JANUARY
- Distributed thousands of copies of our 2020 Camp Colorado Guide. Some boxes weigh 42 pounds, while others are considerably lighter. These bulk distributions will continue through May (some places who stock them don’t open until Memorial Day). We track well over 300 distribution points, both in Colorado and outside the state. (More stats are shown the bottom of January’s update.)
- Began filling the individual orders for our 2020 Camp Colorado Guide. The first large shipment is going on on 1/13, and it includes 419 guides. This project continues all year (or until we run out).
- By the end of the month, 516 guides were shipped. Compare that to:
- 651 guides we shipped throughout 2016!
- 341 guides we shipped in January 2019!
- Activated the new logo and announced it to the tourism and outdoor hospitality industries. This was done via:
- A press release to the industry
- Emails to the industry
- An email to the members
- Activated benefits for 2020 for all campground members, and announced them on social media (presently still taking place).
- Welcomed new park members to CCLOA … several new members!
- Welcomed more industry suppliers to CCLOA … several!
- Assisted several members who were needing input from fellow campground owners (look for Member Asks emails).
- Worked with a reporter who was seeking input from campground owners.
- Worked with the Executive Committee on Phase I of the CampColorado.com ad project. This project will go more smoothly with member input (email will go out in third week of Jan.).
- Published blog posts and distributed them via social media:
- Prepared the first 2020 press release for the public. It’s about winter camping in Colorado and it features nine of our member parks. It was released on 1/13. The first to run was Woodalls Campground Management (always is and always will be), but the release went out to many channels of media so please don’t think this was the only one. WCM is a huge asset to us, yet we really want our stories to be read by thousands of people outside the industry!
- Working on finalizing the 2020 financials for Board approval and tax filing. And, of course, prepared for the February meeting of the Board of Directors.
- Attended a conference for tourism professionals, where I gained some new ideas to share with you, our members.
- If I didn’t mention it above, we also continued monitoring legislative activity.
- In January, we processed orders of our 2020 Camp Colorado Guide that arrived through our website from Florida to Alaska, and from British Columbia to Québec, plus the United Kingdom, Germany, and Israel.
- In all, 534 guides were sent to individuals. That doesn’t account for any of the bulk orders. Here’s that tally:
- 80 bulk shipments were sent from CCLOA to points within and outside of CO … PLUS …
- A bulk shipment to Palisade is filtering into 8 distribution points in their area.
- A bulk shipment to Loveland is filtering out into 47 distribution points across the state.
- A bulk shipment to Falcon is filtering out into 14 distribution points in their area.
- A bulk shipment to another distributor is filtering out into 581 distribution points, mostly out of state.
That’s the bulk of the bulks. Most of the distribution will be done by the middle of March, other than for those who are in higher elevations.
FEBRUARY
- Continued to monitor legislative activity.
- The Executive Committee and staff shifted focus to planning for Q4 2020 and the full year of 2021.
- Welcomed new park members to CCLOA.
- Met with the Board of Directors via conference call for 2 1/2 hours. A stack of 34 pages of reports was in front of me, and we managed to get through every single agenda item and motion without issue. From operations to legislative affairs, all motions passed with unanimous support. We also reviewed the survey responses that have come in (37% response rate so far). We are excited about the plans for the upcoming annual conference!
- Published blog posts and distributed them via social media:
- Pooled knowledge resources to assist a member who is going through the zoning process.
- Happily received many registrations for our quickly approaching conference, finalized many details and continued plugging away at more of them!
- Enhanced our CampColorado.com, gradually making it more ADA compliant. I’m still working on much of this project, but each “save” makes the site more compliant.
- Distributed our first COVID-19 informational email to members.
