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for more sponsorship information contact Kera Tomlin at ktomlin@arvc.org
In the News Corner
ARVC tracks news alerts and RSS feeds for the latest information concerning member parks, campgrounds and the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds. Here is some of the most recent press coverage.
FOR MANY OF AMERICA’S PRIVATE CAMPGROUNDS AND RV PARKS, THE FUN DOESN’T STOP AT LABOR DAY WEEKEND
Many parks have activities stretching well into fall, including
pre-Halloween and Oktoberfest celebrations and other special events
LARKSPUR, Colo., Sept. 3, 2009 – Campgrounds and RV parks across the country are gearing up for Labor Day weekend with activities and themed events.
And there’s plenty to do.Campers who visit Redwoods River Resort in Leggett, Calif. can snorkel in a nearby river during the day, then join a scavenger hunt, meet their fellow campers in an ice cream social and sing karaoke by the campfire at night.Meanwhile, Hidden Acres Campground in West Salem, Ohio will offer crazy boat races for children, teens and adults as well as a fishing derby, crafts and a country western dance, while Ross Hill Park Family Campground in Lisbon, Conn. hosts a “Mad Science” show and an “End of Summer Blues Dance.”
To read more click here.
RV parks roll out on-site dining ...
By DIANA LAMBDIN MEYER / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News Jim King and his traveling companion, both of Daytona Beach, Fla., were hot, tired and grubby from a long day of sightseeing in and around St. Louis, Mo. When they returned to their 40-foot motor home at Sundermeier RV Park in St. Charles, they didn't feel like fixing dinner, nor did they feel like cleaning up to go out to eat.
So dinner came to them.
To read more click here.
The RV economic indicator written by: Jeffrey Wolf written by: Chris Vanderveen
DENVER - Robbie Wilson can tell you the exact month he first noticed a recession was underway.The sales manager at Nolans RV on North Federal Boulevard said, "In August of 2008. It was just like we forgot to open the gate on Federal. No one was coming in, nobody was buying anything."
He can also tell you the exact month things started to turn around.
"It started in May," he said.
Of course, the RV business tends to be seasonal in nature. But already this August his business is up 22 percent from last August.
To read more click here.
RV’s Included in ‘Invest in America’ Discounts Sept. 1 8/26/2009
By Jim Rubenstein
New details were spelled out today on expansion of the Invest in America program to include discounts and financing benefits on RVs under an agreement set to start Sept. 1 with Thor Industries, the nation’s largest producer of the vehicles.Under the pact, between CUCorp., the marketing subsidiary of the Michigan Credit Union League and Thor, members of participating CUs can receive up to $300-$1,000 in discounts when purchasing the vehicles through dealers.
To read more click here.
President's Corner
Important association updates by ARVC President/CEO, Linda Profaizer.
Los Angeles Area Fires
I’m sure everyone has been hearing about the horrible fires in the Los Angeles area. There were/are also fires in the Sacramento area and Yellowstone National Park. Debbie Sipe, Executive Director of CalARVC, shared with me that she hasn’t heard of any damage to any of the member parks in California except for Auburn RV Park. She heard from John Grant, the owner who reported: “They think the fire started from some homeless just west of the RV park on the hill towards Hwy 49. We were very lucky. Everything burned to up to the park's interior roads. We just lost our signs and some perimeter landscaping. The fire hydrants that had not been used since your parents (Debbies parents are Tug and Judy Miller built the park then known as Auburn Gold Country RV Park) built the park were used for the first time. Thanks for the thoughts.” Thankfully no major damage was done and so far, no other parks reporting damages. Please remember, if your park is hit by a disaster and you need some immediate financial aid, contact ARVC about the Disaster Relief Fund. You may qualify for a $1,000 grant and up to a $5,000 loan. Just call 800-395-2267.
1910-2010: The RV Industry Celebrates 100 Years of Exploration and Innovation
A century ago, the popularization of the automobile, improving roads, and America's passion for exploration gave rise to mass-produced, manufactured recreation vehicles, and the RV industry was born. In 2010, Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) and the RV industry will mark this centennial with an array of special activities celebrating the 100-year journey of a uniquely American product.
