2024 RVIA Leadership Conference Deemed a Big Success – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
By all accounts, the 2024 Leadership Conference, which wrapped up Thursday with a CEO Panel Discussion (see Monday’s RVBusiness.com for a report on the CEO Panel Discussion) among other presentations, was a resounding success.
Hosted by the RV Industry Association (RVIA) March 5-7 at the Coconut Point Hotel & Resort in Bonita Springs, Fla., the second annual event featured a jam-packed lineup of keynote presentations, panel discussions and interactive workshops, not to mention the opportunity to network with about 200 colleagues from across the RV and campground industries.
“A takeaway from the conference was this concept of our toolkits and how we can expand them with ideas from this conference that we can then take home. The continued unity I saw during the conference was another thought that stood out to me and how we can use that to improve our industry,” said Ryan Elias of Leisure Travel Vans and the chair of the RVIA Emerging Leaders Coalition, which has a prominent behind-the-scenes role in the conference.
Heather Jenks, vice president of RV sales for Genesis Products, said she particularly enjoyed the “Unreasonable Hospitality” seminar with Billy Peelle and Lindsey Peckham of Eleven Madison Park, a restaurant that built extraordinary success on a radically different approach to looking after its guests.
“I actually ordered their book during the speech because I just thought there’s so many relevant comments and alignment of what they were speaking to with what our RV experience is,” Jenks said.
Another takeaway for Jenks was a greater appreciation for the many hands that seek to advance the greater good of the RV industry.
“I can’t even imagine what this industry would be if we didn’t have every single person working as hard as they do to make this industry as great as it is,” she said. “So, I really enjoyed the seminars and the leadership applications and how we can be better leaders. But, for me, it was just really bringing to light everything that RVIA does for this industry to make us the great industry we are.”
She mentioned the comradery on display between members of RVIA, RV Dealers Association (RVDA) and campground industry officials, and how the conference “brought us all to the table.”
“We all have the same goal, and being involved in the same conversation, it helps us all realize we’re all in it together and, ultimately, it’s about the end user and their experience,” she said. “So, what we were able to accomplish at this event was just the unity of the three of us coming together into one cohesive unit.”
Andrew Cooley, chief revenue officer at Storyteller Overland, also highlighted the “fantastic” job by RVIA when asked about his thoughts on the conference.
“We’re honored to be a member, honored to put their badge on everything that we build that makes it safe,” Cooley said. “It’s nice to be around other like-minded individuals that just want the best for our industry, even though we all have very different disciplines. What a great setting, great environment. It’s great to get away from the day-to-day, and actually immerse yourself in a higher level of thinking.”
Kristen O’Hara, director of RV OEM and Strategic Partnerships at RV Trader, said she was really excited to come to this conference for the first time.
“I think there were a lot of powerful presentations to help you with leadership style and developing growth mindset, along with just key network industry contacts that you can make while you’re here,” O’Hara said. “It’s been very rewarding for me to be here. This is a fantastic way for us to grow our presence in the industry. We have worked hand in hand with dealers for the last 30 years, and we are making inroads now at the OEM level. This really has opened doors for us to be able to do that.”
Jonathan Wahl, COO of Bowlus, said he and CEO Geneva Long attended the conference for the first time and the value quickly became apparent.
“The value for us was to connect with the industry since we have been relatively niche before, but as we form our dealer partnerships it’s important for us to meet those who have done it before.We appreciated the event, so we could talk and meet with people who have a wealth of experience,” he said. “My favorite part was the CEO Leadership Panel. Being someone who is early in my career I enjoyed hearing how to be a successful leader in your style. Especially the differences in style between Don Clark and Jon Ferrando and seeing that contrast.”
It was also the first Leadership Conference for Adam Christoffersen, senior general manager at Winnebago Towables, who thought it was a “great event” by the Emerging Leaders Coalition and RVIA. Having RVDA included was also a highlight for him, he added, because the relaxed atmosphere allowed for genuine conversations with colleagues.
“For me personally, I enjoyed having all aspects of our industry together – from finance companies, to yourself and the media, to suppliers, to OEMs, to dealers,” Christoffersen said. “A lot of times, like at the Elkhart RV Open House, I’m so engaged with dealers to show product and deliver orders and backlog for the company, that when other partners come in you don’t get the chance to connect with them. So, this week it was just great to be able to sit down and break bread and connect with everybody.”
Like Jenks, Christoffersen also singled out the “Unrealistic Hospitality” seminar as a highlight.
“I was able to easily draw from the restaurant industry to how we can interact as an OEM with our dealer partners and supplier partners to not just service black and white, but offer the color of hospitality and do a little bit more,” he said, adding that he also appreciated the presentation by Drew Tarvin, CEO of Humor That Works.
“I feel like we are always so serious and we’re always so like, ‘Hey! We got to get this information across or get this email across’ because we’re always running a million miles a minute,” he said. “Especially in the last 18 months, when we’ve all been grinding and running to keep everything going, it’s a good reflection for myself to just step back and remember to keep things light and funny, and drive connections with not only our internal team members but external dealer partners and supplier partners.”
