2023 TACO Spring Show Recap

“I loved going to the TACO meeting. It was amazing to meet the industry leaders and to network with everyone. It was a great experience and I thought that from the money spent it was the highest impact convention that I’ve ever attended.”

- Katie McLeod, Owner, Quilly’s Big Fish RV Park, Rockport, TX

TACO Officers & Directors

Regional Directors

REGION 1, DIRECTOR

Jan Pillai

Midland RV Campground Midland, TX

REGION 2

Ken Hinz Traders Village Grand Prairie, TX

REGION 3, PRESIDENT

Randall Dally Rayburn RV Hideout

Brookeland, TX

TACO Welcomes Record Crowd to 2023 Conference

By: Woodall’s Campground Magazine

A campground or RV park operator’s selection of a reservation software system has a profound effect on the park’s bottom line, according to Kathleen Walsh, CEO and founder of Advanced Outdoor Solutions.

“The foundation of your company is your reservation management system,” said Walsh, whose Cape Coral, Fla.-based company manages over 60 RV parks and resorts. “That sets the tone for what you are going to be able to do in your business.”

Speaking to over 300 park operators Tuesday (April 25) on the first day of the Texas Association of Campground Owners’ annual Spring Meeting and Trade Show, Walsh said a good reservation system not only gives park operators the ability to manage their reservations, but the ability to increase their revenue and reduce their labor costs. Today’s reservation management programs have the capability to do revenue management, raising and lowering rates based on the supply and demand for campsites and rental accommodations at distinct moments in time. But the most sophisticated reservation management systems also have real-time, two-way connectivity to Online Travel Agencies or OTAs, such as Booking.com and Airbnb.com, which can direct business to a park operator’s website.

Directors At Large

DIRECTOR AT LARGE Austin Faught

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TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Diana LeBlanc-Link PPL Houston, TX

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LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT

Ron Hinkle

Austin, TX

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO

Brian & Debra Schaeffer TACO Office Crowley, TX ––––––––––

Editor: Lisa Rhodes

Design: KD Graphics & Design

Distribution: TACO Members, TACO Trade

Members, TACO Prospective Members

Contact: 910 S. Crowley Rd, Ste. 9-504

Crowley, TX 76036 | 877-518-1989

While some park operators may be hesitant to turn over some of their inventory to OTAs, Walsh countered that “85% of something is better than $0 any day of the week” and that OTAs “put money into marketing that you’re never going to be able to afford.”

Walsh added that OTAs only charge a fee if they book a site or rental unit.

“If you have cabins and you are not on Airbnb you are losing money,” she said, adding that Advanced Outdoor Solutions uses 10 different OTAs, including BookOutdoors, TheDyrt, Spot2Nite, Hipcamp and GlampingHub as well as an OTA based in the United Kingdom called Pitchup.

Park operators should also look for reservation software programs that offer robust revenue management tools that are fast and easy to use and offer great customer support, Walsh said. She said she doesn’t want to use a system that requires the park operator to fill out an online request form for customer service and wait days for a response every time there is a problem, or a change needs to be made to the reservation system.

Walsh also said park operators must ensure they use a reservation management system that gives them the freedom to choose their own credit card processor for a variety of reasons.

“If you can’t choose your own credit card processor,” she said, “I can guarantee you, you are overpaying.”

Walsh added that companies that require parks to use certain credit card processors may also create potential conflicts with the park’s lender if the lender is a different company. Oftentimes, lenders want to receive deposits and income from park reservations.

For her part, Jayne Cohen, of Campground Consulting Group, told TACO Spring Meeting attendees that park operators should consider upgrading at least a few of their RV sites to high-end RV sites with 10- by 20-foot patios and outdoor kitchens with propane barbecues, which command much higher prices than standard RV sites.

“They always make money,” Cohen said, adding that, in her experience, the most expensive RV sites with the most amenities always sell out first.

“Don’t be afraid to try extras,” she said, noting that Margaritaville RV Resort in Auburndale, Fla., even has different levels of outdoor kitchens at its RV sites.

Cohen also recommended that park operators set guidelines or “site appearance rules” for extendedstay guests while showing photos of RVers with messy campsites to emphasize her point. Cohen also suggested that park operators themselves offer to install decks around their extended stay RVers, if they desire such add ons, to help maintain better park appearances. This also gives the park operator a chance to make money by providing such services.

“Give them choices,” she said.

And when it comes to park models, Cohen said, be sure to install skirting around the base of each park model or at least have nice landscaping.

Cohen also encouraged park operators to consider tent campers, noting that tent sites should be priced as high as RV sites because of the amenities that many of today’s tent campers require, such as electrical connections, Wi-Fi and places to wash dishes. She noted that some KOA tent sites have outdoor kitchens.

“If you look at the data, you will find it’s a lot of families that camp,” she said. “You’ll find their income level is higher and, because they are in a tent, they need to buy a lot of (items) from your store.”

