Go RVing, Campgrounds Addressed at RVs Move America Week – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
WASHINGTON D.C. – Amid the 20 or so RV Industry Association (RVIA) committee meetings conducted as part of RVs Move America Seek, two high-profile groups – the Go RVing Coalition and the Campground Coalition – also gathered to work on their respective agendas.
One of the more notable items from the Go RVing Coalition meeting itself was the announcement that Go RVing was partnering with the upcoming movie “The Wild Robot” by DreamWorks Animation. While RVing is not a primary component in the movie, Go RVing officials were attracted to its storyline of an epic adventure following the journey of a robot that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling. Animators will provide additional RV-related content that Go RVing will be able to use in marketing campaign in conjunction with the movie, which will premiere Sept. 27.
This is the second Hollywood collaboration for Go RVing, the first time with Disney for “Toy Story 4” in 2019.
Campground Coalition
Having only been formed last year, the Campground Coalition is still in its infancy. It’s comprised of a couple dozen or so people representing various stakeholders including RV manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, and representatives from the campground industry such as OHIOO (formerly National ARVC), Kampgrounds of America (KOA), Spacious Skies Campgrounds and various state campground owner associations.
In its meeting at the Mayflower Hotel, coalition members both in person and via livestream video feed enjoyed a very lively discussion on addressing a mission statement that is both broad in scope and bold in desire.
“The primary purpose of the RV Campground Coalition is to unify and strengthen the RV camping industry, to ensure the current and future health of the RV camping experience is intact,” said Trevor Kropf of Kropf Industries, who serves as chariman of the coalition. “So, we’re all trying to get to that common goal of strengthening the industry.”
Several sub-committees have been formed to help galvanize the coalition’s efforts in an efficient approach, Kropf explained.
“We’ve already done a lot of the heavy lifting and some of the legwork, but we’re just trying to keep the engine going through this whole process,” Kropf told RVBusiness. “But within the past three months, I think we’ve already made some great headway as far as the work that’s been done. And meeting together here in D.C., I think it just further proved that we’ve got people that want to do that as far as strengthening the industry.”
As mentioned, coalition members and the two dozen guests engaged in a robust conversation on various topics, some of which included:
- Developing an advocacy toolkit to help campground owners better work with local municipalities;
- Identify and aggregate the appropriate data from various entities that will further the advance coalition’s efforts;
- And collaborate with other groups, such as Go RVing, the RV Technical Institute and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable.
“It’s just really exciting to see everybody – the RV dealers, the campgrounds, the manufacturers and suppliers – come together and work on the future of camping and improving the consumer experience, making sure that this next generation of camper has the amenities they want and we’re meeting their expectations,” said Chris Bornemann RVIA’s Senior Director of Government Relations and the association’s liaison for the coalition.
“We always say the RV industry is a three-legged stool. You have the manufacturers and suppliers, the dealers and service centers, and the campgrounds and RV parks. We’re all stronger together, and the closer we work together, the better we all are for it,” he added.
Go RVing Coalition
While the concept of the Go RVing campaign was formed 30 years ago, its coalition meeting during RVs Move America Week was the first in-person time for the group under its new structure – its members have specific marketing skillsets – and its new co-chairs, Rene Jones, vice president of marketing of THOR Industries, and Michael Regan, president of Crestview RV Center, Buda, Texas. The two replaced longtime co-chairs Airstream President Bob Wheeler and the late Dan Pearson of PleasureLand RV Center in Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Speaking about the committee makeup, Jones said it was simply a matter of tapping into the “marketing prowess that exists among the various RVIA members to create a coalition that can maximize Go RVing, help the OEMs and others as much as possible without hindering what they’re doing, so that we can elevate the entire industry.”
“So, it was really just all about bringing in key folks from across the industry into this environment, and getting all of the magic in one room to try to really find out how do we reach those consumers so we can get them in the RV lifestyle so that we all benefit,” Jones told RVBusiness.
Jones added that this was the first meeting, too, after last year having several RVIA’s marketing, events, government affairs and other key personnel also being added to the Go RVing team. She said adding those people and their specific skillsets is beneficial, because it sets the stage for a more holistic and value-added approach.
“The other great thing about the new structure of the coalition is it’s really designed for us to be able to create task forces across the industry when they’re needed,” she said. “So, for example, we know research data and analytics will be really important. And we’ll be tapping folks who are experts in their everyday lives and bringing them on board to help us elevate that on behalf of the whole industry.”
For his part, Regan said the new coalition structure, having fewer members, means it can be “more nimble” and that “we’re looking for some good things out of this group. We can come up with some task forces and get some input from all the participants, so I feel good about it.”
He added that both he and Jones are well aware of the important roles they have in stewarding the highly successful Go RVing campaign.
“The history with Go RVing is just amazing. It’s the envy, I think, of all of our competitor industries – whether it’s boating and motorcycle, air travel, the hotels. Nobody has an industry-wide initiative like Go RVing, and it’s been phenomenal for our industry over the last 30 years,” he said.
Regan mentioned that in his brief tenure thus far, he’s already been impressed with what he’s seen as far as what goes on behind the scenes at Go RVing.
“The people are very, very talented,” he said. “Whether it’s RVIA, RVDA, the people behind the curtain are the ones who do all the heavy lifting – and they’re in this room. It’s not the chairs. It’s the same with any chairman and any volunteer role that I’ve had. It’s the people behind the curtain, and we have some very talented people.”
Perhaps it was Jones who summed it up best: “We got this, and we’re stronger and better than ever. We have a new board, a new board structure, and then coming out of the board and the new structure within RV and Go RVing, we have a new coalition structure, all of which combine to make us stronger, work better together, and be able to maximize all of the talent and to provide value to the industry so that we all win.”
