Continuing an industry-wide trend of growth, the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) set another record for attendance, this time at the National School of RV Park and Campground Management. This year, 85 attendees made the trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C for the school (Feb. 24-27), learning best practices and management techniques from industry experts.

Continuing an industry-wide trend of growth, the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) set another record for attendance, this time at the National School of RV Park and Campground Management. This year, 85 attendees made the trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C for the school (Feb. 24-27), learning best practices and management techniques from industry experts. 

The increase in National School attendees follows in the footsteps of a record-setting 2019 Outdoor Hospitality Conference and Expo (OHCE) and ARVC’s 2019 Industry Trends and Insights Report, which showed the industry is seeing rapid growth and is primed for even expansion in 2020. Attendees at National School came from a large variety of parks and backgrounds, ranging from industry newcomers to veterans looking to find new ways to invigorate their parks.  

There were 62 Year One attendees and 23 Year Two returners. Year One students receive a Outdoor Hospitality Management (OHM) certificate, while Year Two students earn their Outdoor Hospitality Professional (OHP) certificate. This year’s educational highlights included an increase in activity-based learning, access to online assessments for continuing educations units (CEUs) and a day of park tours at two local ARVC-member parks in Myrtle Beach—Lakewood Camping Resort and Ocean Lakes Family Campground. 

“I was excited to attend National School and benefit from the knowledge of such a wide range of experts from the camping industry. Once again ARVC did not disappoint,” says attendee Courtney Miller, the Customer Service/Community Outreach Specialist for Parks Management Company. “The classes were informative, (I mean PACKED with information) and fun and the connections and discussions with others were an added bonus.” 

ARVC is continuing to create new avenues and easier access to its offerings as it revamps its educational program to feed the growing demand. 

“We are thrilled with the success of National School and OHCE this year and will continue offering industry-leading education and networking opportunities to our members and those in the outdoor hospitality industry,” says Paula Horwitz, ARVC’s Executive Director, Education and Events. “We are also especially excited for the new educational opportunities that we are debuting later this year.”  

The newest education experience available as part of the ARVC Online Education Portal is the NFPA 1194® Completion Certification class, previously offered only at OHCE, which will now be offered on a year-round basis. The online version of the NFPA certification allows for more flexibility because classes can be taken anytime, anywhere. Learn more about the ARVC’s online education here: https://www.arvc.org/Online-Education 

Also new this year, ARVC will debut its Prospective Owners Workshop (POW) from May 4-6 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The event includes three days of classes, discussions and park tours geared to prepare individuals for park ownership. If you currently own land and have a dream of opening an RV park or campground, or just want to learn more about owning an outdoor hospitality business, you can learn more about the workshop, at https://www.arvc.org/Prospective-Campground-Owners-Workshop.  

“With the strong growth our industry is seeing right now, we are seeing a great deal of interest in this type of workshop,” says Horwitz. “People looking to build an outdoor hospitality business of any kind will find this workshop extremely valuable and we’re hoping to expand it to more than just once per year in the future.”