b'Organizers Unveil New Branson Campground Trade ShowThe Campground Owners is about. keting, price man-Expo(COE), an all-new trade Infact,addedCOEco- agementandem-show set for Dec. 15-18 at the founderBudStyer,ownerof ployeepolicies,Branson Convention Center Bud Styer Associates, no other amongotherHotel in Branson, Mo., could shows beyond the annual Bran- things.well reinvent the wheel, so to son confab are planned. Severson, for herspeak,intheRVparkand COEs main goal is to en- part,thinksparkcampground sector if current gage with a smattering of Mid- owners from statespreliminaryplansforthe weststatesandhelppark withoutshowsnovel event come to pass. ownerswhocurrentlydont could really benefitAlthough it was recently in- have access to shows in their from the Expo.troduced as the Campground respective states. OurthoughtOwners Association, organiz- Plans call for the Branson processis,evenifers of the new show have re- show to include daily educa- youdohaveanamedittheCampground Lori Severson tionalseminarscovering Bud Styer (state)conventionOwners Expo to better emphasize the fact that this new everything from marketing to social media to rental and you only have 14 vendors, maybe its a good idea toorganization is really all about one annual Branson event accommodations with specifics on park model RVs, figure out how you can collaborate with somebody,and not the rest of the potential services that an associ- cabins, yurts, trailers and so forth. noted Severson. Because it is really difficult for mem-ation might offer, according to Expo co-founder Lori At the same time, Styer noted, Branson is in the en- bers to come to a trade show and only have 14 optionsSeverson, who is well known as the owner of Severson tertainment business, much like campgrounds to a for a campground. You need so much more than that to& Associatesand executive director of the Wisconsin As- certain extent, and park operators attending the De- really run your business. So, maybe we start puttingsociation of Campground Owners(WACO). cember trade show can benefit from visiting Bransons more of our energy and excitement together and thenThis is a show, not an association, she explained. festivities during the holiday season. we can build something that is a little bigger and betterWe had no idea when we put the word association out In fact, December trade show attendees will receive for everybody.there that one word like that would create conflict and backstage access to several Branson shows which will One of the things that we discovered is that many ofcreate a form of competition and fear. Thats not what this provide crossover learning opportunities involving mar- Bransoncontinued on page 34Ann Emerson, Former Good Sam Exec, Joins KOAAnn Emerson, former Good Samvice president and Martin Award Recipient, recog- the brands impressive portfolio of partnerships. Thispublisher, is now working with Kampgrounds of Amer- nizingindustryinvolvement, work building deliberate brand partnerships not onlyica Inc.(KOA) in a role crafted to take advantage of her leadership, creativity and dedi- provides brand value but also ensures KOA campersindustry experience, according to a press release. cation. have access to premium benefits and services. CurrentEmerson will play a fundamental role in supporting Emersons vast industry expe- partners include Geico, Allstate, KOA Health+, Ford,KOAs franchise growth, which has seen a marked in- riencewillhelpsupportthe Dish Network, Goodyear Tires, RV Repair Club, BMWcrease in recent years. overall growth of the KOA camp- MotorcycleClub,FamilyMotorcoachAssociation,With over 30 years of experience in the camping in- ground system through innova- Route 66 and RV Care Club.dustry, Emerson was previously responsible for growing tive marketing techniques. With Emerson will also be working on advocacy initiativesthe Good Sam Park network and supporting camp- the growth of new-build loca- on behalf of the brand in partnership with KOAs CEOground owners and operators. In this role, she not only tionsKOAcurrentlyhas12 Toby ORourkeand the senior team. Over the past year,worked with campground owners but also actively con- parks either in planning or con- the brand has engaged more heavily in advocacy effortsnected campers and campgrounds through print and structionfranchiseconver- and has elevated its work within the RV and outdoordigital. sionsandcorporate sectors.During her career, Emerson has been a crucial advo- acquisitions,Emersonswork Ann Emerson Ann brings years of industry relations and marketingcate for the camping and RV industries serving in vari- will be paramount to KOA. Additionally, shell focus on experience to KOA initiatives, said Whitney Scott, KOAsous capacities including on the National Association of growing diversity among KOAs franchisee ranks, a key chief marketing officer. Her passion for camping andRV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) Board of Direc- initiative for the company. helping campgrounds succeed will further ignite the en-tors, as ARVC FoundationChairwoman, and as ARVCs In addition to her work supporting KOAs system trepreneurial spirit within KOA. We are thrilled to integrateBusiness Forum Chairwoman. In 2018, she was the Stan growth, Emerson will also be tasked with building on her expertise in fueling the KOA brand forward.WCMCampspot Appoints MichaelScheinman As New CEOMichael Scheinman has been ap-pointed CEO of Campspot, according toa press release.InhispositionasCEO, Scheinman willfocusongrowingCampspots user andsupplierbase,whilecontinuingtoen-hance the sites prod-ucts,features,andfunctionality. Schein- ScheinmanmansucceedsCampspotfounderCaleb Hartung, who will remain activeas an advisor and board director whiledevoting increased time to his otherventures.An executive with more than 10 yearsin the travel industry, Scheinman bringsa breadth of experience in e-commerce,technology and corporate strategy. PriortojoiningCampspot,Scheinmanheaded up Orbitz and CheapTickets,two portfolio brands of online travelgiant Expedia Group. Prior, he served asgeneral manager for the lodging divi-sion at Hotwire, another of the groupsbrands. He has also held leadership po-sitions in hotel partnerships, productmanagement, marketing and businessoperations.WCM4 -May 2021Woodalls Campground Management'