Wednesday’s Spring Meeting sessions included seminars titled “Building and Expanding Your Park” by Jayne Cohen and Terry Munoz, vice president of the recreational properties division at Signorelli Company in The Woodlands; “Is Selling Propane Giving You Gas?” by April Richardson and David Vire of The Railroad Commission of Texas; and “Developing an RV Destination for Tomorrow’s Guest,” by Ed O. Bridgman, of EOB Consulting.

Ron Hinkle, TACO’s legislative consultant, also joined TACO Executive Director and CEO Brian Schaeffer and TACO President Randall Dally in providing a legislative update and information on industry best practices and TACO’s updated Legal Handbook.

TACO also presented its annual awards for top parks as well as the association’s Supplier of the Year. See page 7 for the complete announcement of award winners.

“This group of winners is as good as we have ever seen,” said Brian Schaeffer, TACO’s executive director and CEO. “The awards process is extensive; from the applications the parks and vendors must submit all the way through to the TACO awards committee that utilizes a thorough set of criteria for judging. Congratulations to one and all.”

TACO Wraps Up Record Convention and Trade Show

Record numbers of current and aspiring park operators attended the Texas Association of Campground Owners’ annual Spring Meeting & Trade Show at the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe, Texas. If anyone needs convincing about the current strength and growth potential of the campground and RV park business, the recent Spring Meeting and Trade Show of the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO) was certainly a good indicator.

TACO’s April 25-26 convention at the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe, Texas, had nearly 400 attendees, including 225 representatives from campgrounds and 165 vendor representatives from 76 exhibitors, the largest in TACO’s 51-year history, according to Brian Schaeffer, TACO’s executive director and CEO.

“The tradeshow was up 40%, but overall we are up about 25% (in Spring Meeting attendance),” Schaeffer said.

Congratulations To Our Winners!

TACO presented its annual awards for top parks as well as the association’s Supplier of the Year. “This group of winners is as good as we have ever seen,” said Brian Schaeffer, TACO’s executive director and CEO. “The awards process is extensive; from the submissions the parks and vendors have to submit all the way through to the TACO awards committee that utilizes a thorough set of criteria for judging. Congratulations to one and all.” Awards were presented in the following categories:

Large Park of the Year: This award was presented to The Retreat RV & Camping Resort in Huffman, a luxury campground bordering Lake Houston that offers everything from RV and tent sites to luxury cottages, glamping wagons and safari tents. Amenities include a resort-style pool and hot tub, a clubhouse with a business center and market, numerous outdoor games, and 320 feet of boardwalk along Lake Houston.

- Stephen Cook (manager), Cassidy Rodriguez (former manager) & Terry Munoz, Vice President Recreational Properties Division Signorelli Company

Small/Medium Park of the Year: This award was presented to Lakeland RV Ranch in Farmersville, which features RV sites with 30-, 50- and 100-amp service as well as park model rentals. Amenities include a community clubhouse with a pool table and big screen TVs, a performance stage, a community fire pit, a workout area, a dog park, a pet washing station, and a catch-and-release fishing pond with a fishing pier.

- Allen Forsythe & Michele Conrey

Large Accommodations of the Year: This award was presented to Mystic Quarry in Canyon Lake, a modern RV resort with a variety of glamping accommodations near the Guadalupe River and Canyon Lake in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Accommodations include everything from furnished cabins to luxuriously appointed glamping lodges to tiny homes, glamping tents and tipis.

- Monica Garcia (manager)

Small/Medium Accommodations of the Year: This award was presented to The Pines RV & Cabin Resort in Mt. Vernon, which features six different styles of cabins, from rustic to modern and everything in between.

- Mattison Woodlee, Trish Ferick, Jennifer Adcock

Supplier of the Year: This award was presented to Firefly Reservations, a TACOpreferred vendor whose cloud-based reservation software program includes online reservations, automated payment processing and an integrated point-of-sale system to simplify transactions at the campground store. The program also includes a self-service portal that enables guests to manage their reservations, payments, and requests without having to contact the front desk.

- Bobby Sorden - Sr. Marketing Manager, Patrick Spellman, Skip Waisner, Kameron Groenlund, Leeza Valdez

Baehre

Camp

Campers

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To our Sponsors.

Reliable Commercial Construction, Inc.

RoverPass

Rowley Insurance

RV Park Management

RV Universe www.rvuniverse.com

Sola Products www.solaproducts.com

Spot2nite www.spot2nite.com

TACO/Texas Campgrounds

Tactical Gaming Systems

Tengo Internet

Texen Power Company www.texenpower.com

The BSC Group

The Playwell Group

Union Aquaparks

Utility Supply Group

Wilcor International www.wilcor.net

Wild Energy, Inc.

