At OHI’s 2026 Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE), aspiring RV park, campground and glamping resort owners can take their first big step toward ownership with a specially curated workshop built to inspire and equip them. The Prospective Owners Workshop (POW!), happening Sunday, Nov. 8 from 2 to 6 PM at the Fort Worth (Texas) Convention Center, offers a guided “industry orientation” before the full conference officially kicks off, according to a press release.
This half-day workshop is designed for those who are dreaming about ownership or actively planning to buy or build. Participants will be introduced to the core principles of running a successful outdoor hospitality business with expert guidance, exploring key topics like due diligence, site planning, budgeting, financing, infrastructure and operations must-knows.
Interactive group sessions split between “building” and “buying” let participants tackle challenges head-on and leave with practical solutions they can immediately apply.
What sets POW! apart is who’s teaching. The workshop’s faculty represents well over 150 combined years in outdoor hospitality, spanning every angle a prospective owner will face: developers and consultants who’ve built and sold campgrounds and RV resorts across the country, franchise owners who’ve taken run-down parks to award-winning, top-ranked operations, brokers who help owners buy and sell every day, and financing experts who’ve helped hundreds of buyers get their deals funded.
Several instructors are current board members of industry associations, and all of them are still active in the field today.
“I love being part of the Prospective Owners Workshop because I remember what it felt like to be on the other side of the table, trying to figure out what I didn’t know before buying a campground. Ownership can be incredibly rewarding, but it also has a way of making bad assumptions very expensive,” said Greg Emmert, 2026 POW! Instructor and founder & principal consultant of Vireo|Outdoor Hospitality Strategy. “My goal is to help prospective owners ask better questions, look at opportunities with clearer eyes, and hopefully learn a few lessons in the workshop instead of learning them later from a contractor, a septic system, or their banker.”
Beyond the classroom-style learning, POW! also creates an important sense of community. It is a chance to ask candid questions in a low-pressure setting and begin building a network of peers and mentors before stepping into the larger OHCE experience.
The workshop is available as a $229 add-on to OHCE2026 registration. Space is limited, making this early session an essential first step for anyone preparing to enter the outdoor hospitality industry.
For more information and to register for POW! as an add-on to your OHCE2026 registration, visit ohi.org/ohce.
