The Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO) will be holding a three-day Spring Meeting on Sunday, April 22.
“I think this is going to be our best Spring Meeting yet,” said Brian Schaeffer, TACO’s executive director and CEO.
The meeting will be held at the Lake Conroe/Houston North KOA in Montgomery, Texas, and will include a legislative roundtable with Ron Hinkle, TACO’s legislative consultant, as well as Rep. Matt Krause, who serves on legislative committees for culture, recreation and tourism as well as land and resource management.
TACO’s legislative roundtables will cover property taxes, as well as strategies to deal with the growing numbers of Texas school districts that are starting their school start dates earlier in the summer, reducing potential tourism revenue for campgrounds, hotels and restaurants.
Krause also will discuss efforts by the Texas Legislature to redirect transient occupancy tax revenue to the general fund and ways to prevent that from happening so that these funds continue to be exclusively used for tourism promotion.
Following Sunday afternoon’s legislative roundtable will be a happy hour with vendors and the opening of TACO’s annual tradeshow with about 50 companies.
Sunday evening’s entertainment will include TACO’s popular casino night activities.
Krause will join TACO members again during a Monday morning breakfast recap of legislative issues. TACO’s annual awards presentations will also take place during the breakfast session. Toby O’Rourke, the recently appointed president of Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America, will deliver the morning keynote address focusing on the latest camping trends as well as the importance and value of transient guests.
TACO’s tradeshow will continue on Monday and will be followed by an educational session focusing on best practices when dealing with long-term guests, which will be conducted by Jenny Lee Smith of Austin, Texas-based Cobb & Counsel, TACO’s attorney.
Tuesday’s sessions will include a class titled “Understanding your unique sales position,” by Larry Brownfield, KOA’s director of franchise development. Paul Croteau of Kingston, Wash.-based Utility Supply Group, will lead a class on electrical trends, and will update TACO members on the latest developments involving the National Electric Code and NFPA 1194.
Marvin Aga from Sturgis of Leavitt Recreation & Hospitality Insurance will lead a class on risk management, a timely topic given the storm-related damage that Texas parks experienced with Hurricane Harvey last summer.
