Early this morning, November 14, the famous hot air balloon of Kampgrounds of America (KOA) was seen in the Orange County Convention Center parking lot in Orlando, Florida, where it took to the air, kicking off the 2022 KOA Convention & Expo.
The 2022 KOA Convention & Expo, the latest celebration of the annual event organized by KOA, is poised to be the biggest this year as the company marks 60 years.
Modern Campground early today spoke with Rob Nutting, the chief pilot of the KOA balloon, to talk about how the KOA balloon came into existence.
“So I grew up around ballooning, so I love ballooning, and I figured it would be a great opportunity to be able to go travel around the country so I presented the idea to KOA, and they jumped on it,” said the chief pilot, who is also a business development consultant at KOA.
According to an October press release from KOA, Nutting grew up ballooning with his parents and has been licensed to fly since 2003.
The KOA hot air balloon has been around several festivals this year to elevate the exposure of the KOA brand, something that Nutting thinks has been reaping results.
“Absolutely. So it’s just a wow factor. Even at 40 years old [and] I’ve been around balloons my whole life, I still get wowed every time I see one,” Nutting told Modern Campground.
The balloon also helps increase awareness for Care Camps.
The balloon is set to bring more awareness to the KOA brand and Care Camps as it takes off in multiple areas in the United States and into Canada next year.
Soaring high in Orlando, Florida, the KOA hot air balloon is only one of the exciting things lined up for the 2022 Convention & Expo.
Kicking off today, the first day of the event will see a series of meetings, a first-timers’ event, and more. Later tonight, attendees will head to Universal Studios where they will find the CityWalk area exclusively reserved for KOA’s convention reception.
Throughout the week, convention attendees will learn more about how to improve their business by attending almost 30 sessions organized by KOA. There will also be awards to be given as well as an expo where attendees can connect with vendors for products and services that can improve their parks.