In 1910, there was no TV, no air conditioning and no phone, but there were RVs. Through war and peace, booms and busts, fuel lines, fads and the cyber revolution, the RV lifestyle has endured and is still going strong, even in today's challenging economic times.
"Think about how far we've come in the past 100 years in terms in technology, yet the reasons to RV remain the same," says RVIA President Richard Coon. "RVing has been able to thrive and grow because people still enjoy the freedom that it provides."
The industry will celebrate its centennial in 2010 with a series of events that showcase today's innovations and new products while emphasizing America's century-long love affair with RVs.
To read more click here.
Report: Four Out Of Five Americans Online Visit Social Networks
Note: If you are not into social networking for your park as yet, now is the time to start! If you missed the Social Networking 101 Webinar held in July, you can still find out how to use social networking to bring more customers to your park at the InSites Convention & Expo held November 9 – 12 in Orlando. We'd like to officially welcome you to The Facebook Age. Now, according to a new report from Forrester Research, more than four in five U.S. online adults report using social media at least once a month, while half report participating in social networks like Facebook. And while young people continue to march toward almost universal adoption of social applications, the most rapid growth occurred among consumers 35 and older says “Online Media Daily”. "This means the time to build social marketing applications is now," said Forrester analyst and report author Sean Corcoran. "Interactive marketers should influence social network chatter, master social communication, and develop social assets -- even if their customers are older."
To read more click here.
Hotels Giving Children The VIP Treatment
According to a recent article in The Boston Globe, with hotel occupancy down across the country, hotels are looking everywhere for customers and are catering to a new group of customers: children. Chefs are whipping up record numbers of chocolate chip pancakes at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Recorded readings of "Make Way for Ducklings'' are in demand around bedtime at the InterContinental Boston. At the Omni Parker House, the number of backpacks filled with canteens and mini flashlights being handed out by front desk clerks is through the roof.
According to D.K. Shifflet & Associates, a travel and tourism research company, the percentage of hotel rooms with children has been slowly but steadily increasing nationwide, from 25 percent in 2006 to 27 percent in 2008. And some local hotels have been rolling out the red carpet to attract these young guests, putting magicians in the lobby on Saturday mornings and stocking child-size bathrobes and slippers.
NOTE: We have to definitely get these “kids” into the real outdoors where they can use those backpacks and mini flashlights! ARVC is working on developing a program in conjunction with Ian and Sally Steyn’s campground involving Douglas County Schools here in Larkspur, CO that could serve as a nationwide prototype to get kids into our parks. We are also working with REI on some neat, downloadable games you can utilize with children in your parks.
We'd Like to Know How You Are Doing
We know these can be tough, scary times. We'd like to know how you are coping with the economy, where you are marketing, any information on reservations compared to last year or current occupancy. You can go online to make comments at goodnews@arvc.org or newsofconcern@arvc.org or just email me directly at lprofaizer@arvc.org Thanks.
Marketing/Partnerships
ARVC Marketing information and latest partnerships submitted by ARVC Marketing & Communications Director, Kera Tomlin.
Form the Perfect SEO Storm
Applying SEO best practices like keyword research and link-building is a surefire way to start increasing your search rankings. However, in a recent Search Engine Watch post, Chris Boggs warns us not to forget the non-SEO ways to get websites consistently ranked for relevant desired terms. "SEO involves getting lots of moving pieces coming together in the right way to form a perfect storm of sorts," Boggs explains.
After polling his fellow SEO team members, Boggs offers these top "non-SEO" tasks to support the SEO process:
Enhance website usability. Improving the information architecture of your site helps it be more easily found by spiders, Boggs notes, and increases the potential for internal linking with solid anchor text.
Work with other marketing teams. Work together with your other marketing teams to ensure the message being delivered offline is incorporated into the site's visible text. Always make sure to combine your efforts with the paid-search team, for example.
