Campground owners, operators, managers and outdoor hospitality professionals from across Canada will gather in Vancouver this November for the 2026 Canadian Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (COHCE).
Hosted by the Canadian Camping and RV Association (CCRVA), COHCE 2026 will take place November 1–4 at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel. The national event will bring together campground professionals, association leaders, industry experts and suppliers for four days focused on education, collaboration and building stronger campground businesses.
“This industry is changing quickly, and campground operators are managing increasingly complex businesses,” said Cara Csizmadia, President of CCRVA. “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.”
Education Built Around Real Campground Operations
The 2026 COHCE education program has been developed with direct input from campground owners and industry leaders, with content focused on the operational and financial realities facing today’s parks.
Sessions will explore profitability, revenue management, pricing strategy, financial decision-making, reservation systems, campground data, infrastructure planning, legal and risk management, marketing, municipal relationships and access to capital.
A range of education sessions will challenge operators to look beyond gross revenue and focus on key performance indicators that provide a clearer picture of business health: occupancy rates, revenue per available site and net operating income margin. Attendees will learn how these numbers interact and how to use them as a simple monthly dashboard to identify whether their campground business is becoming financially stronger or weaker over time.
For operators ready to move beyond core performance metrics, Financial Foundations 2.0: Using Financial Data to Make Smarter Business Decisions will focus on applying financial information to profitability, investment decisions and long-term business strategy.
Other education will examine true site-level margins, how campground operators can get greater value from their existing reservation systems, the data that actually matters when making business decisions, and strategies for managing major infrastructure and capital investments.
COHCE will also feature a dedicated three-hour artificial intelligence workshop and AI keynote, providing operators with practical insight into how AI and automation can be applied without unnecessarily complicating campground operations.
“We have been very intentional about avoiding generic conference content,” Csizmadia said. “A campground owner taking four days away from their business needs to see a return on that investment. The question behind every session has been: what will an operator take back to their campground?”
Campground Operators Learning From Campground Operators
A central feature of COHCE 2026 will be its expanded Cracker Barrel program.
These collaborative sessions move away from the traditional speaker-led format and create space for facilitated discussions where campground owners and operators can compare strategies, share experiences and learn directly from their peers.
Topics will include revenue management and pricing strategy; operating lean without compromising guest experience; events and activities that drive engagement and retention; campground amenities and return on investment; maximizing camp store profitability; managing difficult guests and guest behaviour; and passive revenue streams and new income opportunities.
“Some of the most valuable conversations in our industry happen when you put campground owners in a room and allow them to speak openly about what is working, what isn’t and what they have learned,” Csizmadia said. “The Cracker Barrel sessions are designed to create more space for those conversations.”
National Industry Leadership Takes the Stage
COHCE will also bring together leadership from Canada’s campground and recreational vehicle sectors for a moderated lunch keynote focused on advocacy, programs and major industry initiatives.
Leadership from CCRVA, the Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association (CRVA), the RV Dealers Association of Canada (RVDA of Canada), Camping In Ontario, the BC Lodging and Campgrounds Association (BCLCA) and Camping Québec have been invited to provide attendees with a national perspective on the work underway across the industry.
The session will highlight current advocacy priorities, government relations, education and training initiatives, research, consumer marketing activities, member programs and collaborative industry projects.
Following organizational updates, the moderated session will open to questions from attendees, creating a direct opportunity for campground operators to engage with association leadership about the issues and opportunities affecting their businesses.
“Campground owners should understand the work being undertaken on their behalf and have direct access to the organizations representing this industry,” Csizmadia said. “Bringing our association leaders together on one stage creates transparency, encourages collaboration and gives operators an opportunity to ask questions directly.”
CampEx: A Trade Show Designed for Business
The CampEx trade show, held as part of COHCE, will connect campground decision-makers with companies providing products, services and solutions specifically for the outdoor hospitality industry. Suppliers representing technology, infrastructure, insurance, financing, recreation, guest amenities, connectivity, professional services and campground operations will have the opportunity to meet directly with owners and operators actively evaluating investments in their businesses.
“Campground operators are continually making decisions about infrastructure, technology, amenities, risk, financing and the guest experience,” Csizmadia said. “CampEx gives suppliers an opportunity to have real conversations with the people making those decisions.”
The COHCE conference format is intentionally designed to extend those conversations beyond the CampEx trade show floor. Exhibitors and industry partners participate alongside attendees through meals, networking functions and the broader conference environment, creating additional opportunities to build meaningful industry relationships.
More Than a Conference
Networking and industry collaboration will remain central to the COHCE experience.
Meals, networking events, CampEx and collaborative education formats are integrated throughout the conference program, providing attendees with opportunities to build relationships with campground professionals from across Canada.
The 2026 conference will be hosted in British Columbia, with the BC Lodging and Campgrounds Association recognized as the host provincial association.
COHCE will also support the Care Camps Foundation through an industry silent auction. Participating suppliers, sponsors and industry partners will be invited to contribute auction items in support of programs that help children with cancer experience the healing power of the outdoors.
“COHCE is about strengthening the businesses that make up Canada’s campground industry, but it is also about strengthening the relationships within our industry,” Csizmadia said. “When operators, associations and industry partners come together, we share knowledge faster, solve problems more effectively and move the entire sector forward.”
Registration Now Open
The 2026 Canadian Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (COHCE) will take place November 1–4, 2026, at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond, British Columbia.
Attendee registration is now open and will close October 12, 2026.
Complete conference information, including attendee registration, CampEx exhibitor opportunities and sponsorship information, is available at cohce.ca.
About the Canadian Camping and RV Association
The Canadian Camping and RV Association is the national voice of Canada’s private campground industry. Working alongside provincial campground associations and industry partners, CCRVA supports campground owners and operators through advocacy, education, industry research, member programs and national initiatives designed to strengthen Canada’s camping and recreational vehicle sector.