MC Fireside Chats – November 6th, 2024

This is MC Fireside Chats, a weekly show featuring conversations with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and outdoor hospitality experts who share their insights to help your business succeed. Hosted by Brian Searle, the founder and CEO of Insider Perks, empowered by insights from Modern Campground, the most innovative news source in the industry.

Greg Emert:

Sounds like it’s about.

Brian Searl:

Hey, everybody. My name is Brian. So we’re an insider person, modern camera. I’m super excited to be here with you live at Oh, eight. I feel like the outdoor hospitality conference is expo. See behind me on standing exhibit golf, but obviously our vendors that we expect to see all these systems. amazing vendors here, giving their products and services to campground owners. I’m super excited to be here with a couple of special guests here. I’m going to go around the room here and let everybody introduce themselves, but we’re inside the Ojai booth. I’ve had a great conference so far. I’ve talked to educational sessions, award winners, all kinds of things to talk about with you guys. So let’s start. We’ll go around the room here. Guys, do you want to introduce yourself over here? I’m sorry to break up your conversation. We’re doing a live show.

Scott Knepp:

Hey, everybody. I’m Scott Knepp with CRR Hospitality, Director of Growth and Development.

Greg Emert:

And I am Greg Emert, co-founder of Camp Strategy from Akron, Ohio.

Brian Searl:

And just shouted us somehow, like, I don’t know. I don’t know if that might be working.

Steven Marks:

I work for Ideal One Amusement Software from Meridian.

Brian Searl:

We’ll figure it out.

Melissa Cummings:

Hi, I’m Melissa Cummings from Camp Riverview in Concan, Texas and Silverthread Base Camp in South Fork, Colorado.

Ashley Migliaccio:

Hi, my name is Ashley. I’m from Connecticut. We own and operate a family campground out of Connecticut. I’m third generation and happy to be here.

Brian Searl:

Alright, so while we’re talking in the background there, we’re trying to figure out, I don’t know if that mic works or not. So we’re just going to use this one. there’s puppies back here. We need to get distracted. So if anything goes wrong and you guys get bored or anything like that, we’ll just show you puppies throughout the show. Um, so I’m curious here, guys, like, uh, some of you have been on the show before, some of you are new here first time. Uh, I’m just curious kind of, if we can go around and just talk about like, what have you seen or done or accomplished at OHC that has really kind of changed you, let’s say for the better and start that right. Like leave it open for you. So do you want to, what are we, Oh, David’s there. What are you pointing at?

Melissa Cummings:

Like, uh,

Brian Searl:

David sneaks in over my shoulders. Do you want to introduce yourself, David?

David Basler:

Sure. David Basler, Chief Strategy Officer for OHI. Hey, everybody.

Brian Searl:

David, we were just talking about, we’re going to go around the room here and say a little bit about what OHC has changed people for the better for, right? Fantastic. So just do this one.

Ashley Migliaccio:

That one? Yeah.

Brian Searl:

technology.

Ashley Migliaccio:

OHCE this year has just been incredible. The best thing that ever came out of it for me this year and last year when I was here was the connections and the friendships I made throughout the whole country and we’ve stayed in touch ever since throughout the whole year. So super excited about that and excited to see the growth with the industry as a whole.

Melissa Cummings:

Yeah, I think for me, uh, one of the best things that I could think of was that I just took I learned a lot of information in the sessions that I can take back and make Real changes in my campground straight away to make them make it more profitable and to save money Is there something melissa that just really sticks out to you?

Brian Searl:

Like it’s something specific that you’re like, wow, I would never have learned that without coming well, I think

Melissa Cummings:

In I mean, it’s just several of the sessions were just gave me little tidbits and um Yeah, I can’t I can’t think of one specific thing.

Steven Marks:

I have them all written down but uh, But several of the sessions just really had some some good information For me there’s a couple things, uh getting to see and talk to operators and hear about what challenges we’re facing and how to overcome them and work together on overcoming them is My favorite thing about this show, too, is all the sessions and whatnot. I was in a food and beverage session yesterday that talked about the three rules. So any item on your menu should have three things on it. I thought that was interesting. I had never heard that before, so that was fun. And then being able to share the things that we can do in the cashless environments, that’s something that I love telling people about.

Brian Searl:

Any answers, Steve? Welcome back.

Greg Emert:

Fair enough. Yeah, I think the thing for me that I think was surprising and it’s not necessarily a one year jump, but. It feels like a really big increase in the number of people owners operators managers that are really starting to grasp the experiential side of outdoor hospitality It’s not it’s been growing for a while, but it seems like this year everyone that I that I talk to and run into the word experience and experiential is coming out of their mouth. It’s wonderful to see because we can provide all the amenities, all the utilities, but at the end of the day, none of that provides an experience. That’s up to you and your staff to come up with a creative way to differentiate your park and curate an environment that is very unique for that guest. Man, you do that, you’re connected to it. I was just really excited to see and hear that from so many different owners and operators. It’s been a great show.