Incorporate traditional PR efforts into the SEO plan. Optimize press releases to help your company's website perform better within search results. Ensure proper placement of structured hypertext links within the article to relevant pages at the site, and help distribute the article.
The Po!nt: Seed those perfect storm clouds. To yield long-term success, think beyond SEO best practices and keep in mind how these "non-SEO" factors also drive organic traffic.
Plan-It Green Corner
Tell Us How Your Park Is GREENEmail us and tell us what your park is doing to be green!! info@arvc.org
Green for less: Make your workplace eco-friendlyAriston Anderson | Apr 23rd 2009
Rainn Wilson, who plays The Office's notoriously anti-environment watchdog Dwight Schrute, once said in an interview, "Dundler Mifflin is not about green. We're about producing and selling paper. We want people to not recycle. Dundler Mifflin wants people to use as many paper products as possible. So stop recycling immediately! And buy more paper!"
While you probably won't meet someone so vehemently anti-green in your work experience, you'll most likely meet with a lot of apathy. Who wants to recycle when it looks like the cleaning lady just throws the bottles and papers out with the trash anyway? And why take the time to wash out your mug when there's a stack of nice Styrofoam cups so readily placed by the coffee machine?
To read more click here.
Education Corner
Educational information submitted by ARVC Education Director, Cheryl Smith.
POOT Tour Info 9/2/09
This year we will be packing a lot of content into the shorter one-day format. The tour’s general theme is “Success is in Managing the Details”. We’ll kick off the day with a short classroom session to “set the stage” and then visit three top quality properties to see how they plan and execute great guest experiences. Of course, we will spend a good deal of time at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort to study their approach to design and operation. This is a “don’t miss” opportunity to gain an understanding of important principles that you can implement at your park.
The tour will be hosted again by industry expert Bob MacKinnon. Bob spent over 30 years managing Disney properties in Florida and California before starting his consulting practice, operating various campgrounds, and earning his Lifetime CPO. This tour will benefit those with all levels of experience, from industry newcomers to veterans. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn from the best and network with folks from all over the country.
Participation is limited to 40 people, so register now while seats are available!
OSHA Compliance Training At InSites in Orlando, FL
November 8, 2009
8 am – 4pm
NOW!!!! $25.00 per personThanks to Evergreen Insurance for Sponsoring this event!
You asked for it! And we are bringing this topic to ARVC’s 2009 InSites Convention.We know that you might be afraid to ask those OSHA questions, so we are bringing J.J. Keller & Asociates, Inc. to you for 8 hour compliance training.The following topics will be covered:
- Material handling
- Fire safety
- Personal protective equipment
- Hazard communication
- Lockout/tagout
- Respiratory protection
- Hearing protection
- Emergency action and fire prevention
- Forklift/Skid loader
- Machine guarding\Bloodborne pathogens
- Hearing safety
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Electrical
- Emergency planning
- Eye Safety
If you were to take this class on your own, it would be $450 per person on up. Sign up early, only 40 seats available for this class. Great price for important information.Reserve online at www.arvc.org or call the ARVC office at 303-681-0401.
InSites 2009 The clock is tickin'...
Register NOW for InSites 2009!
Everything you need to know to register for
InSites 2009 can be found on our website at www.arvc.org or call 1-800-395-2267.
And don’t forget about the Outdoor Hospitality Expo!
The Outdoor Hospitaly Expo is the #1 Marketplace for the RV Park & Campground Industry. You won’t want to miss out on this special two day event filled with the latest products, services, technologies to better serve your park guests!
At the Expo you can find the following…just to name a few!
- Apparel
- Cabins, Park Models, Yurts, Teepees – Rental Units
- Consulting Services
- Food Products/Supplies
- Gifts/Novelties for your park store
- Maintenance & Ground Maintenance
- Pools/Fountain Supplies/Water Games/Activities
- Propane
- Recreational Supplies/Equipment
- Laundry Facilities/ Coin Operated Items
- Signage, Office Supplies
- MUCH more!