Events Calendar - The Park & Rec Trades

Open Forums to Be Featured at Virtual Expo

New Berlin, PA – A rather new concept in educational webinars will be introduced at the International Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo this Fall. The event, scheduled to be broadcast live on the Internet on November 1st to 3rd this year will hold several panel discussions called “Open Forums”. The Forums will discuss particular topics of interest to attendees with panelists with expertise in the field. One of the Forums will discuss computerized reservation services and are scheduled to feature panelists from Campground Manager, Campground Master, Campground Automation, Virtual Campground Manager and Leisure Interactive to name a few. After a brief panel discussion on the subject, the floor will be open to questions from the attendee audience.

The same format will be employed at the Forum about Wi-Fi. At the present time several panelists will take part representing Checkbox Systems, CA World Wi-Fi and several other companies which market Wi-Fi to outdoor hospitality businesses.

Deb Kohls of Leisure Interactive, who is in charge of the educational programs at the Expo, is confident that attendees will appreciate the opportunity to actually participate in discussions at the Forums. Because the Expo is expanding to the entire outdoor hospitality industry, speakers are being targeted to bring a wide variety of panel experts with travel, marketing and technology experience. The Expo promises to be an exciting way to connect, network and learn through an interactive online experience.

Expo Producer Art Lieberman has utilized the “Open Forum” format at previous trade shows he has produced. He has found that attendees love the opportunity to address experts in various fields and ask questions or make comments about the specific topic being discussed. These Forums can be lively, informative and even entertaining.

“Perhaps our biggest challenge at the Expo at this point is to get companies that sell hard goods to exhibit”, says Lieberman. “Service-oriented businesses will have no problem marketing themselves at a virtual show”. “Most service businesses exhibit at trade shows to obtain ‘leads’ for future sales”, he adds, “but sellers of hard goods rely on live sales and on the ability of their customers to touch, smell and even taste their products”.

The Expo has been targeting those companies that make live sales at trade shows to exhibit at the event. They have been very successful in attracting companies that sell park models and cabins at this early stage in their marketing efforts and they are happy to announce that Kings Supply Company, discount supplier of plumbing and maintenance items of Manchaug, MA, has joined the list of exhibitors at the Expo. “Kings Supply is the first of many companies who sell a variety of items to outdoor hospitality facilities who we feel will exhibit at the Expo”, says Lieberman.

There are several other very reputable companies in the outdoor hospitality marketplace who are very close to joining the growing list of Exhibitors and Sponsors at the event but have yet to make a formal commitment.