Scott Knepp:

I love what you said there about that, you know, and I love the connections piece too. I couldn’t agree more with that. I really think that I’m fortunate enough, this is my fourth OHCE and I know that there have been people who’ve been coming well longer than that. And there’s a lot of people who’s like the first year, but four years feels like it’s like that. homecoming, like I’m seeing all the familiar faces and the conversations get deeper. And, you know, the first time you meet folks is always that high. I wonder how we can collaborate, how we can help each other. But, you know, now the conversations are just so rich. One of the things that’s always so good about this group and this event is There really is open idea sharing and even competitors sitting down and having open conversation about the challenges and the barriers. It’s so easy to think that you’re the only person on an island facing that issue and then you come to an event like this and you realize, I can think this out with colleagues across the aisle and with people. So that’s very refreshing. Favorite thing of

Hugh Mickel:

Should I introduce myself as well? I’m Hugh Mickel, the engineer systems sales director for a manufacturer of wastewater treatment systems. The company is Infiltrator. But this is my fifth conference. First one that I went to was in Knoxville back in 2019. And we were welcomed immensely by folks because there’s not an easy answer when you think about wastewater and a campground. and we manufacture systems that can be used for septic systems on on a small scale all the way up to uh manufactured wastewater treatment plants like a small town would have but on a smaller scale and as I talk I’m a civil engineer and a PE but as I talk to campground owners around the country they struggle with trying to find answers on how to deal with the waste whether you’ve bought An exit camp with an existing system or a campground with and you have expansion plans or you have a. Raw land and you want to develop a system. It always is a struggle to figure out what to do and what I share with them is Job number one is is to see if you can reach a municipal sewer. That’s always the cheapest way to go Um, if that doesn’t work then reach out to somebody like us and we can help you through uh the process, um engaging a land surveyor and a wastewater Engineer in the form of a civil engineering firm as early as you can is really smart They can look at the land you have and take a look at the contours and the hydraulic profile of the system, and then give you options and budgetary costs. There are lots of answers out there. You just have to find them.

Brian Searl:

We only have one mic, so this is going to be an interesting show here. Should we just pull that thing out and see if it works? I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. Like i hear a lot about you know we’re attending sessions we’re having good education we’re doing all those kinds of things right like let’s talk about the expo for a second then i want to go to david and talk about you know the strategy and how all this stuff kind of came together but as you walk around the expo like to your point right like there are a lot of good experts out here there are a lot of people who are you know interested in helping campground owners and have innovative great solutions so is there somebody that stuck out to you on the expo floor as you walked around as a campground owner who you’re like wow i like that’s that’s something that’s really gonna be valuable

Ashley Migliaccio:

Yeah, so I mean like you said there’s just so many options out there and it all is park specific really um, which makes this industry so incredible as it is is that everybody can have a different niche and um, You know, it really just comes together So, I mean we can all have campgrounds in the same area and everybody can be marketing to a totally different clientele Which is incredible. So coming here. It’s just the same. There’s so many different vendors and suppliers But you just have to go with what works for your brand and your community Um, but what stuck out for us is fiber optic Um for bringing in fiber optic lines throughout our campground. That’s a big issue in our area, too And we’re very wooded. Uh, so trying to find those wi-fi solutions or entertainment solutions in that regard especially for us personally trying to incorporate longer stays and um more long-term guests They work remotely and all of that. So they really need that connection Um, so seeing suppliers like that really stuck out to me too to bring back to our team

Melissa Cummings:

Yeah, and for me almost every year I come to The expo with a list of the people I want to see and the products that I know I want to buy But for some reason this year we just didn’t have an agenda. I didn’t have an agenda for the expo One thing I really like is that this year the expo was open on all the days so I could step down After a session and take a look around and kind of get an idea. Okay, and then I ended up talking to so many different suppliers and Finding out that there’s actually a lot of things I really need to buy this year. And there’s so many options that it’s making it really hard to decide. So I just think, even if you don’t think you have a list of things that you want to buy, when you come down here, there’s just so many new things and so many innovations. And I was just talking to Steven right before this and realized that he might have a solution for something we have at our parks. There’s just a lot of good information that you learn at the expo too.

