b'2021 CONVENTION PREVIEWKOA Conferencefrom page 19camps. KOA conventions are also known for unique entertainmentoppor-tunitiesandthisyear will be no different, ac-cording to Humphrey. Theconventions openingnightrecep-tionwillincludea Mardi Gras theme. Wellhaveabrass band,aMardiGras float, stilt walkers and jugglers, she said. It is going to be a lot of fun.KOA is expecting more than 120 vendors at its expo, including a Onthefinalnight,number of first-time vendors.Dwayne Hill, a come-dian/magician, will be wowing the crowd. He is hilarious and amazing at magic, said Humphrey. The final night will also include the annual Care Camps auction, with all proceeds going to benefit the charity. Humphrey said that KOA owners, in general, were excited about the convention and that registrations are on a good pace. Registrations are a little bit slower at this point than normal, but I think there are people who are probably waiting to see what happens with COVID before they make up their mind to come to the convention, she explained. Overall, the reaction has been very positive that we are having an in-person convention again, and weve just had so many people tell us that they are coming no matter what. What happens if COVID shuts down the convention again?Humphrey told WCM that the in-person convention already has a virtual compo-nent built into it. We will have a virtual attendance option available for those who arent comfortable traveling, or even if they just want to engage their employees in convention and have them participate in the virtual sessions, then they can, she highlighted. It wont be like last year where it was the 3D campground, but it will be through our convention app. KOA will stream every session live and will also be live-streaming some work-shops. Not all of them, but well stream some of them. In the event that we have to flip to a virtual event we will have those pieces in place and make the switch, Humphrey added. We will follow any laws that are in place. If there are any state laws on mask mandates, which there arent right now, we would follow any of those laws that are required. Humphrey said that she hopes the in-person event serves its purpose of connecting park owners, allowing KOA to share key details to make its franchisees better operators and giving owners a break after a busy summer season. It is so difficult to have personal connections during a virtual conference, so it will be exciting to have everyone in person again, she said. WCMARVC OHCEfrom page 22be enjoying food, entertainment and a beverage, and having casual conversations. ARVC is planning to host its annual auction that benefits the ARVC Foundation, along with that it will be handing out the associations Awards of Excellence. ARVC is also trying to iron out the details of bringing puppies back to the conference, something it offered in a special area in 2019 that was popular among attendees. We are not sure if the Raleigh Humane Society or other groups are going to be able to help us out on that due mainly to COVID concerns at the moment, noted Bambei. Other entertainment during the conference will include an opening night reception at the Jimmy Vs Osteria & Bar in the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel. ARVC is buying out the restaurant and is encouraging people to wear their favorite sports-themed memorabilia. There will also be an outdoor portion of the event, along with musical entertainment that ARVC is not ready to reveal yet. On Tuesday, ARVC is going to be hosting a lunch with the focus being on unity and community, according to Bambei. He is inviting any state executives, either from a part-nering state association or a non-partnering state association, to come to the lunch. Theres been a history of non-partnering states feeling like they werent part of our Real Log Park Model Cabins conference in the past, he said. Were trying to bury that once and for all. Theyre all in-vited for free, and we hope to see them come. The lunch coincides with the Campground Association Management Professionals (CAMP) meetings for state executives that normally take part during the ARVC confer-ence.Real Rustic Log CabinsWhat if COVID becomes a factor? Turn-Key!We do have a contingency plan, but that really isnt our focus, explained Bambei.Durable and AppealingWe feel that based on what we have heard from members that we are committed to host-ing an in-person event. There is always the possibility that some government mandateAmish Craftsmanshipmight prevent us from meeting in person, but we are not hearing any concern about thatPays Off Within 1-3 Years at the moment. Park Model CabinsAfter using a full virtual platform in 2020, Bambei said they have stepped back from Starting at $29,900 that to some degree. Recordings of our sessions will be made available, he noted. If we are forced to go Located in Lancaster, PA in a virtual direction again, we would consider it, but as Ive said, were not hearing any-717-445-5522www.LancasterLogCabins.com thing that is pushing that pressure on us. To learn more about ARVCs OHCE head to www.arvc.org/ohce.WCM 24 November 2021Woodalls Campground Magazine'