The Canadian Camping & RV Association, in partnership with the BC Lodging & Campground Association, will host CampEx: Canadian Outdoor Hospitality Conference from Nov. 1-4, in Richmond, British Columbia, bringing together campground owners, suppliers and outdoor hospitality professionals for a national industry event focused on education, networking and business operations.
The conference, described as Canada’s national in-person campground owners convention, will take place in the Greater Vancouver area, minutes from Vancouver International Airport.
The event will feature networking opportunities, educational sessions, regional meetings, awards, collaborative workshops and a trade show highlighting products and services for the outdoor hospitality industry.
“This industry is changing quickly, and campground operators are managing increasingly complex businesses,” Cara Csizmadia, President of CCRVA, said in a press release. “COHCE is being built around the issues they are dealing with right now. Our objective is to create an environment where operators can learn from experts, have candid conversations with one another and return to their businesses with ideas they can actually implement.”
A centerpiece of the event will be the CampEx Trade Show, which organizers describe as Canada’s largest campground and outdoor hospitality trade show to date.
The exhibition is expected to include more than 50 vendor booths and over 12 live information sessions showcasing products, services and operational support for campground businesses.
The conference agenda includes educational programming focused on emerging technologies, risk management and long-term infrastructure planning.
Among the featured sessions is “AI in Action: Automate, Innovate & Elevate – A Practical Generative AI Workshop for Tourism Professionals,” a hands-on workshop designed to help participants build practical AI-powered automations for daily business operations. According to the agenda, attendees will learn a framework for identifying, piloting and scaling artificial intelligence tools within their organizations.
Networking opportunities begin with “Campfire Connections: The COHCE Opening Reception,” an evening event scheduled from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Operational risk management also will be a key topic during the conference. One session will examine evolving risks facing campground operators, including liability exposure, guest incidents, data privacy and operational disruptions.
The presentation will focus on identifying coverage gaps, evaluating insurance policies and adopting proactive risk management practices to better align business operations with current industry challenges.
Another educational session, “Infrastructure Planning & Major Capital Investments,” will address long-term planning for major campground projects such as electrical upgrades, water systems, septic capacity and amenities.
The session will explore strategies for prioritizing infrastructure investments, evaluating return on investment and avoiding costly planning mistakes while supporting long-term operational efficiency and business growth.