Steven Marks:

For me, I have a little different perspective as a supplier vendor. I attend shows and I usually never get a chance to see any of the education sessions. So one thing I think that is somewhat unique to OI, I haven’t really seen much other places and it was, you know, last year is a similar is that education sessions and the expo hours don’t overlap in all cases. So I was able to attend sessions and do those things and still be able to be in the booth and provide information to operators. So I found that unique. And then one other thing too, that I picked up on is the layout. The layout isn’t your standard grid. So you get to see a lot more.

Greg Emert:

It’s more open And I think that’s that’s happened adding to the vibe and the open environment that everyone is is preaching to each other and the collaboration that it creates I’m gonna be that nitwit that says I didn’t hear the question because you’re all the way over there and i’ve been trying to decipher what the question was as it came around and I was like Yes A vendor that is really stuck out to me Can I say insider perks? I hate to, so I feel like such a homer for saying this, but I stopped by and demo the call bot and was like completely blown away by that. And, um, I’m not going to tell the goat story. I’m not all right. I’ll tell the goat story. I tried to stump Brian’s chat bot by asking it Questions about my family of goats that I was going to bring to his park and it answered flawlessly. They can’t play pickleball They also cannot be Oh, there was something that they can’t be in the gaga ball pit and they shouldn’t eat the landscaping And uh, even when I tried to interrupt her And tell her that I was really upset about it when I apologized and said I was sorry for interrupting her She told me that’s okay. Sometimes you have a bad day and well, okay. Can I go back to answering your questions? so that was uh, yeah that one was uh, it just stands out to me, so I Say a shameless promotion for you guys, but it was It was a great. It was great

Scott Knepp:

Yeah. It is incredible technology, you know, and it’s something that’s been talked about for years. Like when is this actually going to enter a functional stage and congratulations guys, you did it. Um, the other thing I’ll say, uh, you know, I’d be remiss not to give a shout out to some of our industry partners. CRR is a hospitality management group. So we have, uh, you know, we partner with, with camp spot, with tango, with access parts. We’ve got a lot of great partners here. I’m glad to see some landscape architects here this year. You know, I, um, with that, we, we get lots of the wreck toys and the tiny homes and stuff like that. Landscape architecture is such an important part of what we do. And it really sets the tone for a park. And I’m seeing, I’ve saw more vendors, uh, filling that gap. So glad to see. And wastewater, I would like your car.

Brian Searl:

We’re going to talk about wastewater, I promise. I want to go to David just in case, because David’s a super busy man, right? I want to make sure you can head out if you want to head out. I’m here. So David, you and I were talking the other night. I think I want to start here if you’ll indulge me, right? You and I were talking the other night about some of the adjustments that you’ve made to the show and to the expo to You’re always looking at analyzing it, always looking at ways that we can make it better for the attendees, for the exhibitors, for everybody that’s coming here. So could you want to talk a little bit about some of the adjustments you’ve made and why and why you think it better?

David Basler:

Sure. One of the things that made me smile as you guys were all talking was that you were hitting on some of the things that we made the changes for and exactly why we made the changes, which is great. One of which was what you said, Melissa, about being able to come down from the sessions, hit the expo a little bit, then go back to a session, you know? We’ve never done that before it’s always been education sessions education sessions and then expo And everybody the feedback that we got was everybody kept, uh telling us that they Felt rushed when they got onto the expo floor. They’ve got that list that you were talking about And like you walk onto a big floor like this and you’re like, oh god, where do I even start right? so by having it split that way where the sessions were happening at the same time as the as the expo gave people that opportunity to come down and have more casual conversations, but also have more in-depth conversations with people and not feel like they had to rush, right? The Hosted Buyer Program helps with that as well, obviously, because you have that dedicated one-on-one time, but that’s probably the biggest thing, I think, that I can think of. Did that answer your question, hopefully? Sorry, we just have one mic here, so I’m just going to… Oh, that’s okay, that’s okay.

Brian Searl:

I have no idea how to run technology for anybody. I think, David, maybe there’s a chance here to set an appreciation for all the hard work that’s gone into this with your team, and I want to talk about the education in a second, right? But if you look, even if you spin around, Lisa, this obviously isn’t a you know, something that, that Ohai sets up. But if you look at like the extravagant booth that like new book has set up, if you, and you think about the process that has to come into place just to get all that material, you know, to set all that stuff up to, you know, ladders and cranes and couches and all kinds of things, right. That they have over there. And then multiply that by like 150 X to get all the, all the stages and setups and curtains and 200 X. Okay. My math is not good at technology, not good at math, but. Uh, so if you, if you, if you look at all that stuff and all the setups and everything else, like explain to us, like the sheer amount of work that goes into providing such a, like, like briefly, right? It’s time. Do we have Brent? No, we have an hour early. All right.

