Special Workshops Precede KOA’s Annual Conference in Texas – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) hosted a special group of workshops at the San Antonio/Alamo KOA in San Antonio, Texas, before the kickoff of its annual conference on Monday (Nov. 18).
Over 100 park owners/operators took part in the event, which included a chance for owners to walk through the park while also learning about different facets of park ownership.
Workshops in which attendees took part included:
- Camp Store: Drive Profit Through Product and Price
- Safety Safari: A Real-Time Campground Risk Assessment Workshop
- Site Grading for Success
- Elevate the Experience: Planning Recreation for Campgrounds
- Resurrecting the Unrentable: Cabin Repair & Refurbishment Techniques
- First Impressions Matter: Visiting a Campground Like a Guest
Throughout some of the sessions, attendees were able to visually see how the different topics impact a park and also offer feedback on what they might do differently.
Kim Wootteon, vice president of commercial strategy for KOA, spoke about the importance of dissecting data when deciding what items to put in a camp store and how that can ensure park owners are not holding on to store products for too long.
She also spoke about the difference between margins and markdowns, and how demographics are also key when deciding what to stock in a camp store.
As part of the session, attendees were then able to walk through the KOA’s camp store and note what they liked and what they had questions/suggestions on.
Barb Stachurski, co-owner of the Virginia Beach KOA, highlighted the importance of creating a recreation program during her session. She noted that camping revolves around creating memories and that a recreation program can help create those memories, whether it is through crafts, nature events, community events…etc.
Stachurski highlighted the use of community partnerships and how these partnerships can help alleviate some of the burden of doing it yourself.
“Maybe it is inviting some food trucks to come and provide food instead of doing it yourself,” she said. “Campers will appreciate the effort.”
Stachurski explained that you don’t have to start big, park owners can begin with simple stuff and then see where it goes from there.
“It is just important to remember that everything we do, we want to do it well,” she noted. “It all adds up to a great guest experience.”
First Timers Event & Welcome Reception
Later in the day, KOA held its First Timers event, which allows those attending the conference for the first time to hook up with attendees who have been coming to the KOA conference for a while. The event was marked by a large attendance, highlighting the growth of the KOA brand.
After that event, hundreds of conference attendees gathered at Rita’s on the Riverwalk for an opening night celebration that featured great food, a mariachi band and a chance for networking.
Today, KOA is officially kicking off its conference with opening speeches by KOA officials, including President and CEO Toby O’Rourke. There will also be several educational sessions held later in the morning.
Ryan Estis is set to give this year’s keynote speech during lunch. He will be speaking on human-centered leadership and how to drive growth.
More workshops will take part in the afternoon, followed by a KOA Owner’s Association Event at The Grotto.
