PHOENIX, Ariz. – Between record attendance, an abundance of networking and engaging presentations from a variety of people, the 2025 RV Industry Association (RVIA) Leadership Conference was by all accounts a resounding success.
Held this week at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, Ariz., the four-day conference could hardly have gone any better, said RVIA President & CEO Craig Kirby.
“We started strong even with the RVIA board meeting where we convened with RVDA’s board as well to work on strategic issues, which was a big success and was just another example of how well the industry is working together,” Kirby told RVBusiness. “There’s so much coming at us right now and, like I say, ‘Just imagine if we weren’t already working well together, then where we would be?’ The fact that we are all on the same page and responding to the challenges that are being thrown at us together in a timely manner is a huge advantage for us and other industries aren’t so fortunate.”
The final day of the conference included speaker presentations and workshops including a panel discussion on “Navigating Change and Advancing Policy Priorities.” Panelists include Jessica (Wahl) Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, Mark Weller, shareholder at Polsinelli Law Firm, and Cliff Costa, vice president at California Advocates Inc. The session will be moderated by Jason Rano, RVIA’s vice president of Government Affairs.
Other items on the agenda included a keynote presentations by author David Epstein and brand-builder Dustin Kaehr, the Emerging Leaders Coalition graduation/induction ceremonies, and seminars by RVIA Senior Director of Public Relations and Communications Monica Geraci and VP of Marketing Jeremy Greene on “Decoding the American RV Owner;” an update on the European market by Bernd Loher, president of the Caravaning Industry Association (CIVD) of Germany; and an update on the Australian market by Stuart Lamont, chief executive officer of Caravan Industry Association of Australia.
For his part, Green said the conference was a “fantastic way to bring the industry together.”
“A big part of this is collaboration and networking, and bringing together all facets of the industry from campground partners to our dealers as well as manufacturers and suppliers,” he said.
“We had a fantastic CEO panel where we got to hear from some of the top leaders in the industry and hear how their leadership style has been defined over time, as well as how they’re addressing the current challenges in the market,” Green continued. “So, it’s just been a fantastic way to get the industry together, especially at the front of this year when together we’re facing some challenges in the market and just trying to return to better times – together.”
Kirby also sang the praises of RVIA’s Emerging Leaders Coalition (ELC), a group of several dozen industry personnel who are taking the first steps to becoming more involved with the association and the industry. The ELC is also tasked with much of the planning of the conference as well.
“The Emerging Leaders Coalition has done a phenomenal job,” Kirby said. “They basically decided on the agenda and the speakers for this event, and ran with it. And it’s a record attendance, so that tells you how effective they’ve been in reaching our members about topics that they want to hear about. I think everybody will leave here more knowledgeable about leadership, about different aspects of the industry, having created a broader network, and just being more effective in their business as a result of attending this conference.”
“And if I can just add to that,” Green inserted, “the one thing that I’ve heard over and over this week is how relationship-driven this industry is. And for these young people to come in and develop some of those critical relationships … These are going to be the folks that are going to be driving the industry forward for the next 20, 30 years.”
Attendees also had good things to say about the conference.
Brent Diver of Ranger Distribution Inc., Elkhart, Ind., said it was “great to attend a gathering of the future leaders of the industry.”
“The opportunity to hear the thoughts of industry leaders regarding the events that have occurred this week was timely and insightful,” he said. “It’s a great reminder, for those companies that aren’t sure if membership is for them, that the Government Affairs team is hard at work in D.C. representing our interests.”
Diver was referring to Thursday’s Panel Discussion that largely centered on advocacy efforts by RVIA and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR). The discussion covered a lot of ground, including the trade war over tariffs as well as the negative impact of various regulations put into effect by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Look for coverage of that panel discussion next week at RVBusiness.com.
Bill Koster, regional sales director for Protective Asset Protection, said he thought the conference was “great.”
“I like the breakup of the conference where you have panels, guest speakers and team building activities, so it’s not a classroom style, or listening to lectures for three days,” he said. “It’s been very informative, and I really underestimated the amount of time we could spend interacting and relationship building with people in the industry. And when I say underestimated, I mean underestimated in a great way. Between dinners and team activities and everything else, I’ve met a lot of people in this industry who I’ve never been able to meet before.”
Brad Bacon, of PleasureLand RV in Minnesota, also thought the conference was great.
“Any time you can get the suppliers, manufacturers, the dealers, aftermarket all together, it’s a great thing. And I think the panel discussions have been right on point, with a lot of relevant things that are going on in the industry right now,” Bacon said.
Jim Hess of ASA Electronics, Elkhart, Ind., agreed that the networking opportunities was a highlight of the event.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie throughout the industry, a lot of synergies that we can share that you’re not going to get in your day-to-day business back in Elkhart,” he said. “I appreciate this ability to get away, to get the gears turning, think more macro than micro. When we’re in the office, it’s hard to think macro sometimes, and being around these folks, it’s more of a macro look at things, a notepad full of notes that I can bring home with me and get started on a plan.”
John Sinski with S&P Global Mobility, formerly RL Polk & Company, and a longtime partner with Statistical Surveys, said the Leadership Conference is “ideal because it’s so small and intimate.”
“It’s small enough that you can actually talk to and meet everybody here in the couple of days that you’re here, and it’s such a mix of potential clients, current clients at all levels within organizations – not just OEMs but suppliers and other vendors that either I’m working with directly or my strategic partner, Stat Surveys, is working with.
“And as I talk to them,” he continued, “it helps me better understand how they’re using either our data or Stat Surveys’ data, and what their challenges are today and what the disruptors are going on right now. It helps us identify what new products we need to come to the market with. And they always choose great events, great venues, and great social events. The horseback riding today was awesome.”
The post Record Turnout Marks ‘Fantastic’ RVIA Leadership Conference first appeared on RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News.