RVDA of Alberta Christmas Edition E

RVDA of Alberta Christmas Edition
E-Newsletter
10561-172 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5S 1P1 www.rvda-alberta.org 780-455-8562
Please enjoy this edition of the RVDA of Alberta’s Christmas Edition E-Newsletter. The
RVDA of Alberta will be looking at past events as a year in review! If you have any
questions or concerns, please reply to Carrie Nelson or call 780-455-8562.
The RVDA of Alberta is on Facebook and Twitter so please feel free follow us on Facebook
and tweet events and pictures as we will retweet to support our members.
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In this Edition:
1) A Year In Review
a) Calgary and Edmonton RV Shows – January and February 2015
b) Career Expo (Edmonton Journal Employment Super Show) – April 2015
c) RV Learning Weekend – May 2015
d) RVDA of Alberta New Staff – July 2015
d) RVDA of Alberta Members Golf Tournament – August 2015
e) AGM in Jasper National Park – October 2015
f) Travel Alberta Conference – November 2015
g) RVDA Convention in Las Vegas – November 2015
h) RVIA Conference in Louisville, KY – November/December 2015
Calgary and Edmonton RV Shows- January 29-February 1, 2015 and
February 5-8, 2015:
Calgary’s Show featured 14 Dealers; Edmonton featured 16 Dealers. The small booths are
ALL sold in both Calgary & Edmonton. We were happy to announce that we had exhibitors
coming from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, Toronto,
Montreal and Montana. Attendance was high for both shows even though there was a
blizzard in both cities!
Career EXPO (Edmonton Journal Employment Super Show) – April 2015:
The RVDA of Alberta attended the Edmonton Employment Super Show. Joining her was
Jonathon Doucette of Woody’s RV World. Due to the economic downturn, they had
exhibitors in attendance. There were, however, many people looking to find employment,
looking to change careers, or simply just looking. We always feel that our presence is
important at Trade Shows such as this, as many people are not aware of the job
opportunities in the RV Industry, and it is a great way to educate people.
The 3RD Annual RV Learning Weekend was held May 22-24th at Ol’ MacDonald’s Resort. It
was another huge success with this year’s attendance up from the first two years – a great
testament to the weekend’s reputation in providing great learning, resources, and a whole
lot of fun. We thank our many sponsors for their support in being there, providing funding,
and ensuring that we had great door prizes.
Friday evening included a Meet & Greet; Ol’ MacDonalds staff provided a great Saturday
evening dinner, followed by a campfire & entertainment by a great signing duo. Seminars
were also held on both Saturday and Sunday.
Below, the group takes time out to enjoy one of the fabulous meals prepared by Jean
MacDonald and her staff at Ol’ MacDonald’s Resort. We look forward to the 4th Annual RV
Learning Weekend this May and we hope many of you can make it out!
New Staff to the RVDA of Alberta-July 2015:
This year we welcomed two the RVDA of Alberta Staff Members which are Karen Renaud
and Carrie Nelson. We would like to thank Wanda Steele for all her hard work and
dedication to the RVDA of Alberta and wish her the best in her future endeavours!
L to R: Karen Renaud and Carrie Nelson
RVDA of Alberta Annual Golf Tournament-August 12, 2015:
The August 12th, 2015 Annual Golf Tournament was a great success! With the help of our
members and sponsors, $5,000.00 was raised for the Kids Cancer Care Foundation. Jillian
Miller from the Kids Cancer Care Foundation and her volunteers were great help and very
appreciative for the donation. Jacqueline surpassed last year’s amount and it was her best
year to date!