MARCH
Then we had our 3-day conference … WOOHOOOOO!!!! THANK YOU to each who participated! I distributed a press release about it that was picked up by these publications: The day after the conference, I restocked my kitchen and went into self-quarantine as a precaution since COVID-19 had begun in Colorado. I reestablished the office. And then the rest of the month blended into one very very long day of endless conference calls, webinars, social media pages, social media groups, and emails with:- Government departments
- Executive Directors from sister-associations in other states
- State, regional and local tourism and public health agencies
- ARVC
- Campground owners from around the country
- Full-time RVers
It also included nearly daily emails to you, our members, even on weekends.
On 3/31/2020, I shared this in a post on our Facebook page:
THANK YOU to each member who connected with me this month. Your words of support and appreciation were and still are greatly appreciated!
YAWZER, what a month it’s been, from a packed conference to uncharted territory of the covid pandemic.
Each day this month, from dawn to well into darkness, the activity has been brain-spinning, mind-boggling and exhausting … and YOU have been my fuel!
At the end of each very very long day, I’ve had the utmost pleasure of reading emails from members. Your words gave me fuel to do it all over again the next day.
THANK YOU!
APRIL
- The month began with Governor Jared Polis adding this to his list of essential businesses (under Travel and transportation): “Recreational vehicle parks, where RVs are being used as permanent residences.” This doesn’t mean that campgrounds are open for business as usual.
- The effort then really shifted to the county level, and the parks in those counties.
- The month continued in pandemic mode when the nation and states began formulating their reopening plans. The month ended with an impromptu e-meeting with members to discuss the reopening of Colorado.
- Provided support to members in multiple counties who encountered tight local restrictions.
- Worked with ARVC’s Paul Bambei for his phone call with US Senator Gardner (R-CO).
- Bid farewell to some owners and welcomed newcomers; please see the member news post.
- Submitted our mid-term grant report to the Colorado Tourism Office.
- Coordinated a few tasks with the entire Board of Directors, and worked closely with the Executive Committee on many tasks, mostly covid-related.
- Honestly, February, March and April continues to be one very long day!
4/30/2020: The COVID-19 virus is brutal to everyone. Long ago I said that my workload tripled when it began. Well, 2 months later there’s still no reprieve in sight. When one hurdle was overcome, another began on the same day. Battling to educate authorities on the nature of RV parks for the million(s) who live full-time in an RV immediately shifted to the battle to be properly placed in the phasing of reopening. All the while, we attempted to keep members informed. Park owners are normally too busy this time of year to hear from their state association. It’s typical to hear from CCLOA maybe four times in April. Well, nothing is normal this year! Business developments during COVID-19 has been unrelenting, so emails have been sent nearly daily. We are better TOGETHER! Keep plugging away! Together we WILL get through this!
MAY
COVID-19 continues to cause us to keep up with quickly changing affairs, mostly at the county level. CCLOA is actively assisting members in many counties and is grateful that most counties are respectful of their RV parks and campgrounds. Within the other counties, we are still at work with and for our members. Members provided us with their cleaning supply resources so that our members could hopefully find what they need. The Board of Directors planned to have their spring board meeting but opted to indefinitely postpone. There are many fluid situations that interfere with decision making for the remainder of the year and into early 2021. They will schedule to discuss their spring meeting agenda content something this summer. LATE MAY: OK, I’ve lost track of all that’s been done, but 99.75% of it seems related to COVID-19. Even the blog posts to the camping public were related to the virus: The issue of ejection vs eviction has become more evident during COVID-19, since some manipulative RVers have taken advantage of the governor’s no-ejection order. CCLOA worked closely with one park owner and we escalated the issue on our legislative affairs list. Stay tuned for more this autumn.JUNE
