The off-road world is heading to northern Arizona this May, and one organization is making sure the trip means more than just a good time on the trails. The Off-Road Business Association — known as ORBA — is coming to Overland Expo West 2026 as a full sponsor and exhibitor, bringing with it a renewed sense of purpose and a message that the overlanding community needs to hear.
The event runs May 15–17 in Flagstaff, and for ORBA, it represents one of the most important public appearances since the organization relaunched with a significantly expanded advocacy strategy. The timing couldn't be more deliberate.
A Relaunch With Real Teeth
ORBA isn't a new name in the off-road world, but the version showing up in Flagstaff this spring is a different animal than what the community has seen before. The organization — a wholly owned subsidiary of the Specialty Equipment Market Association, better known as SEMA — came back to the table recently with a broader mission, upgraded membership benefits, and a sharper focus on the issues that actually threaten where off-roaders can go and what they can do when they get there.
The relaunch came with a clear list of priorities. ORBA is actively working to protect access to public lands, pushing for federal legislation that keeps motorized vehicles welcome in outdoor spaces, and building out regional economic impact reports that give the industry real data to take into policy conversations. On top of that, the organization is expanding its coalitions, continuing ecological partnerships, and putting resources into stewardship and education efforts.
These aren't talking points. According to ORBA, these initiatives are already underway — and the Overland Expo West appearance is as much about showing that progress as it is about recruiting new members and partners.
What's Happening at the Show
ORBA will be running an exhibitor lounge at the event where the organization's leadership is scheduled to hold sessions on land-use issues, walk attendees through the benefits of membership, and offer a preview of the 2026 Overland Expo Industry Report. That last piece is notable — the industry report is expected to give businesses and enthusiasts alike a clearer picture of the economic weight the off-road and overlanding world carries, which becomes critical when making the case to lawmakers and land management agencies.
Sean P. Holman, ORBA's interim executive director, made clear that Flagstaff is about more than just visibility. "Attending Overland Expo West 2026 will be a unique opportunity to help further develop the relationships that will help to make our federal and state advocacy a success," Holman said. "At Overland Expo West 2026, our new leadership team will be meeting with our fellow enthusiasts, talking about the issues that impact our lifestyle, and growing our ability to be a voice for all off-roaders."
That word — all — is doing a lot of work in that sentence. ORBA's positioning has always been about the broadest possible coalition of off-road users, not just one corner of the market. Bringing that message to Overland Expo West, where enthusiasts, vendors, and industry professionals converge in one place, makes strategic sense.
Overland Expo Joins as a Platinum Member
One of the bigger announcements tied to all of this is that Overland Expo itself has signed on as a Platinum-level member of ORBA. That's a meaningful alignment. Overland Expo is the largest event series of its kind in the world, founded in 2009 and drawing hundreds of exhibitors along with thousands of adventure travel enthusiasts every year. For an organization trying to build a coalition that actually moves the needle on public land access, having Overland Expo in your corner matters.
Emily Boden, Show Director at Overland Expo, put it plainly. "Overland Expo has long served as a gathering place for the overland industry and enthusiast community, and partnering with ORBA and SEMA is a natural extension of that role," she said. "ORBA's work ensures that businesses and enthusiasts alike have a voice in protecting access and opportunity, and we're excited to support their expanded advocacy efforts at Overland Expo West 2026."
The Platinum membership tier isn't symbolic. It signals that Overland Expo is putting organizational weight behind ORBA's mission — which means that when ORBA walks into a room in Washington or at a state capital, it carries a little more credibility and a little more reach than it did before.
The Political Dimension Nobody Should Ignore
There's a panel at Overland Expo West that deserves attention from anyone who cares about where they're allowed to drive. Karen Bailey-Chapman, SEMA's Senior Vice President for Public and Government Affairs, is joining the Women Who Wander networking brunch as a panelist. Her focus will be on advocacy efforts at both the state and federal level aimed at protecting motorized access to public off-road spaces.
That might sound like inside baseball, but it's exactly the kind of work that determines whether your favorite trail stays open or gets closed to vehicles. Land-use decisions happen in offices and committee rooms, not on the trail. Having someone at the SEMA level speaking directly to that community — and doing so at one of the biggest gatherings in the off-road world — is the kind of cross-pollination that can actually shift outcomes.
Why the Timing Matters
The off-road and overlanding industry isn't operating in a vacuum. Access to public lands has been under pressure for years, with recreational vehicle users often finding themselves on the wrong end of land management decisions that favor other user groups or restrict motorized access altogether. The industry that has grown up around that access — spanning everything from specialty vehicle builds to camping gear, navigation systems, recovery equipment, and beyond — has a direct economic stake in keeping those trails and roads available.
SEMA has put some numbers behind that stake. The broader specialty automotive and off-road market contributes nearly $337 billion in economic impact to the U.S. economy, supports more than 1.3 million jobs, and generates close to $53 billion in parts sales each year. That's not a niche hobby. That's an industry with serious economic weight, and ORBA's expanded role is about making sure that weight gets felt in the right places.
What ORBA Membership Looks Like Now
Part of the relaunch has been a significant upgrade to what members actually get out of joining. ORBA now offers regular communications, sponsored brand content across ORBA and SEMA Action Network digital channels, and access to consumer research tools. For businesses operating in the off-road space, those research tools alone can justify the membership — understanding who's buying, what they're spending, and where the market is heading matters for everything from product development to sales strategy.
For individual enthusiasts, the value proposition is simpler: ORBA is the organization fighting to keep the places you love to explore open and accessible. Being a member is one of the most direct ways to support that fight.
Flagstaff in May
Overland Expo West has been running as a flagship event for the adventure travel and overlanding world for years now. Each event brings together hundreds of exhibitors, hundreds of hours of classes and sessions covering everything from off-road driving techniques to adventure motorcycling, plus roundtable discussions, demonstrations, and even the Overland Film Festival. It's the kind of event where the community actually shows up — not just the brands, but the people who live and breathe this lifestyle.
That's exactly the audience ORBA needs to be talking to. The overlanding community skews toward people who are deeply invested in the outdoors, who rely on access to public lands, and who understand firsthand what's at stake when that access gets threatened. They're also the kind of people who, when they understand an issue, tend to get involved.
ORBA's Flagstaff presence is a bet that if you put the right message in front of the right people at the right moment, the coalition you've been building gets a lot bigger in a hurry.
Anyone planning to be at Overland Expo West 2026 should make a point of stopping by the ORBA lounge. The conversations happening there — about land access, about industry advocacy, about what it actually takes to protect the off-road lifestyle for the long term — are the kind that tend to matter well beyond the weekend.
