandising and retail, have already become an essential part of our approach,” said Carl. “I truly can’t imagine leaving after just one day — both days offered insights that are critical for working on the business rather than just in it.”
OHI Connect 2026 left a positive impression, OHI said, and attendees were still talking as they left about how to put what they learned into action at their parks.
Stay tuned to ohi.org/events for the next location.