David Basler:

So I’m just going to talk about the first, the first thing I would say is, you know, we’ve been talking about community the whole time we’ve been here. What he was just describing is part of the community, right? The ohc doesn’t happen without the campground owners coming to the show to learn to network all that kind of stuff The expo doesn’t happen without the attendees being here because the without them the exhibitors won’t show up And then when it comes time for planning and building and putting it all together. We have not only the ohai team that is Uh, you know, that’s our job, but we have the volunteer uh group that we have every you know this year that of of the young professionals we’ve got our production company in uh that comes in and and Actually puts all the booths together and prints all the signage like this and you know all of that kind of stuff And puts all of that out, you know to make it all look good and and function well so it’s you know, that’s just another example to me of of the community and that is within our community that makes all this happen because Imagine the world of ohai without something like ohce, right? I mean, this is to your all your points. It’s where business gets done It’s where networking gets done. It’s where all that stuff learning everything so It takes a village. It takes a very very large village and like paul said this morning in his um Uh annual in the annual meeting we start planning ohce 2025 in louisville Tomorrow as soon as this show ends I mean we’ve been talking about it already obviously, but Really getting into the weeds planning Starts tomorrow we fly home and away we go, you know, so it’s a very long process, but it’s worth every every minute So we went through and the reason I kind of led with that right is is we kind of went through this

Brian Searl:

I wanted to set the expectation of how much work is involved in the show and all that kind of stuff. And then we go to education, right? Because this is, you know, to me, and I’m not a campground owner, right? So I’m definitely not an expert in this area, but to me, the three main main, and there’s lots more, right. But the three main benefits to coming here are the networking, the education and the expo in that order for me, right. Generally speaking, like all are important. And there again are 150 other things. but to me the networking that camaraderie because you also get education from network right sure talk about your education and the things that you put together here that. Like we’re in an age where like chat gbt, right? You can chat gbt things, but you can’t learn from experts on chat gbt the way you can here So, yeah, why is it so critical for park owners to understand what you’re doing? How do you how what the thought process that goes into that? How do you put it all together?

David Basler:

Sure. Well, I mean for starters all three of those things that you just mentioned are critical combination, right? um The the thing I think that makes ohce so successful For the people who come here is the variety of learning opportunities and a variety of networking opportunities, right? Look at what’s happening behind us right here We bring puppies in it sounds kind of weird to some people when they first hear about it But when you look around, you know, it’s kind of thinned out here right now But there were 150 people here petting puppies at 30 minutes ago, right and networking with each other And it was kind of like the tall germaine’s keynote when we all put the red noses on during the keynote and let our guard down, right? Whether it’s a red nose or a puppy in your arms, you’re letting your guard down and you’re just enjoying each other, right? It doesn’t matter who you voted for yesterday. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. It doesn’t matter any of that You’re a campground owner with a puppy in your arms, and it’s just hey We’re connecting look at that, right? But then it also has a lot to do with the types of education and the types of networking. So we had one of the pieces of feedback that we got after last year’s receptions that we had. People said they were too loud. We couldn’t Actually network, right? so the one that we had on monday was a session or a reception that was a little more on the quiet side if you had If you wanted to right there were noisy parts of it, obviously where people were having fun and dancing and whatnot But if you wanted to step aside and have networking opportunities in a fun scenario, you had that opportunity Now tonight’s is going to be a party there’ll be some networking opportunities there too, but Tonight’s is going to be fun. Um, so different networking opportunities, whether it’s puppies or receptions or whatever it is learning opportunities We’ve got the you know, the the standard breakout sessions keynotes Plenaries that kind of thing. We’ve also got workshops that are more that are longer sessions That are more in depth and hands-on. We’ve got on both sides of the expo floor We’ve got what we call fireside chats that are little small groups almost like ted talks that where where people can share ideas. It’s not a sales pitch or a long session. It’s intended to be sharing of a best practice, sharing of an idea, and getting campground owners talking with each other, right? instead that we did the campfire sessions that were uh bringing small parks together and medium parks together to have Conversation and share ideas and all that kind of stuff. So hopefully all of those things you guys had an opportunity to to experience and get value out of if you liked it great if you Think there’s a way to to improve it. We’d love to hear that too. But you know, it’s um

Brian Searl:

it’s meeting people where they are right and how they want to learn how they want to network and offering a variety of things that they can pick from that’s what goes into it yeah all right so last question i have for you and then obviously feel free to jump into the conversation anytime you want we’ll just have to throw mics across the room or whatever we’re going to do uh so last question for you is strategy right your title yeah i think a lot of people here know a lot about Ojai, but because of where the industry may or may not be headed, because of where the economy may or may not be headed, right? You just had an election. What does the future look like? Not for your organization necessarily, although you can touch on that. You want to hear that, right? But the industry as a whole, what do you see the outlook as that for 2025?

