b'EDITORS NOTES By Ben QuiggleVirtual Shows Good, but Need ImprovementIt was OKThats the basic lukewarm reaction you get from most virtualshow participants.And thats no surprise because no one has ever really expectedvirtual shows to adequately replace real-life events where you visitwith friends and business associates in meetings, corridors and re-ceptions and enjoy the kind of one-on-one interaction that makeslive conferences special.But thats not to say that things wont improve in the perform-ance of virtual shows as the RV park and campground sectorswork to adapt to a brave new world of remote trade venues whilepromoters tune into some of the common complaints weveheard thus far this year:Wheres the interaction?Perhaps the most significant complaint has been the lack of realinteraction. Some shows had forums and chat boxes where attendees could talk about spe-cific topics, but there wasnt a great place for dialogue among attendees and vendors.In one show, vendors had to monitor their chat boxes during the full expo because theywouldnt get an alert if they received a message. They had to see it to know they had received it.So, all things considered, WCM felt like more attention should have been focused on cre-ating spaces for attendees and vendors to converse. Whether through video chats or just asimple messaging system, it seems as if more could have been done to allow users to get theinteraction they have come to appreciate at in-person conferences.Expo traffic was slow. Another top complaint was the lack of traffic at the shows manyvendors attended this fall. While attendance numbers were high, that didnt necessarily trans-late into good traffic for vendors. There could be a number of reasons for this from the wayvendors were listed on an expos home page to the way booths were designed or to attendeesjust not looking very far ahead for the products theyll need next year.Some vendors frankly felt that the experiences they had werent worth it, while others de-cided to participate just to show their support for the organizers and the campground sector.Long story short, the onus is on virtual show organizers to find a system that works andhelps make a virtual show worthwhile for vendors whether it involves gamification, specialin-show promotions or shrewder marketing strategies. The fact of the matter is that it wouldserve everyones ends for associations hosting shows to recognize this and do everything intheir power to make it a positive experience for vendors.We all cant wait for in-person shows to return and hopefully they can in some fashionnext spring. For now, though, we need to embrace the virtual platforms and find ways tomake them work for everyone involved. It is, after all, the 21st Century. WCMwww.woodallscm.comDecember2020 Vol. 51No. 12G & M E D I A LLC Publisher: Sherman GoldenbergGROUP Editorial Director: Gary GerardContact Information: Editorial Rick Kessler, Managing EditorSherman Goldenberg, Publisher rkessler@g-gmediagroup.comsgoldenberg@g-gmediagroup.com (734) 777-6830Office: (574) 457-3370 Gary Gerard, Editorial DirectorMobile: (574) 457-6637 ggerard@rvbusiness.comFax: (574) 457-8295 (574) 528-1275Ben Quiggle, Editorbquiggle@g-gmediagroup.com Jeff Crider, Senior EditorMobile: (574) 306-7781 campinginfosource@gmail.comFax: (574) 266-7984 (760) 469-5905Advertising:Ally Kollat, Account Wendy Thorne, AccountExecutive, National Ad Sales Executive, National Ad Salesakollat@g-gmediagroup.com wthorne@g-gmediagroup.comOffice: (574) 266-7980 Office (574) 266-7980or (800) 831-1076 ext. 11 or (800) 831-1076 ext. 14Art Direction:Trina Nissley, Art Directortnissley@rvbusiness.comAll general correspondence, circulation and display and classifiedsales inquiries may be directed to the following:Woodalls Campground Management, C/O G&G Media Group LLC, 2901 E. Bristol St., Ste. B, Elkhart, IN 46514Owners, managers or marketing directors of privately held U.S. campgroundsmay receive a free subscription upon request to Woodalls CampgroundManagementone free subscription per campground. Others may purchase subscriptions at these rates: $24.95 per year U.S. or $35.95 peryear in Canada. Contact Woodalls Campground Management, C/O G&GMedia Group LLC, 2901 E. Bristol St., Ste. B, Elkhart, IN 46514. Email: rvbusiness@rvbusiness.comWoodalls Campground Management is published monthly by G&G MediaGroup LLC at the above address.2 -December 2020Woodalls Campground Management'