Still listening to frequent press conferences by Gov. Polis. Reviewed ARVC’s new GoCampingAmerica website to make sure all CCLOA members were listed, each had its photos from the original site, and all members displayed when someone searched for “Colorado.” Members need to login and maintain their own listing. CCLOA can no longer assist you. Created the collages for those who signed up for one when they paid their 2020 dues. (This project was planned for the first quarter, but COVID-19 bumped most of our projects as CCLOA put its full focus on the pandemic.) Assisted some members with their press releases to draw attention to their businesses. Refreshed our list of possible sellers, and shared a buyer with them. Promoted the Hit The Road Summit (to our CampColorado audience) and ARVC’s Prospective Owners Workshop (to our list of possible buyers). Attended a 2-day conference with fellow Executive Directors across the country, via Zoom. Earlier in the month, the Partnered States met with ARVC, prior to the ARVC Board Meeting. Southern California AAA published an article (click here) that promoted part of Colorado and included two of CCLOA members. This project was part of our marketing efforts through the matched marketing grant through the Colorado Tourism Office. You’ll see Jeff Crider’s name on it. He has an agreement with the company that’s owned by CCLOA’s Executive Director. Through this collaborative effort, CCLOA members are used as examples wherever possible in Jeff’s articles. Remember, the goal of the CTO grant is to attract outsiders to camp in Colorado, and a widespread article such as this fits that to a T. Jeff says, “THIS will definitely get part of Colorado on the map! This is going to live on AAA trip planning websites across the country, ….” Met with the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors on several topics. Mentioned some of our members in some press releases that went out in our Dream List series. Press releases might generate immediate attention by publications, and might generate attention in six or eight months. Therefore, I also published the press release on CampColorado as blogs. This month’s are:- COLORADO DREAM LIST: EVER DREAM OF CLIMBING A 14,000-FOOT PEAK?
-
COLORADO DREAM LIST: CREATE THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN GLAMPING VACATION
Individual orders of the Camp Colorado Guide are picking back up!
FYI: In addition to getting our Camp Colorado Guide at some RV shows, RV dealerships, welcome centers, and a plethora of other places, campers can order them through our website.
Things were sailing along just fine through the first week of March, but then COVID-19 hit.
Now, it’s actually turning around. We are 36 shy of the orders to date in 2018, and 27 above the same date in 2019.
FYI: Through June 2016, there were 362 such orders. That was also the year CCLOA began reorganizing itself on every level of management and program services. Our records show a spike in orders for 2017, so began maintaining a system of automatically shipping bulk orders each new year. That means 2018 was the first year we could truly track the numbers most easily without filtering out those bulk orders. Recurring bulk orders are tallied separately from the individual one-time orders.
JULY
- More members are bringing forward their legislative public affairs issues, especially in regard to ejecting guests. CCLOA is delving deeper into this and some other issues with a lobbyist.
- Gained approval for the benefit packages for the upcoming year for both the industry supplier member and the regular campground members. Began getting those many ducks in a row, and launched the membership renewal process.
- Alerted members to the COVID-19 statewide mask mandate (yes, CCLOA continues to listen to every press conference). Yes, I’m still listening to frequent press conferences by Gov. Polis.
- Distributed several (5?) press releases to a variety of publications whose audiences include possible campers (e.g., travelers, campers, or outdoor enthusiasts). These press releases go along with our Dream List series.
- Assisted several influencers, including the writer of this article that mentions CanyonSide Campground and this article that mentions Cripple Creek KOA and Royal Gorge Cabins & Glamping.
- Activated the membership benefits for new member Farmhouse RV Resort @ Royal Gorge.
- Published blog posts:
- Orders of our Camp Colorado Guide continue to pour in. Even though international requests have ceased due to travel restrictions, we filled as more orders year-to-date as we did in 2019 … BUT … last year we ran out in late July and stopped accepting orders. So, we don’t know how many we couldn’t fill. We printed more copies this year, and we’ll keep filling orders as long as they roll in (or into this last box is gone … and that might be in August!).
- Made the last big push on social media for our member. Starting in August, we return to broader posts about Colorado.
AUGUST
- Launched the membership drives for Outdoor Hospitality Members (special perks for those who pay by 9/15) and for Industry Supplier Members (due by 8/31).