David Basler:

Um, well, I mean what if you want to talk data specifics? I mean the data shows if that that the future in 25 26 and 27 is is going to probably be a uh flat to slight incline in 25 more of an of improvements in 26 and 27 If you’re talking outside of data Um and just the growth of the industry from a ohai perspective We since launching the brand have not grown this fast in the entire time i’ve been with the organization There’s so much excitement out there of people who? Either hadn’t heard about arvc prior to to uh us changing the brand Um, you know, we’re talking with new campground owners every day Um and maris right behind us here with the puppy is our new membership experience, uh, senior manager member member experience And she’s been with us for 45 days and in that short span of time We’ve we’ve brought on 32 new members and 20 new associate members For us, that’s when you look at the past growth trajectory, that’s awesome, you know, and that’s only just the first 45 days. So for us, the future is not only growth, but excitement of the people who are coming on. They’re excited about the brand. They’re excited about all the stuff that we’ve been talking about here. Um, so.

Brian Searl:

Good answer. No, I mean, I can’t. Yeah. I mean, I’m excited for the future too. I’ve talked to, you know, Greg and Scott on multiple calls and, you know, I haven’t talked to you guys as much obviously, but like we’re all, I think we’re all excited for where this is headed. Right. We see the, like we put out the research reports for modern campground and, and we talk about like how we see the best of searches going up. We see luxury RV resort interest going up. And so I think there are segments that are moderating and adjusting, but overall I’m excited for the future of the industry too.

David Basler:

Yeah answer. Yeah, so uh add to my answer The other thing that really excites me about this industry in the ohai community specifically is the young professionals group which i’m sure a dog here ashley ashley’s gonna talk about um But I seriously I mean that like this this is a group of extremely passionate young people who are in this industry either as owners or managers or or whatever and They’re going to be around for a long time. This is, these are the, this is the future of our industry right here. Right. They’re learning from the people who are, who have been in it for a while. And they’re just super excited. I’m older than that. Um, but you know what I mean? It’s, it’s, it’s refreshing to see so many young people, not just in the young professionals, but just like, look around. I was late to this session actually because I was connecting someone who’s new to the industry who’s just gotten in and I she was telling me about how she and her husband are looking to buy a park and what their mental strategy is around how to do that and I said I know exactly who you need to talk to somebody I know who Did that almost exact same thing? Let’s go connect you so that’s where I was I was over connecting the dots for them and then I was late for this but I mean it’s it’s just exciting to see young new faces in the industry.

Ashley Migliaccio:

Yes, so thank you. Thank you david for always having our back, but I am very proud of our committee I’m the chair of the young professionals committee through ohai Um, and we just have seriously the best we had our annual meeting last night And honestly came into it and didn’t know what to expect We didn’t know how many people were going to come to it or anything and we had over 50 people at our meeting and the energy in that room was Unbelievable. It was just too good. So, um, it makes me very very excited to see where this goes. I grew up in the industry Um, so and like I said to them all last night I said we come in here and we’re from all across the country all different I mean some of my closest friends here now work in corporations, um, their managers their family their It is across the board but in the room together. We automatically have something in common with every single person in that room So I think it is just such a cool experience and to really see the energy and passion that So many of our young professionals have coming into this is just setting up setting us up for so much success in this industry so um, we’re really trying to get out there and make the The older generations the ones that have been here for 20 30 plus years and have so much to teach us we’re hoping to be able to teach them some too and just work together and just create because um community over competition always is what we always say so It is just top tier and i’m just so proud Yes Yeah, I just wanted to kind of bounce off both what david and ashley were saying that

Melissa Cummings:

Well, i’ve been in a member of this group since 2016 when I came on board Since I came on board the last few years. There’s just a growing energy diversity of thought diversity of business models and young people really getting involved in this community and giving us some really great ideas whereas then people that have been in it a little longer can can also bring something to them and I just think I’m, just so overwhelmed at how This industry has shifted since covet and I think everybody got really worried In 2020 that all the corporates were going to buy all the small parks and there would be nothing but it’s not it just made this whole new opportunity and diversity and it’s just amazing

David Basler:

Oh, yeah.

