b'ARVC 2020 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE BY BEN QUIGGLEARVC Engages with Industry During OHCE;Finds Success with New Hosted Buyer ConceptThis years National Association of RV Parks and Camp- part of their member benefits. grounds (ARVC) Outdoor Hospitality Conference and Expo This years keynote speaker was Gretchen Rubin, a best-(OHCE) was a change of pace from previous shows because selling author, podcaster and expert on personal happiness,of its virtual nature.who spoke about overcoming obstacles with improved atti-Hosted online in 2020 due to the COVID crisis, the show at- tudes and routines, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. tracted 752 registered attendees during its four-day run from She shared communication tactics and strategies on howNov. 2-5.to relate to different personalities in a group environment andStill, even though it was held virtually this year, ARVCs reduce stress while boosting productivity for individuals andOHCE was focused on providing educational outlets that al- teams. Rubin also answered questions from those in atten-lowed attendees to better their businesses. Most regular dance and shared expert advice that should help attendeesOHCE attendees noticed conference stalwarts that were find a happy and healthy life balance, which is always a chal-adapted to a virtual environment, including Takeaway Tours, lenge in the hospitality business. educational sessions, award presentations and even a sup- Gretchen is an expert on finding ways to take care of andplier expo. But there were also some new features, including improve yourself, said Horwitz. What she detailed was ex-hosted buyer meetings.actly what our owners and operators needed to hear during aIt was an amazing week on the vir- year with so much stress and uncertainty. Our members aretual platform, getting to engage with all fighting a similar battle, no matter the size of the park ormembers all across the nation at once, where they are located, and everyone could use some guid-said Paula Horwitz, ARVCs executive di- ance to find a way to make things a little better. She did a greatrector of education and events. We feel job of providing simple, but effective, strategies all of us canthat this conference managed to capture adopt in our lives to make that a reality.the feeling of past OHCE events, which Virtual Takeaway Tours offered attendees the chance tois something a lot of ARVC members watch on-demand videos showcasing three ARVC-memberwere scared wouldnt happen. We were Paula Horwitz parks, Jolly Roger RV Resort, Natures Resort RV Park andable to come together to learn and share our successes and Cross Creek RV Resort. Attendees were also able to take partARVCs virtual OHCE included an expo and numerous failures, so that we can continue to grow. There isnt another in a Q&A session which allowed individuals to ask specificeducational sessions.event in the industry like OHCE, and we are so excited to be questions about each park. able to bring it to you every ARVC President and CEO Paul Bambei jumped into an RVyear but especially proud of to visit the Yogi Bears Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Lark-Real Log Park Model Cabins how the entire outdoor hospi- spur, a Sun Resorts-owned, Leisure Systems Inc.-brandedtalitycommunitypulledto- property in Larkspur, Colo., during the conference as well. getherthisyeartomake Bambei discussed the new property with general managerOHCE great. Eric Woodand then checked in with park owners from acrossFeaturing over 25 educa- the country to get a sense of the state of the industry following Real Rustic Log Cabins tionalsessions,therewere a year filled with many highs and lows. Turn-Key! 1,218 visits to those during the On the expo side, more than 80 vendors took part in the vir- Durable and Appealing conference, an average of 49 tual expo. Hosted Buyer participants were offered early ac- Highly Profitable attendees tuning in to each cess to the expo. The Hosted Buyer program allowed qualified Pays Off Within 1-3 Years session, according to ARVC. participants to earn a refund of their OHCE registration byEducational sessions covered meeting with at least five vendors. Vendors were able to pur-Park Model Cabins a variety of topics and were chase meetings with these qualified buyers. In all more thanStarting at $27,900 still available to registered at- 770 such meetings took place over the four days of the con-Located in Lancaster, PA tendees on the OHCE platform ference. untiltheendofNovember. The Hosted Buyer Program is something that is sure to be717-445-5522www.LancasterLogCabins.com After that, ARVC members will anOHCEstandardmovingforward,saidDavidBasler,have access to the content as ARVCs vice president of membershipand marketing. We arethrilled at the interest inthe first year of a newprogram and know thatwe are creating con-nections between own-ersandbusinesseswith the products, serv-icesandsolutionsto David Baslertake their campgrounds or RV parks to thenext level.Vendors at the expo told Woodalls Camp-ground Management(WCM) that traffic wasslower than an in-person conference, butthat showing up to support the industry wasimportant. We didnt receive much traffic, notedCourtney Childress, general manager of Kan-garoo Jumper Inc. I think 15 people visitedour booth and three were vendors that visitedonce or twice. I did get one park that reachedout for more information and ended up pur-chasing to take advantage of the show spe-cial. We are pleased. We only spent $500 toattend, so even if there was no sale it was nota huge loss. I really enjoy ARVC, so I wouldparticipate again.Other vendors WCM spoke with saidthey had less traffic than expected andwere a little disappointed at the lack of traffic.ARVC OHCEcontinued on page 3616 -December 2020Woodalls Campground Management'