Sharing our Story
LaVerne and I had the opportunity to interact with several media professionals last month at The Range Vintage Trailer Resort, just south of Dallas, TX. They came not just to see the new Airstream products but also to interact and learn from Airstreamers about the unique community surrounding our beloved Airstreams and how we learn and use them. I spoke a bit about our Club, and here’s how I describe us:
Airstream Club International boasts a vibrant community of over 18,000 passionate members worldwide who share a love for Airstream travel trailers. But we’re more than travelers; we’re dreamers, adventurers, and friends. The club rallies bring us together—swapping recipes, learning about solar panels, and dancing under the stars. It’s a blend of nostalgia and modernity, where vintage Airstreams mingle with sleek new models. Essentially, we are a community of friends and adventurers.
Gathering of Airstreamers at The Range Vintage RV Resort (Bristol, TX)
Coming in May: Ham Rally at North Texas Airstream Community (Hillsboro, TX)
Our Club is launching a ham radio-oriented rally for the first time in recent memories! While we often do ham radio events at our International Rallies, a couple of our members (Priscilla Harrell – BRN# 8788, callsign K3FFF, and Amy Van Artsdalen BRN# 11812) got together to launch this exciting event. It’s a great collaboration between a Region, an Intra-Club, and an Airstream residential community. Even better, LaVerne and I were able to adjust our travel plans to be able to attend – see y’all there!
- Region 9 / NTAC Ham Rally (May 9-12, 2024)
- Blog Article: My Journey into Amateur Radio
- Are you interested in planning one for your area? Our National Event Rallies International Chair, Margaret Handshoe (BRN# 1993), is exploring a series of similar events. Contact her for a conversation.
Eclipse Rallies
A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node on Monday, April 8, 2024, visible across North America and dubbed the Great North American Eclipse. Did you know our Club has nine rallies organized along the “path of totality” for the April 8th solar eclipse?
- Learn more from NASA (2024 Total Solar Eclipse)
- Tune into our National Event “Virtual” Rally on Facebook, joining your members along the path for live streams and commentary.
Annual IBT Strategic Planning Meeting
Last month, I described our Club as consisting of two elements: the “Just Camping” side and the “Business” side of the Club, which provides the structure and sustainability to the “Just Camping” side. Consistent with any well-led organization or Club, it’s imperative to regularly step back and look at the needs of our members, the future of our Club, key initiatives that we can align around, review progress on prior year initiatives, and, of course, a thorough understanding of our club finances. To that end, your International Board of Trustees (Executive Council plus the twelve Region Presidents) met last month in Jackson Center, OH, to spend three solid days on the “business” side of our Club. Your Region Presidents will share more later, but while our top priorities didn’t change much, we resolved some important discussions and directions. Great meeting.
Current Club Strategic Priorities
- Internal Communications
- External Communications
- Welcome and Retain Members
- Infrastructure (buildings and software)
- Training at all Levels
- Financial Literacy and Sustainability (UPDATE: new International Treasurer!)
Welcome Alan Rabb: Our New Interim International Treasurer
On February 22, 2024, the International Board of Trustees (IBT) voted to enact a temporary emergency resolution to fill the vacant International Treasurer position with the most qualified candidate available, and interested, from the WBCCI / ACI Membership / Finance Committee. The Interim Treasurer will be a non-voting guest of all IBT and Executive Council meetings. This waiver is temporary and applies until August 1, 2025, or a duly elected treasurer assumes the position.
I’m pleased to share that the recruitment, led by our International Leadership, Recruitment and Oversight Committee, was successful. Last week, our IBT voted unanimously to elect Alan Rabb (BRN# 02376). In addition to serving as the Chief Financial Officer and Sr. VP of Finance for a multinational organization, Alan holds an MBA in both Finance and International Business from Mercer University, a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Accounting from Emory University, a liberal arts degree from Oxford College and is a licensed personal property appraiser in the state of Georgia. Alan also serves as treasurer for Region 3 and has served on the International Finance Committee for two years.
This is a fantastic step forward and aligned with our strategic priority of Financial Literacy and Sustainability.
Fun Fact: Where are our North American members located?
Are You a Courtesy Parking Host?
Migration to the new Courtesy Parking powered by Harvest Hosts
We hope you choose to continue as a Courtesy Parking Host – it’s a wonderful benefit to your fellow members. The next step for Hosts is to gather essential information about your parking space, rig suitability, property rules, and other pertinent details to ensure a seamless experience for all ACI Members. Your information will remain private and accessible only to other ACI Members searching for Courtesy Parking. To access the survey, please click on the following link: Host Data Collection Survey.
Upcoming International Rallies
- As of mid-March, we have roughly 200 spots remaining for our Rally2024 in Sedalia, Missouri. We expect to sell out with just over 1,400 Airstreams.
- Rally2025: York, PA (August 2025)
- Rally2026: Tentatively Minot, ND (August 2026)
- Rally2027: Due to popular demand, “Back to Rock Springs,” WY (June 2027)
- Rally2028: Tentatively east of the Mississippi
That’s it for now!
Looking forward to seeing you all down the road, and let me know if you have ideas for our Club.
Eric McHenry
International President / BRN 153 // Amateur Radio callsign AA6EM
