Delivering World Class service – one owner at a time!

Jim Rogers, President & CEO, talks about taking KOA from "good to great". (Forget the yellow suit, look at the shoes!)

The new KOA ad campaign was previewed at the Reno convention.

Do you have what it takes to be among “the best of the best”?

The takeaway message from KOA’s recent International convention in Reno, NV was this: Campgrounds of America is a very good campground system … . by working together, responding to what our guests are telling us, and by training ourselves and our staffs to better deliver what campers say is important, we’ll take KOA from good to great!

Great People! Great Camping! Great KOA!

“Great People. Great Camping.”

When you page through familiar national RVing magazines next year, pay attention to the faces in the KOA Campgrounds ads – KOA’s new advertising campaign, unveiled at the Reno, NV international convention, features the people of KOA

Camper research conducted this year found that KOA guests most often mentioned the treatment they received from KOA owners and staff as the reason they continued to camp in the KOA system.

Facilities are important and can’t be overlooked, but people and service make the difference. Our franchisees and their staffs give KOA a marketable competitive advantage.

All of KOA’s many marketing programs will be brought under the new “Great People. Great Camping” umbrella. This comprehensive marketing campaign will give KOA a consistent look and feel while emphasizing the great people of KOA and the outstanding camping experiences they deliver.

The most visible part of the new campaign will be the 2004 KOA Directory, which will feature KOA owners and staff on the cover. Watch for it on KOA campgrounds in January!

Kamper Satisfaction Survey (KSS)

When KOA founder Dave Drum visited the original campground on the shores of the Yellowstone River near Billings Montana, he constantly asked questions of campers, always surveying to find what out what guests felt was important.

KOA continues that tradition with the first ever Kamper Satisfaction Survey distributed to over 250,000 KOA kampers in 2003.

The results of this Survey were unveiled in Reno, where owners and managers received detailed reports on how guests at their particular campgrounds rated their camping experience. Not only is this a first in the KOA system, but there has never been this comprehensive a survey of the camping public in the campground industry as a whole.

This personalized report contains some great diagnostic tools for KOA owners and operators, and provides a roadmap to continued improvement of each KOA campground and the KOA system.

KOA Award Winners

In 2003, awards presented by Campgrounds of America rewarded campground owners and managers who provided world class service to their camping guests, as measured by the campers themselves in the Kamper Satisfaction Survey.

Founder’s Award

The KOA Founder’s Award is a new award that relies on feedback from campers at individual KOA Campgrounds. 24 Campground owners and operators who received no less than 70 percent “A” scores from their campers on the 2003 Kamper Satisfaction Survey (KSS) received the award. Founder’s Award winners in 2003 reflected the entire spectrum of the KOA system, from large to small; veteran to rookie; and represented all of our geographic regions. These owners and operators truly provided consistently outstanding, WORLD CLASS service to their guests.

Recipients of KOA's first Founder's Award for excellence in guest satisfaction.

President’s Award

Also new this year is the KOA President’s Award, earned by over 200 campgrounds. This award is a departure from previous years’ awards, which relied on the Quality Assurance Review which focused mainly on the campgrounds’ facilities. .

The new President’s Award is based on three criterion: facilities, Kamper Satisfaction Survey results, and KOA brand support, identifying the 200+ recipients as superior performers in each of these areas. .

KOA’s Franchisee of the Year

KOA’s Franchisee of the Year award, always the most coveted and awaited by the KOA franchisees, was presented to the Bergeron family, owners of the Gettysburg/Battlefield KOA.

The Bergerons surrounded by past KOA Franchisees of the Year.

A Franchisee of the Year has to meet a lot of qualifications before they can be considered for this award. They have to have been in the system for a while, and have a good history as a “team player” with the rest of the KOA system.

They have to have demonstrated a high degree of entrepreneurial drive, coupled with a willingness to work within the KOA franchise system.

They’ve received top marks in camper satisfaction surveys, and do a good job of responding to their camper guest’s concerns.

KOA’s Franchisees of the Year have always demonstrated a passion for the camping business, along with creativity and innovation.

In short, a Franchisee of the Year is invited into this unique group because they are among the KOA Campgrounds that are setting the high water mark for the rest. They are leaders in our industry, and yet haven’t forgotten what is at the core of the camping business . . . the needs and desires of the camping guests.

The Gettysburg KOA is also one of those great campgrounds in the system that are true family affairs, with the second generation now stepping up to participate in the campground’s operation (and a grandchild who hasn’t missed a KOA convention since she was born!)

Remember that it’s the people, not just the campground. Could you be among them in the future?

Great People. Great Camping.