This year’s RV Dealers Association (RVDA) Convention/Expo kicked off yesterday as dealers from around the U.S. and Canada descended upon the bustling streets of Las Vegas.
Monday consisted of board meetings for the and RVDA of Canada and RVDA of America Board of Delegates. Tuesday kicked off with busy sessions on topics ranging from the AI-powered future of the industry, economic overviews, operational leadership, marketing and digital retailing, warranty operations and targeted discussions from companies such as Lightspeed, Gulf Stream Coach, Accelerate2Compliance, InteractRV, IDS and more. Workshops will continue until late afternoon Thursday.
In a Tuesday morning session titled “Leadership in Change and Uncertainty,” Andy Core, president of Core Change Institute, talked with RV professionals on how to energize their staff and themselves through disruption and uncertainty — including how to identify the most common causes of burnout (headwinds) at work that impact factors of success (tailwinds): control, connection, commitment and challenge.
In addition to money amid inflation and cost of living increases, one of the most common stressors for burned out team members are unclear expectations, Core said, citing a Pewitt study that found 39% of employees believe that success is primarily based on luck rather than individual effort or ability. This perception highlights the significant role that chance plays in career advancement and achievements in the workplace.
Another characteristic of high-performing team members is having “competitive curiosity,” Core said — aka people who are constantly seeing change and challenge as opportunities to learn, rather than dwell on negative thoughts that inhibit performance and self confidence within the workplace.
In an economic outlook session the same morning, Charlie Dougherty of Wells Fargo said that while inflation remains a challenge, the economy is doing well and it is unlikely that the United States will experience a recession. While consumer spending has held up despite the slowdown in income growth, Dougherty said, “this affordability issue will be with us for the foreseeable future.”
RV PRO also attended a session by Boyd Stough and Matt Vatter of Accelerate2Compliance that emphasized the importance of consumer data privacy and compliance, pointing out the differences in security and privacy and the fact that neither is complete without the other.
The Expo portion of the day opened at 3:30 p.m. PT until 7 p.m., followed by RV PRO’s invite-only 40 Under 40 award ceremony, also at the Paris.
The RV Dealers Con/Expo continues through Thursday, spotlighting sessions such as “Leading With Purpose: How Philanthropy Builds Stronger Dealerships,” a panel discussion with Campers Inn RV’s Ben Hirsch, Long View RV’s Lexi Roberts and more, moderated by Care Camps Foundation’s Jenna Berneck, for RV dealers to learn how philanthropy and community involvement can strengthen employee engagement, improve dealership culture, increase customer connection and create meaningful community impact.
Stop the RV PRO’s booth at T-6 to connect with our team!
