On Sunday evening, the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds’ (National ARVC) Young Professionals group met to pack hygiene boxes as part of an on-site volunteer opportunity before the official launch of the Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE) in Kansas City, Mo.
More than two dozen people took part in the volunteer event which was put on through support from Leavitt Recreation and Hospitality Insurance and the ARVC Foundation.
“The main goal of the National ARVC Young Professionals group is to build each other up: to be better people, better leaders, and build a better outdoor hospitality industry for the future,” Tyler Grim, YP Chair said. ”Part of that better people and better future means serving our community to ensure it thrives alongside our industry.”
Volunteers worked with local Kansas City nonprofit Heart to Heart International to assemble 450 hygiene kits for disaster relief efforts. The Hygiene Kit Program works to improve the health, hygiene and sense of comfort for under-resourced persons in the United States and around the world through the creation and distribution of hygiene kits. The hygiene kits are designed to meet the immediate hygiene needs of people in crisis and is critical to prevent the spread of illness and disease.
The kits provide essentials to people impacted by disasters and crises. This disaster relief effort is in alignment with the National ARVC Foundation’s disaster relief program, which distributed more than $20,000 to parks affected by natural disasters in 2022 and has already distributed $30,000 in 2023.
OHCE begins today (Nov. 6) with Takeaway Tours and a networking reception this evening at the College Basketball Experience (CBE). OHCE is being held at the Kansas City Convention Center and runs through Thursday.
Traditionally, National ARVC would visit four parks, but this year that list has been trimmed to two, with every attendee being able to visit both parks.
“In years past we’ve offered our Prospective Owners Workshop in person at OHCE, but this year we pivoted and incorporated it into the Takeaway Tours to make for a more engaging experience for prospective owners,” said David Basler, chief strategy officer for Nat. ARVC. “One of the Takeaway Tours is specifically for prospective owners and the other is for existing owners. They will both be visiting the same parks — Peculiar Park Place RV Park and Kansas City East/Oak Grove KOA — on an alternating schedule.”
The parks on this year’s tour include Peculiar Park Place RV Park and the Kansas City East/Oak Grove KOA Holiday.
“It’s an opportunity for an intimate group to not only network on the bus going from park to park but also when they get to the park, learn from the owners and the managers of those parks as to what’s working and pick up great ideas that they can take home with them,” added Basler.
Tonight’s networking event, sponsored by Spot 2 Nite, will be hosted at the CBE and feature a range of activities for attendees to take part in.
“The CBE is a neat venue, and it houses the College Basketball Hall of Fame,” noted Basler. “It’s an interactive museum that will allow attendees to not only engage with each other and with sponsors but have fun doing it. When you walk into this venue, there are areas where you can have free throw and three-point shooting competitions.
“You can go downstairs and be a sports center anchor as you call a college basketball game, and there are slam dunk areas that are at different heights, so even average people like me can slam dunk a basketball,” he added. “It’s going to be a fun evening.”
The conference is open to members of National ARVC and non-members. To learn more, click here.