Hugh Mickel:

So brian if you if it’s okay, i’d like to make a comment about Uh, just some general observations about this year’s show before i’d need you to prompt me again with a question. Okay, uh, But it’s the only function I serve here. I appreciate that So one of the things I have noticed at these events is the diversity of people’s motives and a lot of times in business environments like this, you know you can you sense that people are out to make money and if they’re doing something with a campground they’re interested in flipping it or something like that but what’s unique about this group of this industry really is there’s a a large percentage of people that aren’t just in it to make a buck they’re in it to invest in their family’s wealth. They’re in it to invest in their family’s future. And we do RV parks and campgrounds, wastewater treatment systems around the country and participate in various ways. But it’s interesting that so many of the people we meet, they want to invest and be able to do it long term. They want a good revenue stream. They want to make smart financial decisions, but they’re not in it to flip it. And in many of the other construction industries in the US, it seems like there’s lots of that mindset. So it’s a cool group to be around. I’ve had the fortunate experience to go to some state shows, but this national event is by far the best. And it’s cool to meet people like you. My vintage, I’m 62 years old. I come from the 80s. And back then, there was a big chunk of people in the 80s that it was all about the buck. It was the Wall Street generation. We just wanted to flip it and make a lot of money. That wasn’t me, but I remember observing that a lot. So it’s cool to meet all you younger folks and see that you’re not in it for the short term. I’m not younger. David already established that. You all look much younger than me. So thanks for having great motives and being involved in this.

Brian Searl:

I think I’d like to briefly, like briefly tell us, the question was briefly tell us about your company, kind of what you do, uh, you know, why you’re here, why you’re interested. Like, I think we’ve got a good group of four people here, right? Who are your vendors here, right? Uh, just who have products and services and are interested like in what you’re talking about. Yes, of course. We’re all here to make money, right? But we’re here also help it to contribute and to give back and, and by doing that. I think that we make the industry better as a whole, right? And then, obviously, we make money as a result of that, but that’s maybe not the only driver.

Hugh Mickel:

Right. Yes, and that’s a great point. Having a strong financial plan and model and then getting those results, that’s a great thing. So being a manufacturer of wastewater treatment collection, treatment and dispersal systems, We we like to help folks put to our the financial cycle for us is very long term we we Talk to people very early on and sometimes it takes three four even five years before somebody is actually purchasing equipment from us And we’re good with that. Uh, so we take a great pride in offering up a lot of free resources up front. And we work most closely with the civil engineering firms and those folks. But if an owner approaches us and is spitballing, if you will, and just has lots of different ideas on how to expand or fix or whatever he’s trying to do, we’ll jump in and we’ll help him. And we actually have boots on the street all around the country. We have about 40 territories around the the country where we have local folks that can run out and help assess something. We just talked to somebody at our booth that had at least a 60 year old concrete tank system and he was in the process of trying to figure out what he’s got so he can add another 30 or so spaces to a 90 space facility. And those are tough answers and you don’t have to spend much money up front if you know what resources to go tap. So

Scott Knepp:

Same question. Okay, great. So see our hospitality, we are primarily a third party management solution. So our goal is to take care of all the headaches that generally would fall on the owner. So what do you do when you’re to find a general manager staffing your resort finding talent. doing financial statements, procuring items. So we really try to take all the hassle off of the owner and manage the asset. We also do consulting services to help people get off the ground. I really appreciate what you said that this is… I’ve mentioned earlier about ideas sharing and collaborating even with competitors. And as you said, there’s such an interest in In people doing this and doing it right that actually, you know, if you go to crr crr hospitality.com Uh, there’s a spot where you can submit this information one of those options that i’ve created is just where do I start? Because there’s so many folks that just don’t know that next step okay i have some land i’m looking at but what do i need to do and as somebody that’s just done 20 years in hospitality i just i love talking with people about the projects and if i can keep somebody from making the same missteps that i’ve made or i’ve seen companies make them by god i want to do that all day you know um so there’s such an opportunity even when you’re not signing the contract and getting the deal done to have a positive impact on somebody’s development and livelihood and family. And so there are those strong roots that you feel in this industry that you don’t feel in a traditional real estate space. So one of the reasons I love and passionate about this industry.

Greg Emert:

Right on, man. This is, this is why we are podcast pros. Cause we are like, we are right along that same line of thinking. And it’s that, where do I start? That is almost exactly why camp strategy exists, because if you’re going to build a park, buy a park, where do I start? You start with somebody like us. Um, I need to review my finances. I need a, really a working budget. Um, you know, where I come from an owner operator background. We had no idea what we were doing when we bought our campground and it took a really long time to figure it out. We could have used a lot of help. So we learned a lot over the years, made a whole bunch of mistakes. And that’s now we use that knowledge, my mistakes, my partner, Jeff, his mistakes. We use that to educate people and advance their business, whether it be due diligence on a park, they’re going to buy or evaluation on a park. They’re going to sell or a market study through a partner that we have. Um, but the only thing we don’t do is third party because there are people like CRR in the industry that do it really, really well. management, but almost everything else in there we can, we can assist with. So camp strategy.com is where you can find us.

David Basler:

All right.