Wildthings Snap-Ons, LLC

TACO Provides Key Legislative Updates at ’23 Conference

No legislative relief from property taxes is expected in Texas before the Legislature completes its two-year session May 29, according to Ron Hinkle, the longtime lobbyist for the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO).

“There are major disagreements with the Speaker and Lt. Governor on what and how property tax relief will be finalized,” Hinkle said during his presentation to TACO members on Wednesday (April 26), the second and final day of the association’s annual Spring Meeting and Trade Show.

“The chasm is so wide in their differences that there will be no final resolution before the Texas Legislature ends on May 29 and, therefore, the Governor will (have to) call a Special Session to continue the dialogue on what (he) hopes (will) be a final bill that provides real property tax relief and reduction,” added Hinkle. “The special session would likely take place almost immediately following the regular session, so June would be the target until they get an agreement.”

Texas lawmakers have introduced bills to try to address the problem of rapidly escalating property tax rates, which have increased property taxes for Texas RV park owners by 100% to 400% and, in some cases, by more than 500% in recent years.

Hinkle said HB 1895, sponsored by Rep. J.M. Lozano, R-Kingsville, would benefit RV parks by allowing RV parks to be appraised using a “cost methodology.”

“Currently and unofficially, RV parks are mostly subjected to the income methodology, which acts almost as a de facto income tax,” Hinkle said. “The cost methodology of appraisals would be more market-based and truer to the real value of an RV park. The bill, however, has not had a hearing and will likely not pass this legislative session. However, HB 2, (sponsored) by Rep. Morgan Meyer, R-Highland Park, is a bill that will cap appraisals for both residential homes and commercial entities. That bill passed the Texas House and is now in the Senate. There is a problem, though, in that the

Senate passed its own version of property tax relief in SB 3. That bill is more on raising the homestead exemption and minor tax credits to commercial entities. That bill passed the Senate and is sitting in the House Ways & Means Committee and has not been scheduled for a hearing to date.”

While no immediate relief is in store to protect Texas park operators from rapidly escalating property taxes, legislation is in the works that could protect park operators from costs associated with frivolous lawsuits as well as excessive water utility costs.

HB 2636, sponsored by Andrew Murr, R-Kerrville, would protect campground and RV park operators from liability involving certain types of injuries that take place at a park due to the guests’ own negligence.

“It gives you a first level of defense against frivolous lawsuits,” said Brian Schaeffer, TACO’s executive director and CEO, who joined Hinkle and TACO President Randall Dally in making the government affairs presentation. “The bill did pass the Texas House unanimously and is in the Senate to be referred to committee,” Hinkle said, adding that Senator Pete Flores, R-San Antonio, has offered to sponsor the bill. Meanwhile, legislation has been proposed that could potentially lower water costs for RV parks. HB 1612, sponsored by Rep. J.M. Lozano, R-Kingsville, and its Senate companion bill, SB 594, sponsored by Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, would prevent water utilities from charging RV parks water service fees on a per-site basis, which has the effect of forcing RV parks to pay for more water than they could ever actually use.

“What can come out of these bills, should they pass the Legislature, is the cost savings from Water Supply Corporations in that they will not be subjected to over-buying water for its customers that will not be used,” Hinkle said. Legislation has also been proposed that could give RV park operators and developers the ability to encourage

The TACO legislative team brief members during the show. Brian Schaeffer TACO CEO/Executive Director, Ron Hinkle TACO legislative consultant, Randall Dally TACO President.

For more information about TACO membership visit TACOMembers.com.

Thank You to Our Show Sponsors

cities and counties to adhere to national RV park construction standards instead of trying to create their own construction guidelines. HB 1286, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Guillen, R-Rio Grande City, would establish uniform building codes for RV parks in Texas, using NFPA 1194 standards as a guide.

While legislation has been proposed involving numerous changes to Texas state laws for the benefit of RV park operators, state funding for tourism marketing is expected to remain relatively unchanged.

The tourism marketing budget, known as the “Governor’s Trusted Program,” did not increase significantly in the current state budget, Hinkle said.

“The Trusted Program for marketing and advertising Texas nationally and in key international markets is approximately $73 million for the biennium. The budget is not finalized, but we do not expect those funds to be affected,” he said.

Texas is consistently the No. 2 or No. 3 state travel destination in the U.S., and the seventh in the nation for international travelers, he said.

TACO’s annual Spring Meeting and Trade Show concluded Wednesday with record attendance at both the meetings and trade show with 76 vendors.

Wednesday’s session included seminars titled “Building and Expanding Your Park” by Jayne Cohen and Terry Munoz, vice president of the recreational properties division at Signorelli Company in The Woodlands; “Is Selling Propane Giving You Gas?” by April Richardson and David Vire, of The Railroad Commission of Texas; and “Developing an RV Destination for Tomorrow’s Guest,” by Ed O. Bridgman, of EOB Consulting.

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