Outdoor hospitality industry stakeholders last week drove in flocks to Orlando, Florida to attend the Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo 2022 (OHCE2022) organized by the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC).
The event saw crowd after crowd filling the halls of the Rosen Centre Hotel for the conference and the Orange County Convention Center for the expo portion of the industry show.
Signifying a truly bigger-and-better-than-ever event is the huge turnout of attendance. According to the association, 1,127 attendees representing over 1,500 member parks went to Florida for the convention, up versus last year’s numbers.
Despite the storm, VP of Member Programs Susan Motley stated in a press release that the “vibe onsite was amazing”. ARVC also received positive feedback from attendees.
The week began on November 7 with a Prospective Owners Workshop (POW!) followed by Takeaway Tours at four different ARVC member parks.
Modern Campground was present at the Monday networking reception held at Margaritaville at Universal City Walk as well as a Tuesday keynote session delivered by author and improviser Judi Holler on how park owners can utilize the improv mindset in handling everyday challenges.
Soon, education sessions kicked off starting with a panel discussion on electric vehicles (EVs) moderated by SVP of Membership and Marketing David Basler. During the session, experts from Winnebago Industries, Texas Electric Transportation Resource Alliance, National Drive Smart, and QuietKat discussed the future of EVs in the outdoor hospitality industry.
There were also sessions on outdoor recreation, outdoor travel agencies (OTAs), employment legal hurdles, the economic outlook for 2023, the Generational Camping Report, and more.
Awards were also given, with ARVC member parks reaping the fruit of their year’s labor during the awards luncheon held on November 9.
During the awards reception, Ocean Lakes Family Campground was named Mega Park of the Year. ARVC also recognized multiple winners of various awards and categories such as the Plan-It Green Friendly Park of the Year Award, Supplier of the Year, Directory of the Year Award, Campground Partner of the Year Award, and more.
Overall, the association considers the event a success and is looking forward to future events, with plans for the 2023 convention in Kansas in the works.
“ARVC has created an interest list for people wanting to be the first to get news about OHCE2023 in Kansas City, and has already started signing up sponsors for the event,” the association said in a press release.
SVP of Membership and Marketing David Basler, meanwhile, believes that the OHCE2023 will be better than ever. In the release, Basler shared that the expo will be held at a larger convention center. Networking events will also be more spectacular.
OHCE2023 will be in partnership with the Missouri Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds.
Featured image courtesy of ARVC.