Excitement is growing around the Expo at ARVC’s virtual 2020 Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE) in November largely due to ARVC’s new Hosted Buyer Program. Attendees participating in the Hosted Buyer Program will be able to connect directly with exhibitors offering the products and services that interest them and, at the same time, get their registration for free.

Excitement is growing around the Expo at ARVC’s virtual 2020 Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE) in November largely due to ARVC’s new Hosted Buyer Program. Attendees participating in the Hosted Buyer Program will be able to connect directly with exhibitors offering the products and services that interest them and, at the same time, get their registration for free.

This unique feature of OHCE2020 will bring qualified decision makers and exhibitors together through pre-scheduled video meetings at the virtual Expo. Campground owners, operators and general managers who are interested in becoming Hosted Buyers can easily apply while registering for OHCE—the process only takes about five minutes. One hosted buyer will be accepted per park, and those who are accepted and attend a minimum of five pre-scheduled video meetings with exhibitors at the OHCE2020 virtual Expo, will have their registration fees refunded! Click here to learn more about being a Hosted Buyer and to register for OHCE.

Kelly Knight, president of Bergheim Campground, Inc., an ARVC member who is in the process of developing a 250-site resort-style RV park in central Texas has already registered and been accepted as a Hosted Buyer. She says the application process was easy and she’s excited about the opportunity to connect with participating exhibitors.

“I’m really wanting to connect with suppliers who can help educate me in what we’re going to need and to possibly engage them as we proceed forward,” she says. “I wanted to become more educated, so I joined ARVC, and when the Hosted Buyer Program came along, I thought it was the perfect timing. I’m hoping it will be an efficient way to make those connections.”

Knight says she is interested in meeting with suppliers that provide a variety of operational products and services for the RV park industry, including electrical services, park models, online reservations systems and other technology. She says she would have signed up for the Hosted Buyer Program even without the opportunity to have her registration fee refunded.

“It’s always nice to get something for free, but I’d be there anyway,” she says. “I guarantee we’ll do enough business with somebody to pick up the cost.”

Steve Bledsoe, global strategic account manager for ARVC Member Benefit Provider Club Car, is a supplier who will be participating in the virtual Expo at OHCE2020. Club Car is the world’s largest manufacturer of small-wheel, zero-emissions electric vehicles and they offer an exclusive member discount to ARVC members, up to 25% off MSRP select models (to lease or own). He says the virtual Expo and the Hosted Buyer Program will give attendees an easy way to learn what exhibitors have to offer.

“We’re all there for the same exact reason,” he says. “Though we’re there selling, we are also there to make attendees’ lives better, their jobs easier and their offerings more enticing for the campers.”

While the Expo is always beneficial for attendees, participating in the Expo can be a very worthwhile investment for exhibitors too—a recent survey shows that 90 percent of OHCE attendees purchase from exhibitors at the Expo or within six months of the show.

OHCE2020 is November 2-5, 2020 and registration open now. To register as a Hosted Buyer, click on the Hosted Buyer option during the registration process to take full advantage of what the virtual Expo at OHCE2020 will have to offer. To reserve a spot as an exhibitor or sponsor of the show, reach out to Gary Headrick or call 303-681-0401 x 130.