L to R: Carrie Nelson-Administrative Assistant of the RVDA of Alberta, Darcy TurgeonPresident of the RVDA of Alberta, Dan Merkowsky-Executive Vice-President of the RVDA of
Alberta, Jillian Miller-Kids CANcer Care Foundation, Karen Renaud-Administrative
Assistant of the RVDA of Alberta
Our winners for the golf tournament and the 1st Place Recipients of the GE Commercial
Distribution Finance Trophy. They were as follows:
1. 1st Place – Brian Smith, Bill Burnett, Braydon Berwencik and Alex Ritchie
2. 2nd Place – Dean Smyl, John Yakimec, Pat Yakimec and Danny Smyl
3. 3rd Place – Allan Fertig, Duane Trytten, Dwain Short and Miles Golby
We are looking forward to seeing our members again at the tournament on August 10,
2016! Mark your calendars!
Annual General Meeting- October 19th & 20th, 2015:
The Annual General Meeting was held in Jasper, Alberta at the Jasper Park Lodge. Wayne
Lee was the keynote speaker and was also the entertainment for the event on October 20th.
The event went off without a hitch! We hope to see our members at the RVDA of Alberta
AGM in Las Vegas on November 7, 2015.
Travel Alberta Conference at the Banff Springs Hotel October 25-27, 2015:
The 15th Annual Travel Alberta Industry Conference (TAIC) was held at The Fairmont
Banff Springs on October 25th-27th, 2015. The Travel Alberta Industry Conference provides
the Alberta Tourism Industry with an opportunity to network, learn, and celebrate
individuals and organizations excelling in and enhancing in the tourism industry. The
keynote line up this year was Andrew Davis, Ron Tite and Doug Lipp. There were
approximately 356 delegates including Dan Merkowsky of the RVDA of Alberta where he
had an opportunity to meet and converse with government and Travel Alberta officials.
L to R: Gary Lakeman, Jean MacDonald of Ol’ MacDonalds Resort and Dan Merkowsky of
the RVDA of Alberta at the Travel Alberta Industry Conference
RVDA National Convention/EXPO-November 2nd-6th, 2015 and RV Business
50 Top Dealer Awards/Blue Ribbon Awards:
The RVDA National Convention was in Las Vegas, Nevada at Bally’s Hotel and Casino
located on Las Vegas Blvd. This year’s attendance was 1,297 and was an increase from
2014. For additional information along with Audio Recordings, Convention Photos and
Slides & Handouts, all are available online at www.rvda.org/convention. The 2016 RV
Dealers International Convention/Expo will take place November 7-11, 2016 at Bally's
Hotel and Casino in the Las Vegas, NV.
RV Business Top 50 Dealer Awards reception was 5:30pm-8:00pm on November 4th, 2015
during the RV Dealers International Convention/Expo at Bally’s in Las Vegas, NV.
Congratulations to Bucars RV Centre, ArrKann Trailer & RV Centre and Rangeland RV
& Trailer Sales for winning RV Business Top 50 Dealer Awards. Woody’s RV World was
recognized as one of the top five dealerships in North America by winning one of the five
Blue Ribbon Awards that are handed out nationally! Some of them were in attendance in
Las Vegas, NV at the RVDA Convention to accept their awards. Job well done as these
dealerships are part of the reason that Alberta sells more RV's than any other province in
Canada! Click here to read the full article RV Business Top 50 Dealer Awards.
RVIA Conference-December 1st-3rd, 2015:
The RVIA National RV Trade Show was held at the Kentucky EXPO Centre in Louisville,
Kentucky. This all industry trade show is not open to the public.
L to R: Eleonore Hamm-President of the RVDA of Canada, Dan Merkowsky-Executive VicePresident RVDA of the Alberta, Natalie Conway-Association Manager of the Ontario RVDA
The RVDA of Alberta, RVDA of Canada and RBC co-sponsored the 103rd annual Grey Cup
Game at the Sports and Social Club in Louisville on Sunday, November 29th starting at
5:30pm. Many stopped by to watch the game and cheer on their Canadian Teams!
The RVDA of Alberta office will be
closed from 12 Noon, December
24th, 2015 and will re-open at
8am on January 4th, 2016. On
behalf of the staff from the RVDA
of Alberta,
See you in 2016!!