2nd World RV Conference

The 2^nd World RV Conference hosted by RVIA was held January 17 – 20 in Tampa, FL.  RVIA reported that the conference drew 216 RV industry leaders from 16 countries.  arvc president/CEO Paul Bambei and I attended this world event.

I had the opportunity to serve on a panel in a session titled “World Campground Standards” which was moderated by Kathy Palmeri, a former Chairman of arvc.

The panel included myself as director of state relations and program advocacy at the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (arvc) representing the United States; Ian Beadel, an owner/operator of an award-winning campground in Australia; Nick Lomas, director general of The Caravan Club in England.

In this workshop, the panelists discussed what marketing messages are used to attract and retain consumers and keep the camping/RVing experience “top of mind” in today’s competitive leisure travel market.

The discussion also included what standard amenities and attractions consumers expect; what types of facilities drive outdoor enthusiasts; and how all industry segments can work together to be sure that the RV consumer is delighted with their campground experience.

We need to market the experience!  Today’s customers are looking for memories and unique experiences.  It is important to create value not only through superior facilities or excellent services, but through premium experiences.

In my research I ran across the term “Exponomy.”  We live in an experience economy (Exponomy) – an economy where people are willing to pay a premium price to have a memorable experience.  We must orchestrate memorable events for our customers, and that memory itself becomes the product – the “experience.”  Much of the discussion by the other panelist verified that this is a “borderless” issue. 

All of the panelist agree that the demographics are changing.  Camper research also confirms that over half of private campground guests today are “regional” if not “local.”  Due to time constraints, fuel prices, and the availability of great destination campgrounds close to home, RV families are taking advantage of nearby RV parks and campgrounds.

There is also a trend in diversification of the types of accommodations offered moving more toward a resort atmosphere.  This trend is here to stay and RV parks and campgrounds must adapt to the different hospitality requirements of these trends.  Some of the common trends included:

     ·         Internet/WIFI

·         Park Trailers, Cabins, Yurts and other forms of accommodations

·         Bigger Spaces

·         Water Parks

·         Health and Fitness Centers

 

Technology will continue to have a major impact on the way we do business.  I see the growth in the use of mobile websites to be a “driving” factor in this as well.  According to the authors of “Unconventional Wisdom Works”, a smart phone is more than just a phone.  It is a camera, e-mail client, QR code reader, flashlight, alarm clock, mobile payment device, social media interface, e-mail client, app player, and web browser.  Currently, over 20% of Google searches originate on mobile devices.

 

According to the Mobile Marketing Association:

• 70% of all mobile searches result in action within 1 hour.
• Mobile coupons realize 10 times the redemption rate of conventional coupons. 

We also identified the need for RV parks and campgrounds to work closely with RV Dealers to insure that all new customers have a positive “first” experience. 

 

The world became a smaller place for me as I realized that no matter what the country, people need to recreate.  In most cases you could cut and paste the country name in when it came to customer expectations and also the impact government regulations have on the outdoor recreation industry and the challenges that RV Park and Campground owners face in an ever changing economy.

 

I believe the outdoor recreation industry is positioned for very positive growth in the future and we have the greatest opportunity to excel when we market the experience!

It was announced that Australia will host the 3rd World RV Conference in 2015.

 

Ready, Set….Break!

Whether you have a seasonal park that is closed for the winter or a snowbird park gearing up for your busy season or somewhere in between, it’s “Break Time”. The arvc Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo is just a few short weeks away and from my experience attending most of the conferences over the past 35 years I have always found them to be rejuvenating.

 

If you have never attended an arvc conference then read on. After a hectic season I would find myself exhausted and feeling like I needed and deserved to take a much needed “break.” I always found the conference was the best break I could possibly take. It's where you can network with so many people in the same industry, share ideas, and see new products and services being offered in the industry. At the conference, expect to have a hard time choosing which seminars with so many relevant topics to pick from. On top of that there are many opportunities to have fun and socialize with old friends and make so many new friends as well.

 

I always looked at the annual conference as an investment in myself and my business. I only had two goals for attending: 1) Get an idea to increase revenue that I could implement, and 2) Get an idea to decrease expenses that I could implement. My goals were simple; however I always accomplished those two goals and so much more. I would return home highly motivated and feeling rejuvenated. I can honestly tell you that I always, let me say that again, I always got a return on my investment — the cost of attending the conference.

 

It always grieves me when I hear someone say they can’t attend because of the cost. If you only look at the cost then you will never be able to justify many things. If you put it in proper perspective and view it as an investment in you and your business you will see a return on that investment. If you’ve always wanted to attend an arvc conference but never have, then maybe it’s time you make the investment! It’s the best “break” you’ll ever take. For all of you planning on attending the OHCE in Las Vegas, I’ll see you in a few weeks.

Technology: Who, Me?