- Announced (and hosted) a 8/19 conference call where we can chat (vent constructively) about the personalities of the 2020 Midst-of-Covid-19 Guest Experiences YOU have had to deal with!
- Began preparing to apply for the matched marketing grant offered by the state, and requested letters of support from members. Thank you to the respondents!
- Began outlining the frequent Zoom meetings that will begin in mid-to-late September for those who renew for 2021 by 9/15. The first will be on ejecting guests. Details will be sent to all who renew by 9/15. I’ve requested that members send me what they’re currently using as they register and check-in their guests.
- Began working on a propane savings program for you with ARVC, but that has been tabled for a few weeks. Stay tuned.
- Spread the word about an onsite rental camper that was stolen from a member. We shared it via email to members, put it on CCLOA’s B2B and B2C Facebook pages, asked members to share the post, asked all of the state associations to share it with their members (especially Arizona), and posted it in several Facebook groups and on some Facebook pages. Our broken hearts are with Billy and Lainey, who painstakingly renovated the cutie and have created many Happy Campers who rented it over the years. UPDATE: It was recovered!
- On 8/14, we received an order for the Camp Colorado Guide that depleted our stock. We increased this year’s supply with hopes it would last through August. This spring, I looked at our stock and wondered whether it would become our 2021 supply! But orders picked up in and then … vwalla … we ran out pretty much right on time! One can still download the PDF, which is always a popular option. (A few more copies were provided to us, which was depleted on 8/24. Keep your supply. Use them until you run out, or share them with nearby businesses.)
- Began interviewing our industry supplier members (the first interview ran nearly 29 minutes so it required lots of editing to it down to a reasonable length!). The recorded interviews will be added to the roster in September.
- Released more press releases. Those can’t always been seen in print or online for a while, and we don’t even actually know who has used them until we stumble upon the articles, but we saw that Woodalls Campground Management published this one on camping near Colorado hot springs.
- What an honor to have been a resource for the creation of this Good Sam article by Jeff Crider.
- Published this blog post for #CareForColorado Week.
- Partnered with the Colorado Tourism Office and Leave No Trace. You’ll hear more about it later this year during our online meetings. Click here to check out who else has partnered (here’s a screen shot).
- Added this badge to CampColorado.com’s footer and met with the CTO to plan our stewardship program. We’ll share lots more on this subject in September. (By the way, they paid high compliments to our website and blog):
SEPTEMBER
- Attended a meeting of ARVC staff and fellow Executive Directors from around the country.
- Launched the industry supplier membership programs, especially aspects that are noticeable on our roster. We hope you enjoy all the ways we’re bringing their programs and services to you this year. (Continued signing on new suppliers throughout September, doing their interviews, creating their videos, and so forth.)
- Planned for the distribution of supplier member literature to outdoor hospitality members in early October.
- Continued monitoring the wildfires, evacuations, and … well … even the winter weather advisories, keeping you and our CampColorado audience in mind!
- Learned that the Spokane Spokesman-Review (Spokane WA) picked up our press release and mentioned us on 1/31/2020: CCLOA Spokesman Review CampColorado.com Winter Camping.
- Held the Autumn Listening Tour (via Zoom this year).
- Researched the guest ejection process and hosted a special meeting of the membership, called by the President, on 10/15.
- Began forming a committee from within our membership which will focus on the ejection bill process.
- Was on a panel of state association executives at the Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo. We spoke on the why owners and managers of outdoor hospitality businesses should belong to the state association.
- Attended the Governor’s Tourism Conference (online).
- Requested each member ensure I have their correct mailing address and 2021 Camp Colorado Guide data.
- Continued receiving 2021 outdoor hospitality membership renewals and preparing to launch the 2021 membership year benefits (some of which began in late September).
- Welcomed a new member and launched their benefit programs.
- Presented the Best Practices: Avoiding Ejection Issues discussion (well attended and the responses tell us it was well appreciated).