Steven Marks:

Well, an ideal one, uh, we are a point of sale cashless food and beverage all in one software solution. Uh, it’s 40 years in the making. So a lot of people haven’t heard of us in this industry, but we spend most of our time in the family entertainment and attraction space. The thing that I like to do is we talk about experience and guest experience. That’s our, we have a lot of industry experience across multiple industries. And so as such as this gentleman, I forgot your name, sorry. Greg, as Greg mentioned earlier about experientials, right? Campgrounds have historically in the past been, I provide power, I provide a place to hook up and stay. And as you think about adding experiences and what that guest experience can do, that’s where we really excel. And so we try to provide that information to people that where do you start vein is like, well, I want to, I want to provide attractions. How can I do that? How can I monetize that? How can I advertise that? How can I sell it? So those are the things that I like to talk to, uh, operators and owners about. And I like to focus on the, what works. So it doesn’t work, what I’ve seen, what I haven’t seen to really give them the pros and the cons and make them best educational decisions. And. Thing that’s interesting to me also is all of the different campgrounds that have their niche to have their ideas. And that’s what I learned from them is because I can tell you what’s worked for other people and they got to figure out what’s going to work to be different because differentiation is how they’re going to be successful. And those are really fun things to learn from them. So that’s what we do. Ryan.

Brian Searl:

Pass the mic thing is fun. Okay. What do I do? I don’t do anything. I host a podcast. This is what I do. And I’m not even a pretty face doing it. Thanks for calling it out now. I’m embarrassed So I’d like to like we have about 15 minutes left, um, you know, we don’t uh have a hard stop here or anything else, but I think i’d like to maybe wrap this up by saying To everybody here What is one thing that you’re going to do when you go home to your park or to your company? That maybe you wouldn’t have done without coming to ohc

Melissa Cummings:

Okay, so I’m going to call out Ashley right now because yesterday she had a session about sensory making a sensory friendly park and I really didn’t know what that meant. I am going to put a tip that they should give a little more description in those in those Classes, I didn’t know what that meant, but I stepped into her class and just found out about making our campground a friendly space for people That have sensory issues that need a quiet space and how we can do that how we can Integrate that into our campground to make it accessible to more people because that’s what we want to do We want to make our place accessible to more people. So I sent it straight away Um to my manager as soon as I stepped out of her class and I think we’re going to go forward with it

Steven Marks:

All right, I’ll start. So it might sound self-fulfilling, but I see it differently. As I’ve talked to a lot of operators and owners and things, I made a lot of promises the last few days on follow-ups and things I was going to send them. I intend to fulfill those promises and leave here There’s a lot of things to do when I leave to get to those and that I want to do those as quickly as I possibly can to make sure that i’m providing the feedback And the things that are going to help them be successful, especially as we talk about those that are seasonal Uh, and they’re looking to do things before they open before next season. I want to make sure that I fulfill our end of our promises I think

Greg Emert:

It’s not just basic though. If you don’t do that, well, then what happened while you were here? You’re stuck. Yeah, you’re stuck. I think it actually ties really well into what I always try to come away from here, which is just the continued momentum. Because when you’re here, it feels like, holy cow, you have so much momentum. There’s so many great conversations. You meet so many people. Then to try to stay in contact with those people and stay in front of the clients that maybe said, hey, I might be interested in That’s really hard because I want to go home and I’m wrecked after these things. They’re exhausting for me. So I want to go home and sleep for a week, but I’ve got to go home and maintain the momentum and keep this going. And I hope everybody else does too. Um, it sounds like there’ve just been so many positive interactions that I hope everybody leaving here goes home and just carries the momentum from the show and the expo on. And, um, yeah, it just takes that forward into next year.

Scott Knepp:

I I completely agree. It always feels like that You know when you take a long road trip and you and you’ve driven for eight hours You’ve had the red bull and your mind is we reeling but your body is like I cannot wait to go to bed That’s how I leave these conferences because you get all these great ideas and these things you want to do and I mentioned earlier that I you know, it’s so easy to get tunnel vision, right and it’s refreshing to have that broken down and be like, okay, we don’t live on an island and All of us, we’re all sitting here because somebody came and grabbed us by the arm and said, hey, come talk. But we’re here because we want to drive the industry forward. We want to share our ideas. We want to contribute in the ways that we can. What I’m going to do, and I think this every time I leave an OI, I’m going to talk with David because I appreciate these opportunities to intentionally offer thought leadership in the organization to learn from others in this industry. I always leave with a deep appreciation for the organization that puts it together. I think about how can I get more involved? How can I contribute at that organizational level? My initiative is to see how I can contribute to National Ojai, but also with my state. I’m in the state of Georgia, and I don’t know much about art or association. I’m going to find out who I need to reach out to and what I need to do to grow Georgia.

