RVIA will host a 2023 Leadership Conference March 15-18 in Phoenix.
RV industry leaders from the manufacturing, supplier, dealer and campground segments are invited to attend.
Samatha Rocci, RVIA senior manager, government affairs, said RVIA President and CEO Craig Kirby formed the association’s Emerging Leader Coalition to generate unity and build connections. The conference is a way to get the next generations of leaders together and get them connected, she said.
RVIA held an event test run in Palm Springs, California, last year in March with RVIA board members and select Emerging Leaders Coalition members. After the proof-of-concept event, emerging leaders and board members said it was valuable to hear one another’s perspectives, Rocci said.
RVIA is taking lessons from the test run and applying them to this year’s conference. At the inaugural March event, the group will provide active events as well as lecture-style learning. The conference will include hiking and focused training, featuring role-playing scenarios and leadership self-assessments from Echelon Front, a training group with Instagram buzz.
“We will be focusing on hands-on leadership training,” Rossi said, “but we will also want to provide opportunities for really candid conversation and discourse between current leaders and the next gen of leaders as that was something that was really well liked.”
Jeremy Green, RVIA senior director, events and marketing said RV industry members have told him they did not know what RVIA was about until they attended an RVIA-sponsored event. The conference provides an opportunity to individuals looking to take the next step towards leadership in their organizations, he said.
“This conference is not necessarily just about RVIA, but we hope that we can be something that binds these different groups together,” he said. “Think about somebody that has not had involvement in your company or a partner of your company and that is who we would like you to recommend coming to this conference.”
The $1,495 registration fee includes three nights at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa during the conference, resort fee, the keynote and leadership sessions, group outdoor activity and meals. Access the full conference schedule here.
Spouses can register for the evening receptions, dinners and outdoor activity for $295.
“We are really excited about this leadership conference that pulls together the best and the brightest,” said Ryan Elias, president of Leisure Travel Vans/Triple E RV and the Emerging Leaders Coalition chair.
Rocci said the organization is considering offering an event scholarship next year.
The conference registration deadline is Feb. 17. Click here to register.
