Campground Owners Expo Starts Today in Branson, Mo. – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News

The third annual Campground Owners Expo kicks off today, Nov. 29, at the Hilton Branson Convention Center in Branson, Mo. Show organizers have told Woodall’s Campground Magazine (WCM), a sister publication of RVBusiness, that they are expecting a record-breaking attendance at this year’s event.

Attendee numbers have continued to climb for the show, jumping from a couple hundred for the first show to over 400 attendees last year. The show has seen a mix of attendees from small park owners to large park operators.

“I think one of the most exciting aspects of this show is that there is a broad range of owners/operators that attendees get to network with,” said Lori Severson, who co-founded the event with Bud Styer, owner of Bud Styer Associates, in 2021.

On the expo side, the COE has expanded its booth layout and expects to welcome close to 200 vendors this year.

“We have noticed that vendors want to bring larger displays,” Severson said. “We are working on fitting in a big cabin at the moment that one vendor wants to bring in.”

The expo will be held at the front end of the conference this year, today and Nov. 30, a change from past years due to feedback from vendors and attendees.

This year’s agenda features a wide variety of sessions including topics on legal, marketing and business issues, with speakers like Mark Hazelbaker, WACO’s attorney; Mark Koep, the founder of Campground Views; Ron Romens, the founder of Commercial Recreation Specialists; Jeff Crider, a well-known industry publicist; numerous state association executive directors and more.

Overall, the show expects to host around 50 seminars. You can view the full agenda below or by clicking here. 

One of the key things that the COE focused on for this year’s show was ensuring there were more seminars taught by peers.

“Attendees want to hear from others who have been in their position,” Severson said. “We have people leading sessions this year that have 20-, 30-, 40-plus years of experience.”

The show also offers a chance for state associations to host gatherings at the conference, something the Illinois Campground Association took advantage of last year and is planning to do so again this year.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/campground-owners-expo-starts-today-in-branson-mo/