The rental education track of the 2019 RV Dealers Convention/Expo will feature valuable workshops on the landscape of the rental market, law and compliance updates, and affordable marketing practices in addition to the three-part Mini Rental School sponsored by MBA Insurance. There also will be two special sessions, each two hours and fifteen minutes in duration, on avoiding litigation and business development. Plus, three more sessions that address the customer experience and branding.
The Mini Rental School takes place from noon to 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12. The first part will be presented by Scott Krenek, chairman of the RV Rental Association. His session, “Trailer Rentals – More Important Than Ever,” will teach attendees essential skill sets and the knowledge needed for a successful rental operation, how to reduce fleet costs and make money with rentals, and how to integrate sales and rental fleets.
Martin Onken, Expedition Motor Homes owner, will then present part two, “What it Takes to Have a Million Dollar Rental Department.”
Part three of the Mini Rental School, led by Leslie Pujo, partner at Plave Koch PLC, will provide a brief overview of some of the federal and state laws regulating RV rentals and provide general best practices for approaching these issues.
“RV Rental Law Update 2019: Rental Agreements and Policies as We Approach the ‘Roaring ’20s,” will be hosted by Pujo from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday. Attendees of Pujo’s session will learn about important updates in state laws, recent cases involving rentals, including issues related to negligent entrustment and infotainment systems in vehicles, and effective practices for creating an RV rental agreement and policies to comply with multi-state issues.
After a break for the annual meetings and lunch in the Expo, Paige Bouma of RV Trader will present, “The Rise of the RV Renter: Tapping into the Newest RV Revenue Stream,” from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. During this workshop, attendees will learn what separates an RV renter from an RV buyer, ways to meet RV renters’ expectations for their rental experience to help close the deal, and how to create an environment that helps convert renters into buyers.
Following Bouma’s session, Onken will host, “RV Rental Marketing,” from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Attendees of Onken’s workshop will learn the top 10 marketing practices that get customer attention and may increase a dealership’s closing rate.
Then, on 9 to 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, dealers will have the opportunity to attend the special session, “Super Lawyers Panel – Flying in Formation to Prevent Litigation II.” A panel with leading RV defense attorneys will provide dealers practical suggestions, covering all aspects of a dealer’s operation, that can be used immediately to avoid the ever-growing threat of litigation. For the first time at RVDA, the “Super Lawyers” panel will include an in-house attorney from a major RV manufacturer.
