The Carolinas Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (CARVC) kicked off its annual conference and expo in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Wednesday (Feb. 2) with its Take Away Tour that featured a visit to four parks, one of which is still under construction.
The group of around 40 people also stopped at the Carrollwoods RV Campground and Winery for a wine tasting and lunch.
The association held its annual board of directors meeting on Thursday, along with a welcome reception in the evening.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Back to the Future,” and around 100 attendees were expected to take part in the conference. The Newly formed Georgia Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (GeorgiaARVC) is also taking part in the conference, while also hosting a board meeting at the conference.
Today marks the official start of educational sessions, with John Formica, a former Disney employee, set to keynote the conference on how to deal with challenging customers. The Campground Connection is also set to host the first portion of its Buyers Workshop that will educate participants on the ins and outs of purchasing a campground and give them the tools needed for a successful purchase.
Witting told WOODALLSCM.com (WCM) that it was hard to pick out what she was most excited about.
“I think it is great that we are going to have both of our lobbyists at the conference,” she explained. “One from North Carolina and the other from South Carolina.”
Witting told WCM that both lobbyists are working on bills at the moment that would impact park owners, including a Landlord-Tenant Act (Bill 3765) in South Carolina and a Tenant Bill (Bill 352) in North Carolina.
“We are hoping to focus on the immunity laws next,” she noted.
On the tradeshow side, more than 35 vendors are set to take part in the tradeshow that opens later this afternoon.
A silent auction and evening reception are also set to be held today.
“This is a great turnout and I like that we have a lot of different vendors that have never attended before,” Witting explained.
On Saturday, more workshops will be held and CARVC will be hosting another evening reception as it wraps up its conference.
