HOSTING AN RV RALLY—WHAT’S INVOLVED?

During the annual RVIA Convention in Louisville, KY in December, I had the opportunity to meet with the RV Manufacturers Club Association (RVMCA) to discuss caravans and rallies.

What are the requirements for hosting rallies or caravans? The following have shared their site specifications.

Jimmy Johnson, Allegro Club, Tiffin Motorhomes and President of RVMCA
Jimmy.johnson@tiffinmotorhomes.com, Phone 256-356-8522

120 sites in one area of the facility
Full hookups (water, electric and sewer)
50 amps
Pull-through sites
Building large enough to feed 275
Space for display RVs
Resource for information about local caterers, entertainment, activities, tours, etc.
Sites assigned by CG staff

We can work with:
100 sites
W/E (water and electricity)
Honey Wagon availability
Back-ins
Space for large tent in absence of building

Sam Whitaker , Commercial Coordinator
Representing Fleetwood Travelcade Club
Samginny1129@yahoo.com

Our requirements in order for us consider a location are as follows: 400 sites, water, would like to have sewerage sites if possible or on site dumping stations, 30 or 50 Amp power, meeting facilities should be such to accommodate 800 people and space for vendor display. It would be nice if they have kitchen space.

Lester A Potteiger, International Events Manager, Gulf Streamers International RV Club
mailto:Samginny1129@yahoo.com
Phone 540-220-7649 cell phone

1. At least 50 sites available as close as possible to being level
2. Full hookup sites with 50 AMP electric, water and sewer
3. Meeting/Eating/Entertainment facility for at least 100 people within walking distance of sites
4. Bonuses: WiFi, cable TV hookups, nearby public transportation
And, of course, it is important that it be located in an area of interest with nearby attractions to our members.

Barney Barnett, Newmar Kountry Klub, International Director
Phone 877-639-5582, bbarnett@newmarcorp.com

• Require 30amps electric and water at each site. At times we have "shared" water.
• Sites that can accommodate around 1000 units
• Honeywagon Service Available.
• 6 to 8 tours for attendees to participate in.
• Place for 2000 people for opening/closing ceremonies.
• Requirement for at least 6 seminar rooms that will accommodate about 150 people each and 2 that will hold 250 at least.
• We also have to have a caterer that can handle a group of this size with 4 breakfasts and 2 dinners. There also has to be a place big enough to feed everyone. We TRY to feed in one sitting

Bev Dalton, Events Director, Affinity Group
805-667-4303,mailto:bdalton@affinitygroup.com
The Rally
Site Specifications

• Parking Area for 6,000 Live-In RV’s. This computes to approx 25,000 car parking spaces or approx 200 acres of level, hard surfaced land.
• Holding Area of at least 15 acres of level, hard surfaced land to be used for pre-rally RV staging and overflow parking.
• Seminar Rooms that will accommodate 10 daily sessions with the following capacities: 2-750 capacity rooms, 4-500 capacity rooms, 4-150 capacity rooms, staff meeting room for 20-25 people.
• Indoor Exhibit Space for 500, 10x10 booths, which equates to 120,000 sq.ft
• Manufacturers RV Displays for 1,000 RV’s, which equates to 750,000 sq.ft., or approx. 22 acres of level, hard surfaced land, preferably asphalt or concrete surface.
• On-site dump stations available for guest usage.
• Coliseum or Grandstand for evening entertainment that will seat 8,000 – 14,000 people, air conditioned is preferred.
• Site exclusivity is preferred, space sharing should be avoided whenever possible
• Hotel rooms should be available to accommodate 1,500 + people and should be located within 20 miles of site.
• Transportation available to be used for shuttling people on grounds and to/from satellite parking areas.
• Major airport should be located within 60 miles of site, or no more than 1 hour drive.
• Approx 175 rental cars should be available from various agencies in the area.
• Approx 2,000 campsites should be available within a 250 mile radius to accommodate guests traveling to/from the rally site.
• Must be located within a state that does not restrict out-of-state RV Manufacturers/dealers from displaying and selling RV’s on site.
• Onsite campsites with water, electric, and sewer preferred.
• Honeywagon service available locally for on site servicing of RV’s.

Denny Burkholder, Winnebago Incorporated
800-643-4892, dburkholder@winnebagoind.com

Winnebago holds the national rally at a permanent site near their Forest City Production location. Denny says that the clubs look for flat sites, hook-ups, low traffic area and activities.

Page Robertson, Special Assistant to CEO, Monaco Coach Corporation
800-450-6336. Contact for proposals yvonne.reed@monacocoach.com

Monaco hosts 2 “Come Home” Rallies; East Coast and West Coast
• Space needed for 600-800 coaches with housing for meal functions and group gatherings.
• Monaco Clubs Breakdown

Pre-rally for Monaco, Beaver, Safari, Holiday Rambler needing 400-600 spaces

Rebecca Risser, Customer Events Coordinator, Monaco Coach Corporation
800-634-0855 EXT 8336
Beaver Ambassador Club - has 5 Regions within the club…

Region 1 – North West
Region 2 – South West
Region 3 – North Central
Region 4 – South Central
Region 5 – East Coast

Safari International affiliated clubs
Florida on Safari
Texans on Safari
NW Trek Fun Club
SW Trek Fun Club
SE Trek Fun Club
NE Trek Fun Club
Cheetah Club
Safari So Good Club
Safari of Southern California
Safari-R-Us
S.C.O.N.E.

