Winnebago Joins the Escapees Escapade Fun & Gains Valuable Owner Feedback

Winnebago Joins the Escapees Escapade Fun & Gains Valuable Owner Feedback 
Learn more about this great RVer event and how Winnebago participated.

By: Kenny & Sabrina Phillips

Sabrina and I are always impressed with how much Winnebago immerses itself into the RV community, and their recent participation at the Escapees Escapade is a great example of that. The Escapade is an event for all RVers – a place to gather to meet new people, learn more about RVing, and maybe even try a new sport or dance the night away. 

As a Winnebago Ambassador, I attended the event to assist the Winnebago product and marketing teams in gathering information from other attendees on what the RV community would like to see in RVs. I absolutely love doing this because I have seen Winnebago do this before and it always results in amazing products like the Winnebago Revel or Winnebago EKKO - RV’s that really stand out in the crowd and offer features that are most important to the end user. This time around, we were there to learn what people would like to see in their next Class C RV.

In addition to getting to help the Winnebago team, I also got to enjoy the event! If you are planning to attend a future Escapees Escapade, here are some helpful insights from my experience …

Escapees Escapade Overview: What to Know Before Attending

The first thing you should know is that the property is very large, so bring a bike if you can. The whole event was very bike-friendly with plenty of places to park. Escapees also does a great job with transportation, so if you do not have a bike, then they can help get you around.

There are camping options for everyone from dry camping to full hookups. If you would like a full-hookup site, be sure to book early as they fill up fast. This event took place in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and most days were very breezy, so we kept our awnings in, and I saw most people wearing shorts with a wind breaker. Our warmest day was 85 degrees, and our coolest day was 65 degrees. These are both high temps as some nights were going as low as 42 degrees.

When you arrive, look at the schedule as there are activities and events going from 8 a.m. to about 10 p.m. every day. One thing I missed that I would have really liked to have checked out was silent disco night. However, it started at 9 p.m. and I was already asleep. Basically, everyone wears headphones with lights on them, the lights indicate different channels so if you see someone with the same light as your headphones they are listening to the same music as you are. I thought this sounded like a very cool way to connect with people. 

The silent disco is probably a good indication of the type of crowd that attends these events – they are very active. There was also pickle ball, axe throwing, and corn hole, plus about three happy hours a night just to name a few activities, so bring lots of energy with you to keep up. 

Be sure to bring your furry friends as well since this is a very pet-friendly event. Dogs were allowed in the food court area and there was even a mobile pet groomer on site so Belle was able to get her nails done. They also had a very large fenced-in dog park, which Belle loved. I was told there were two dog parks, but we only visited one of them.

If you are looking for deals on RV accessories, trips, and upgrades, the event had plenty of vendors in their market hall with some great show pricing. Fantasy RV Tours was one of those vendors and they had some trips marked down. You can learn more about one of our multiple Fantasy RV Tour trips here. (GoLife Perks members also get a discount on their Winnebago owner tours!)

How Winnebago Listens to the RV Community

As mentioned earlier, Winnebago was there to connect with the attendees and learn more about what was most important to them while choosing an RV. As you can imagine, it can be difficult to narrow down the top wants since there are so many styles of RVs, and everyone travels and camps a little differently. 

However, Winnebago has come up with a very unique way of capturing the information through interactive presentations. Each person who attended the two seminars was able to participate in the presentation via their cell phone. Winnebago Product Planner John Millis was able to ask a series of questions and the attendees were able to click or even write in answers.

These answers would then be shown in real time on the projection screen. At the end of the presentation, all these answers were easily saved for John and the rest of the Winnebago team to look over when they got back to the office. Through the years, I have seen Winnebago not only listen to the consumer but implement changes to their RVs based on surveys just like this one.

We were also able to hold an open house where we invited everyone to tour the three RVs we brought: a prototype Winnebago EKKO, the new Winnebago Journey, and the Winnebago Vista 34R (a Class A RV with a murphy bed/workstation in the bedroom). This was another great way to get feedback on what everyone liked and disliked. All feedback can be used to improve future products! 

We were also happy to meet Winnebago owners that were very pleased with their RVs and liked sharing their experience with us. If you are ever at an event and you see the Winnebago team on property, be sure to stop by and see if they have any demos with them, it is such a great way to tour an RV with no sales pressure. It’s really a win-win since it’s also a great way for Winnebago to get feedback and for you to have a hand in the next Winnebago design!

Join a Future RVer Event to Meet the Winnebago Team!

Winnebago attends several events throughout the year, with upcoming events including the Hershey RV Show and multiple Overland Expos. So, if you see an event near you, come on out and get involved. Your voice matters to Winnebago, and they want to hear from you! Of course, Camp Winnebago is another great event with many opportunities to connect with the Winnebago team and other owners.

If crowds are not for you, I can say I saw plenty of people off doing their own thing and hosting small private cookouts around their RV. You can attend these events and do as much or as little as you like. 

Take care all, and safe travels!