In some areas of my life I consider myself to be “old school” by today’s standards. I get up at 4 a.m., put on the coffee pot and then proceed up my driveway to retrieve my morning newspaper which arrives about the same time. This time, however, the newspaper wasn’t there! My immediate solution: I didn’t even hesitate to power up my laptop to access the newspaper online.

Already 12 years into the twenty first century, things sure have changed. Now, no matter where I’m at, I can read my daily local newspaper online and when I travel I don’t have to worry about all those newspapers piled up that I wanted to read but could never find the time. Old news is just that, old news.

I hate to admit, but in many ways while I was in business I fought technology kicking and screaming. I always wanted my business to be “personable” and felt like technology was encroaching on that. After some real soul searching however, I finally realized that my lack of embracement for technology was due to my resistance to change. I don’t think I am unlike many people, we are uncomfortable with change. The problem though was my customer had changed and I’m sure I wasn’t setting the pace, or even catching up at times with their needs.

When I finally got honest with myself, I realized that I was intimidated by all the new technology. That has changed and I can explain it something like this: It’s a lot like driving a car. You don’t have to know all the workings of an internal combustion engine to drive a car. You have to learn the rules of the road, make sure there is fuel in the tank, turn the key on, put it in gear and away you go. Of course brakes are important as well. Think about when you learned to drive compared to now and all the things that have just become second nature to you. Embracing technology works the same way.

To give you a few examples of how my perspective has changed, I had professional people design my website, just like it’s better to have a real mechanic work on my vehicle. That’s not to say I can’t do a few things myself, some things are better left to professionals. Not updating your website periodically is like cleaning your restrooms and thinking you don’t have to do that again until next year.

Another example of how my technology perspective has evolved is my support for online reservations. I never wanted to do a reservation system at my park, I wanted to take each reservation by phone and make it personal. Times have changed. Example: I had to go out of town and wanted to book a room. I got online and my first choice hotel didn’t take online reservations. I could have called them but instead went to the next location and was able to book online and in short order I had my confirmation number. It was quick & efficient. It probably doesn’t take many potential guests to make a big difference to your bottom line.

In an article “The Evolution of Online Travel,” Feb. 21, 2012, by Lauren Hockenson states, “this year, there will be 117.6 million online travel researchers in the U.S. — that’s 61 percent of America’s users. Of these, 98.3 million actually will book online.” While not industry specific for the RV Park & Campground industry, it tells me there is some real potential for our industry.

I was at a meeting recently and relaying a joke about this new all-inclusive website that you could go to solve all your social media needs called “You Twit Face” (referencing You Tube, Twitter & Facebook). It was a joke but somebody started writing it down.

Okay, social media is not as simple as that but it grieves me when I hear someone say, “I don’t have the time!” What are you saying? You don’t have time for your business? Look, times have changed whether we like it or not and the way our customers communicate have changed as well. The retired segment of our customer base took to the internet like a duck to water but social media is a staple of the next generations.

Performance monitoring service, Pingdom, has done another one of its mammoth social media studies that shows the average ages of social media users and it holds no surprises … more than half are between 25 and 44 years old, with only 5 percent under 17 and only 1 percent over 65. The absolute average across all social networks is 36.9 years old.

Find a way to develop a presence. There are numerous tools and strategies out there, including one that arvc provides. We launched the new GoCampingAmerica website in August and it is very user friendly for consumers. More importantly, it’s very easy for you to update your profile in real time, add photos and connect your social media. There are even tutorials available to assist you through the process. If you have questions please contact Jake Poterbin at jpoterbin@arvc.org.

I believe each of you will do one of two things. You will either find a reason or make up an excuse why you are not going to embrace technology or you will strive to utilize the many opportunities available to you and mold and shape them to fit your successful business plan. I have visited thousands of parks and never saw two that were exactly alike. That’s the beauty of technology and the web: it’s adaptable to a park’s character, showing consumers the character of the park and making the experience surprisingly personable.

What is State Net?

arvc employs the services of State Net through our legal/lobbying firm of McDermott, Will & Emery (MWE) in Washington, D.C. which provides arvc with State Legislative & Regulatory Reports on a daily basis.  It is my responsibility to review these reports daily and notify you about potential industry specific legislation/regulations in your state. 

YTD I have reviewed 5,446 pieces of legislation and 1,305 regulations and forwarded 276 of these issues to the specific state for review.

In an effort to keep all state leaders as informed as possible,  I have included information below about how this arvc program works.

What is State Net?   State Net differs from just an automated search engine or information collection system.  State Net gathers information using over 100 legislative experts who read legislation for relevance and don’t just rely on a “text” search for specific terms but track relevance to our specific industry interests. 

How was the search criteria developed?  arvc requested each affiliated state association to provide us with specific issues that were important to their state.  MWE compiled that information to develop the search criteria and provided that to State Net.