Arnold Rocco, International Event Managers, Jayco Jafari International Travel Club
Phone 800-262-5178, 269-781-8065, arniejaycorv@aol.com

• 300 Hook-ups with water and electric and dumping station. At least 30 preferred sites.
• Building with air conditioning to bring in trade show and units.
• Always the first or second week of August. Need hotel rooms and catered meals.

Larry Branham, Director of Clubs, Recreational Club Management., also rep rally and clubs for Travel Supreme, Jayco, Sunny Travelers, Camping World to name a few.
800-262-5178

Programs begin on Monday and end on Friday.
Needs bus tour rates at least one year in advance. Requests menus for dine-around with cost and menu offered. People interested in “edutaiment” and educational seminars.

Eldon Sellers, National President, Family Campers & RVers
Phone 515-961-3282, www.fcrv.org Jack and Sonya Smye, slsmye@sympatico.ca

Retiree Rally
This 5 or 6 day rally is usually held in February or March in the southern (as in warm) states. This March we will be in Mobile Alabama. In 2008 we will be in Rayne LA. In 2009, possibly southern Arizona. Over the years we have had rallies in central Florida (near Orlando), Texas (near Dallas), South Carolina (near Charleston), Louisiana, and Arizona. At the winter retiree rally we usually have 400 - 500 units in attendance.

The requirements for this rally are:
Electric: 15 amp minimum, but 30 amp desirable.
Water: site connections preferred
Sewer: sewer connections at site are not necessary (if available that’s a bonus). We do require an on ground dump station and/or access to mobile dump truck (honey wagon).
Meeting Facilities: We require one large building capable of being subdivided into a sections for entertainment (auditorium style seating about 1000 people) with either a permanent stage ( at least 20’ by 40’) or the ability to construct a temporary stage of that size. A section of the room is used for two sit-down meals where we accommodate up to 500 people at each of two sittings. The large building would also accommodate an indoor commercial vendor section (at least 50’ by 100’) and smaller side sections for 15- 30 people seminars. Chairs and tables for our activities would need to be available. Telephone and computer ports have become a necessity.
Outdoor Activities: We need grassy flat areas to play outdoor games.

Summer Rally (Campvention)
This 7 day rally is usually held the second week of July and attracts 800 to 1000 RVs. By design, this rally rotates geographically across different regions of the United States and Canada. The site for 2009 has not yet been determined (but it will be somewhere in the southwest). In 2010, we will be back in the Great Lakes area.

The requirements for this rally are:
Electric, Water & Sewage: same as for retiree rally above.
Meeting Facilities: Our building requirements for this rally are very extensive. We need separate buildings or rooms of varying sizes for dedicated use to accommodate the following:
Youth activities (up to 100 children, ages 3 to 12)
Teen Activities (video games, dances)
Adult/Retiree centers (tables and chairs for card playing, board games, tea & coffee)
Seminar rooms. A few dedicated rooms to accommodate seminars –average attendance about 50 people. Electric is essential.
Meeting Rooms: Several business meetings take place throughout the week. We require a few small rooms to accommodate such meetings.
Hospitality Space: Rooms or sheltered space that can accommodate serving tables and handouts (goody bags) for up to 500 to 700 campers who file through.
General meeting: We need a large multi-purpose room with kitchen facilities to accommodate some of our large plenary sessions (accommodating up to 200 people in auditorium seating). This type of room would also serve for luncheons and possibly the teen ball.
Entertainment: We need an arena or a grandstand to accommodate our nightly entertainment (at least 2000 seats). This room or facility must be able to accommodate a large stage (40’x 60’), professional lighting and sound system. Back stage change rooms are required.
Specialized rooms: We require two or three small rooms to accommodate, security, communication and information functions.
Outdoor activities: Large, flat grassy areas must be available for the playing of bocce ball, washer toss, and horseshoes. The youth also play outside. The teens require ball diamond(s) on site or reasonably close off site.
Rig sites: Grassy areas for tent campers (perhaps 10 -20 should be available). We usually allow site sizes of 25’x50’ to accommodate the bigger units with multiple slideouts.
State and Provincial Campouts: Each state and province usually has 2-4 weekend campouts (spring, summer & fall) each year. The attendance at such events can range from 50 to 200 units, depending on the size of the state or province. The requirements for these events are not as onerous.
Water, electric and sewer: Requirements are the same as for the other rallies.
Facilities: Typically, one large multi –use building with kitchen facilities and electric. Having a stage or the ability to construct a stage is essential.
Camping sites: Should be about the same size as for the rallies.

MAKE THE MOST OF A RALLY

Challenge your creativity and consider all these travel partners in your rally planning: campgrounds (private, county, state and federal), RV resorts, CVB’s and chambers, bus companies, hotels, rental car agencies, tour operators, meeting planners, destination management companies, restaurants, RV rental companies and caterers

Remember, areas outside the rally can benefit from those RVers coming and going so work with the rally organizers to make sure you are on the road to success. This planning will help build a better network and will be fun for all involved.

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Please feel free to call me if I can be of further assistance.
“Connecting people to people for success.”

Dottie Maitland CTP
Maitland & Associates Inc.
200 Alpine Drive
Bigfork, Montana 59911
Phone 406-837-7280
Fax 406-752-0238