David Basler:

I was gonna say it’s a two-way street, right? Because you are appreciative of us for putting this on. I’m appreciative of you because we couldn’t put it on without you, right? So it’s a two-way street. And when it comes to whatever state you’re in, whether it’s Georgia or Ohio or Connecticut or wherever, We’ve said it multiple times on this at this event. It’s important that you are involved with both your national and your state association Georgia has a state association happy to put you in touch with with bobby down there and in georgia and you guys can connect it’s It’s the way it should be done. So yeah, thank you.

Brian Searl:

Yeah, no problem I mean, I think I don’t have too much else to say, um from my side, but Ashley, I know you need to go in a second. Uh, and then I want to maybe finish up with you david just with some final thoughts. Does that work? You can’t hear I can’t yell into the microphone. Okay, we’re going to talk to ashley and then we’ll talk to dave

Ashley Migliaccio:

Yeah. So I’m going to go back to, um, what everybody kind of touched on about just taking the momentum and running with it and just keeping that energy just going throughout the whole rest of the year. Um, for us, we’re in Connecticut, so we have a seasonal park, so we’re closed in the off season, which. We’re still all there. So I mean, it just really is shifting gears. There’s no downtime per se But it’s just shifting gears. So a lot of which is why? Conference is just such a great time this time of year because then you can take those ideas run back home with them take them to your team and your family and just go with it and And, um, all the planning that goes in exactly like you were saying, I mean, we’re planning, we’re well into planning for next season and all of our events and whatnot. So, um, just kind of taking all of that, going with it and just bringing it back to our team is just so important. And also I’m going to touch on the towels, um, keynote because he was incredible. Such an incredible speaker and some of what he was saying, like just that team building, like keep the energy going with your team, which we’re so good at, but sometimes halfway through the season, we’re all losing the momentum. So just kind of like bringing it back in and, and taking their ideas. And anytime somebody comes to you and just has like passion and excitement, just take it and go. Cause that is exactly what the industry needs. So I’m super excited to see where all of that goes. Thank you, Brian.

Brian Searl:

I think I want to close. I’m going to make you do a quick spin here, Lisa. We’re going to go quick. I think I want to close with you, David, and just say I think that we all know that Ojai is advancing outdoor hospitality. How do you think vendors for the ones that are here, owners for the ones that are here, and everybody who’s watching at home, or even in this hall, how can they work toward advancing outdoor hospitality in 2025?

David Basler:

Oh every story is different. That’s the that’s the tough part about that question, right? We’ve said it a couple of times, uh here from from stage i’ve said it a couple of times every park is a Snowflake or a fingerprint whatever you want to say, right? Every park is different. We’ve all got our separate uh Ways of doing things and best practices for things that we’ve found that work that we can share with others but I think the the one way regardless of Uh how a park might be different from another park or a business might be different from another business We all have the one thing in common, which is the community aspect of it I think the the one way that that no matter who it is can improve in 2025 is keep that community going Right, whether it’s the national level at the state level both it’s uh, it’s connecting with other members of the community And learning from them and sharing with them and um Telling people about it, too. That’s the other thing. I mean Literally, there are just to put some numbers to it. I mean ohai has roughly 3 000 members, right there are To the best of our knowledge almost 12 000 privately owned rv parks campgrounds glamping businesses outdoor hospitality businesses in this country All right, there are a lot of people who don’t know that we exist yet and we’re working on that obviously But standing here for I know there we go um, but no seriously, I mean that the more that we can bring in as a as a national organization the more other campgrounds benefit the more businesses benefit So it’s it that’s what I would say is when you go home talk about what you’re learning at OHCE. Talk about the community aspect of Ojai with your friends and people who you’re close with who maybe aren’t as energized and connected as you are, you know.

Brian Searl:

Pretty good answer. Anybody have any final thoughts they want to say before I wrap it up? You guys good? All right.

David Basler:

I would like to say thank you. This group is a great group. Great conversation. Thank you for putting it together.

Brian Searl:

I mean, it was really Char on my team, but that’s OK. So thank you guys for it. Really appreciate you joining us for another episode of MC Fireside Chats. Again, we’re live from the Outdoor Hospitality Conference and Expo. I guess if you’re watching this, well, you could be on your phone in your hotel room or somewhere on the Expo floor, but you’re probably not with us. So you should be next year, right? Uh, as you can see all the benefits and all the things that we’ve talked about. So really appreciate you guys joining us for another episode Louisville, kentucky next year 10th to the 12th. Louisville, kentucky. Oh, it’s later next year a little later next year Interesting. Okay. All right. So remember 10 to the 12th. Louisville, kentucky. We’ll see you next year guys.

David Basler:

Take care Thank you