The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds’ (ARVC) shared highlights from the first two days of its annual Outdoor Hospitality Conference and Expo (OHCE), which opened online Monday. ARVC said more than 750 attendees registered for the first day of the event.
Day 1 of OHCE featured virtual Takeaway Tours of three ARVC-member parks and the debut of ARVC’s new Hosted Buyer Program, which matched pre-approved OHCE attendees with exhibitors for meetings, replicating the true one-on-one nature of the expo floor.
“OHCE got off to a great start … and we are primed for a fantastic week,” said Paul Bambei, ARVC president and CEO. “Transitioning to a virtual event was necessary, but also challenging. We are so happy that our attendees flocked to the conference on this opening day and were able to have positive interactions and see the power of technology to bring people together for this event.”
Like many other industry events, OHCE moved to an online, virtual format to pivot in response to the challenges of COVID-19. The conference opened with all attendees being able to watch on-demand videos of Jolly Roger RV Resort, Nature’s Resort RV Park, and Cross Creek RV Resort. A live question and answer session, hosted by OHCE speaker and industry expert Gary Quigley, OHE owner of ARVC member-park Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Kozy Rest in Harrisville, Pa., followed in the afternoon, allowing attendees to ask and receive live answers to questions about the parks. ARVC worked with the Florida Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (Florida ARVC) to select parks in the state, as OHCE2020 was scheduled to take place in Daytona Beach, Fla., prior to the switch to a virtual event.
Tuesday’s installment of the show was highlighted by a tour of campgrounds across the country during the Opening General Session, the Reservation Management Panel and the first two education sessions of the week. ARVC said as of yesterday, the conference attracted more than 5,085 visits from 543 unique visitors to the virtual site. The event opened on Tuesday with Bambei visiting Jellystone Park at Larkspur, Colo. in an RV. Bambei discussed the new property with general manager Eric Wood and then checked in with park owners from across the country to get a pulse of the state of the industry following a year filled with many highs and lows. The sentiment was generally one of positivity in the face of challenges, with excitement about the increased interest in camping and the strength of the industry, tempered by an understanding that the COVID-19 pandemic is still a reality.
“We are fortunate to have a great park like Jellystone Park at Larkspur in our backyard here in Colorado, but we wanted to hear from parks of all sizes and areas across the country, like we typically do at in-person OHCEs,” said Bambei. “Through the magic of technology, we were able to do that, and we are impressed by the resiliency and positive attitudes of our members, as they faced this once-in-a-lifetime challenge head on and responded by finding a way to thrive.”
The inaugural education sessions featured 16 speakers sharing key insights and best practices across five learning tracks, before the Reservation Management Panel took center stage. The panel saw eight representatives of the top companies answer attendee questions, highlighting what sets their companies apart from the rest.
ARVC also announced multiple awards on day two, including four ARVC Awards of Excellence, Supplier of the Year, and the Plan-It Green Friendly Park awards, which honored parks utilizing green-friendly practices. Beaver Dam Campground of Berwick, Maine received the Small Park of the Year award in the first category while Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Kozy Rest in Harrisville, Pa., and Evergreen Campsites & Resort, in Wild Rose, Wisc., received the Plan-it-Green award. CampLife was named the ARVC Supplier of the Year. The remaining ARVC Awards of Excellence will be announced during sessions on Wednesday, including a special awards session presentation that will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Looking ahead, ARVC said today’s line-up will feature keynote speaker Gretchen Rubin, a bestselling author, who “will focus on resiliency and finding the positive attitude to overcome adversity.” The final education sessions of the week will also take place, with nine speakers set to present, along with entertainment breaks featuring acclaimed recording artists presented by BMI. Additionally, the ARVC silent auction which began on Monday runs through this Thursday.
All OHCE sessions and events are recorded, so attendees can access all content on-demand during and after the event. Those not registered can purchase access following OHCE by reaching out here: https://www.arvc.org/Contact-ARVC/Education-and-Events.