Who receives the notification from arvc on a specific issue?

• State Associations with an Executive Director:  Executive Director
• State Associations with no Executive Director:  President
• States with no association:  All arvc members in that state.
• All notifications:  David Ransom, MWE.

Our State Association already employs the services of a lobbyist.  That’s great!  That means there is two pair of eyes watching out for your interest.  However, most state associations do not have the resources for a lobbyist to monitor legislation & regulations in their state.  If you have a lobbyist please have them contact me at jsims@arvc.org to keep me informed as well.

When you receive a legislative/regulatory notification from arvc you should review the issue for relevance and impact on the industry in your state.  After your review, send your comments or questions to me.  If an issue comes to your attention in your state that you would like me to specifically review send that to me as well.

While I have already sent you the notifications, I can provide you with a report of the specific bills and status we are monitoring in your state.  I will send you a complete report at the end of this year and in 2013 I will be sending you a quarterly report.

The State Net program is just one of the many services and benefits arvc provides our membership.

NFPA 1194 Proposals

The Technical Committee of the NFPA 1194 meeting was held in Seattle, WA on May 22 – 24, 2012. arvc Representative Wade Elliott (Utility Supply Group) delivered arvc’s response to each of the 5 proposals.  After compiling the responses from members all across the country I provided them to Wade along with an official recommendation to reject Proposals 1, 2, 3 & 4 which were rejected on the First Draft Result.  We did support Proposal 5.  7.8.2 Waste Treatment System.  The waste treatment system design capacity shall be based on a minimum discharge of 35 50 gallons (189.3 L) and a maximum of 60 100 gallons (378.5 L) per day per site.  This First Draft Result was Accept With Revision.

 Here is a thumb nail view of the process:

 1.       Technical Committee reviews proposals and generates a First Draft.  Committee members   vote on First Draft.

2.       Public is allowed to comment on committee decisions.
3.       Technical Committee meets to review comments and determine whether to affirm First Draft decision or reverse their decision on the proposal then generates Second Draft.
4.       NFPA committees and Board of Directors meet to approve Second Draft and publishes results.

 We are half way through the first bullet point above.  All proposals were resolved as we requested.  First Draft voting should occur within the next 60 days.  Public comment is then accepted through 11/16/2012, with the second draft meeting occurring after this comment period.  We will need to stay vigilant throughout this process and have our representatives insure that our desires are heard.

Testing the Assumption: I'm Full Every Weekend!

I'm full every weekend.  Have you ever said that?  When I hear that phrase, what I interpret it as is "I'm not full on weekdays."  Usually it is used as an excuse, a reason why the person speaking doesn't need to belong to an association.  The fact is, that by belonging and attending state meetings members can take advantage of the opportunity to network with other park operators and get new ideas.

For example, when I uttered those words to myself, a very interesting solution appeared.  It drove me to visit three major hospitals in my area and, working with their Human Resources Department, I worked out a benefit for their employees to provide them a variety of benefits and discounts at my park.

Why did I do that?  Think about it, hospitals are usually major employers in an area, they have three shifts of people, and many work weekends.  Hospital staff have Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays off.  It is a great market to boost low occupancy times while providing valuable R and R to these hard working, high stress professionals.

As an association member, when I attend meetings and seminars my goal is very simple and focused.  All I need to do is to come away with one good idea to increase revenues and/or one good idea to curb expenses to make it all worthwhile.  Typically, I come away with a whole lot more than just two actionable ideas.  Make plans to attend your spring state meetings (review the meetings calendar on www.arvc.org ).  Representatives from ARVC will be present at most of the state meetings this year.  Bring your challenges and your ideas; we'll see you there.

"Old Tires & Tree Stumps"

A couple of things that seem to accumulate around a park are old tires and tree stumps.  The old tires are usually the result of when you change tires on your vehicle there's always that "one" that wasn't totally worn out and you might need it someday.  The tree stumps are usually cut off high enough so you won't hit rocks with your chainsaw and believe that someday you will hire someone to come to your park and grind them out.  Both are good intentions and poor execution because someday rarely arrives.

One day I got out my Sawzall and cut the tread portion of the tires into the shape of palm leaves about two feet long.  The next step was to dry brush them with green paint.  If you have never dry brushed, it is very simple.  Dab your paint brush in the paint and using an old plastic coffee can lid (or any other surface) wipe most of the paint off.  Then lightly brush over the top surface of the tire and not in the grooves.  The tread design will give you somewhat of a leaf pattern.  Then mount the leaf on top of the stump.  It will be virtually indestructible.

Not all tires will work for this because of the steel belts.  You don't want to have little steel wires poking out everywhere.  If you have a great idea or solution you would like me to share, please send it to me at jsimsarvc.org