- Finalized our 2021 marketing plan with the Board of Directors, completed a 33-question application (nine being lengthy essays) plus five attachment files, and submitted our application for a matched marketing grant through the Colorado Tourism Office. The results won’t be known until mid-November.
OCTOBER
The first half of the month is already gone and I have yet to update this page! I’m juggling too many tasks:- Still doing the 2021 membership drive for outdoor hospitality businesses (gratefully, we’re finding that most delays were merely a result of an overly busy September)
- Still accepting more industry supplier members, which requires recording an interview and scheduling their online presentation
- Finalized details with the Colorado Parks & Wildlife marketing office
- Distributed the industry supplier materials to all 2021 outdoor hospitality members, and provided the suppliers with their roster.
- Compiled all updates for the 2021 Camp Colorado Guide, and began the editing & proofing process
- Participated in a session with the Colorado Tourism Office and the Leave No Trace program (I’ll announce details to the members early next year)
- Hosted the Best Practices: Considerations for Websites online event (by Pelland Advertising), Best Practices: How to Capitalize on the New Campers Using Digital Media (by CampgroundViews.org) and Using Smart Reservation System Technology to Your Park’s Advantage (by Campspot).
- Attended the Glamping Show USA and several other association management online meetings
- Spoke about “state associations” on a panel presentation at the The Virtual Outdoor Hospitality Expo (recording available through Dec.)
- Began preparing for the CCLOA Board of Directors meeting set for later this month.
- Set up the Founders Assistance Fund page on this website.
- Held my breath for most of the evening 10/21 through the evening of 10/23, monitoring the #EastTroublesomeFire as it raced toward Grand Lake, Granby and even Estes Park. Several member campgrounds were in its path, and as I type this the uncertain still looms all around. The positive side of this is that the owners, staff and livestock were safely evacuated. Another positive side is that the owners are leaning on their faith (as am I). (Continued with the #EastTroublesomeFire through the weekend. Follow this on the Member News post or on our Facebook page.)
- The Board of Directors met. Excited about our future!
- Upgraded our ccloa.org site to be ad-free. I hope to see one day have time to take advantage of even more benefits that come with this upgrade. From now on, if you see “ads” on this site, they should be ads that were CCLOA-approved.
NOVEMBER
- Created the Facebook group for members, a group we share with members in KS & SD.
- We create our next year’s budget each autumn, usually earlier but this year a state deadline that impacts our budget was bumped to mid-November. So, now we’re creating our new 2021 budget. As we originally planned for 2021, we hoped for the best, promised what could be delivered, and we always keep our eyes and ears out for the worst. Finally, we can fully see our 2021 revenue and we have to create a budget that fits the funds. Trying to be light on a serious subject, this is what I told my friends: “November is budget setting month for each association and my own business. If you ever had to cut a budget before, you know it can be tough. Just picture me with a scalpel, a paring knife, a pair of scissors, an axe, a chainsaw, and a backhoe at my desk.”
- Hosted the online event called Why Choose ResNexus for Your Property Management Tool.
- Announced Black Friday and CyberMonday specials our members have shared with us.
- Increased monitoring of state and local regulation changes brought on by the rise in COVID-19 cases.
- Assisted with discussions regarding regulations on campgrounds in several communities. All of these are ongoing into December.
DECEMBER
December was a blur of last minute EVERYTHING, from last minute dues collections, proofreading the guide, finalizing the bookkeeping, reconciling records with ARVC, deactivating former members and activating new members and launching the benefits for the new year. Additionally, Board of Directors meetings created new tasks that had to be implemented or researched. The 2021 budget was drastically scrutinized and revised (and is now ready to be presented to and discussed by the Board of Directors), and so forth. The legislative calendar and committee structure was reviewed and evaluated. Simply put: Closing out a year and launching a new year is a tedious and detail-oriented task!Click here to read the 2019 updates from our office.
Colorado Campground & Lodging Owners Association (CCLOA) 