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IMPACT: 2026 KOA Convention & Expo, Kansas City, November 16–19, 2026

First-Timers Guide · Kansas City · Nov 16–19, 2026

Walk in like you've done this before.

Four days, 150+ exhibitors, and a room where most people already know each other. That's a lot for a first time. This is the part nobody hands you: what to bring, where to be, and what everyone else already knows.

Start with step one See your first afternoon
Hundreds of KOA owners in yellow shirts with their hands raised for the annual convention group photo
Three KOA attendees wearing convention badges, smiling together
Group photo day · Wednesday
Start here

Nobody tells you the unwritten part

The convention site will tell you what is happening and when. It won't tell you that lunch is served inside the Expo hall, so the busiest hour of the show is also the hour you're trying to eat. Or that "black tie optional" means a jacket, not a tuxedo. Or that the people wearing yellow on Wednesday planned it weeks ago.

This isn't a trade show you survive. It's the week your year gets easier.

The Kansas City Marriott Downtown room block closes October 21, 2026.

Click here to book the hotel

The plan

Five steps, in this order

Do them in sequence and nothing will surprise you.

01

Get registered

One fee covers most of your convention experience. General sessions, workshops and the Expo are all included, as well as breakfast and lunch daily, two dinners and three happy hours. Off-site adventures are available for an additional fee. Check the full schedule of events for details.

Register here

Don't forget to
  • Select the First-Timers Reception and provide your T-shirt size.
  • Note any dietary needs during registration. They cannot be added at check-in.
  • Register for any off-site adventures on Monday and Thursday. Not ready to decide? You can add these later, but space is limited. Learn more.
Cancel by November 1 by emailing koaevents@koa.net. No refunds after November 1.
02

Hotel or campground? You choose

Two ways to sleep, booked in two completely different ways. Neither rate exists outside the official route.

The hotel

Kansas City Marriott Downtown, $229 a night plus tax, a short walk from the Convention Center. Rooms go first-come, first-served, and the convention rate only exists through the official KOA housing link.

Book the hotel

Block closes Oct 21, or when it sells out
The campground

Kansas City West / Lawrence KOA Holiday, 45 to 50 minutes out. Stay two nights, get two free. There is no online booking for this one: the convention rate is only available if you call the campground direct.

Call 785-842-3877

Ask for the KOA convention rate
03

Build your days

Choose from 25 workshops offered across five time slots. During each time slot, five concurrent sessions will be offered. No sign-up, walk into any of them, and everything is recorded. A session you miss isn't a session you lost.

*Pro Tip - Pick a first and a second choice for each slot

See all 25 workshops

04

Pack right

Layers, shoes you'd walk a park in, and at least one yellow shirt. Bags are covered: you get one at check-in and vendors hand out more on the Expo floor. You'll leave carrying more than you brought.

Week before
05

Walk in Monday

Check-in opens at noon. First-Timers Reception at 4:30. The opening party at 6:00, walkable from the hotel.

Nov 16
Two KOA owners at the convention check-in desk holding their programs and tote bags
What to bring

The packing list

Marked items are the ones people wish they'd brought.

  • One yellow shirt: group photo day is real, and it's Wednesday
  • Shoes you'd walk a park in: a few miles a day
  • Layers: cold ballrooms, warm Expo hall
  • Business cards: still the currency here
  • Room in your suitcase: bags are free at check-in and all over the Expo floor
  • A jacket for Thursday: not a tuxedo
  • Money for the Care Camps auction: silent bids run all week, live auction on the final night, and it sends kids with cancer to camp
  • Battery pack: session-room outlets are a myth
  • Your park's numbers: vendors will ask site count and season
  • A notebook: the workshops throw a lot of good ideas at you, and they disappear fast
Monday, November 16

Your first afternoon

The convention officially starts at 6:00 PM. Here's everything before that, and why it matters.

12:00PM · Convention Center

Check-in opens

Pick up your badge and your First-Timers T-shirt. The badge gets you into everything, including the off-site excursions. Wear the shirt to the reception at 4:30: staff wear them too, so you will not be the only one in it. Come early. The line at 4:00 is not the line at noon.

2:00PM · Departs the Marriott

Choose Your Adventure

BBQ Museum ($50), streetcar and walking history tour ($20), or the Barley Bus brewery tour ($75). Registration and an additional fee apply. Limited availability, so reserve early. The brewery tour is Monday only.

4:30PM · KC Marriott, Basie C

First-Timers Reception

Ninety minutes with the other people who are also new, plus the Franchise Business Coaches: the KOA staffers assigned to your park, and your first call all week. The single most useful hour of your convention.

6:00PM · Kansas City Live!

Opening Night Celebration

An entire city block in the Power & Light District, KOA-only access to the ground floor, Kansas City BBQ from County Road Ice House. Walkable, and a shuttle runs all evening. Arrive hungry.

Aerial view of the KOA Expo hall
The Expo

How to work 150+ booths

Lunch is served in the Expo Hall, but set aside plenty of time to shop and explore show specials. You will need all three Expo days to see it all.

The vocabulary

Speak KOA

Walking into a room where everyone speaks a language you don't is the fastest way to feel like an outsider. Here's the language. You'll hear all ten in the first two hours.

Your people
FBCFranchise Business Coach
The KOA staffer assigned to your park. Find yours at the First-Timers Reception. Your first call all week, and all year.
Your people
Owners Association
The franchisee body. Annual meeting is Thursday morning; paid members vote. You can attend either way.
The agenda
General Session
Everybody in one ballroom. Leadership, keynotes, awards. You don't pick these. They're the spine of the day.
The agenda
Workshops
Smaller concurrent sessions. No sign-up, walk into any, all recorded. Arrive ten minutes early. The popular ones fill.
The awards
ICON Awards
Wednesday afternoon. Recognizes parks excelling at operations, guest satisfaction and brand engagement.
The awards
Campground of the Year
The top honor in the system, announced at Thursday's gala alongside Rising Star.
The cause
Care Camps Foundation
The foundation KOA supports. It sends children with cancer to camp. Silent auction all week, live auction at the gala. Bring money to spend on this worthy cause.
The rituals
Yellow shirt day
Wednesday. Everyone wears yellow for the group photo.
The rituals
Partnership Recognition
Long-time KOA partners are honored for reaching 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 years. Seeing these dedicated partners accept their awards is a powerful reminder of the relationships and history that make KOA special.
Bring the family
Kids Kamp
On-site childcare, ages 4–12, with supervised outings. Infant care 3 months–3 years. Registration closes October 10, no exceptions.
When you're stuck

Two people who answer

You are not the first person to ask, and they'd rather hear from you in September than at the check-in desk.

Kama Humphrey

Kama Humphrey

Director of Convention & Expo

Hotel block, Expo, anything general.

khumphrey@koa.net406-248-7444

Tracy Kern

Tracy Kern

Convention & Event Manager

Registration, dietary needs, Kids Kamp and childcare.

tkern@koa.net406-248-7444

Two deadlines

Register and book your hotel

The host hotel block expires October 21, or when rooms sell out, whichever comes first. Book your room now to stay close to all the action. Convention registration closes November 1. That is a firm deadline, because final food and beverage counts are due then, and walk-up registration will not be available.

Register for the convention Reserve your room