TAMPA, Fla. – The 30,000-foot assessment of the Florida RV SuperShow was decidedly positive – more so than many in the industry had anticipated after a challenging year – while the overall outlook for 2026 at this point might best be described as cautiously upbeat.

Show director Dave Kelly, executive director of the sponsoring Florida RV Trade Assocation (FRVTA) said this morning, “I thought it was fantastic. Much better than anything I was anticipating.”

He said attendance – at 70,100 – was above last year’s 68,000. The record, set in 2022, was just north of 80,000.

“Everyone I’ve talked to or heard from said they did very, very well,” he said. “I know Brinkley was ecstatic. I understand Alliance was very happy. Really, just about everybody I talked to said they had a great show.”

It was a bittersweet day for Kelly today as he helped pack up the show office following his final stint as director. His retirement becomes effective later this year as Ken Loyd, a long-time FRVTA stalwart takes over.

“Very much so,” Kelly said. “They had a cake for me Sunday afternoon. Yeah, very much mixed feelings about it, but I feel like I went out on a high note with the way the show went.”

Also giving the Tampa Show sterling reviews was Blue Compass RV President & CEO Jon Ferrando who, back in his Ft. Lauderdale headquarters office on Monday (Jan. 19), felt that his 100-store dealership had experienced “an extraordinary week” in Tampa for the second year in a row.

“We smashed our all-time sales record, Ferrando told RVB. “Our SuperShow sales were up 20% over our record last year. Behind the sales growth was the fact that our product mix was spot on this year. We saw a tremendous performance across the board at Jayco, Alliance, Forest River Rockwood and Aurora. We also had great weeks at Airstream, Foretravel and THOR Geneva.”

Blue Compass also added Thor’s Entegra diesels to this year’s lineup.

Also behind Blue Compass’s strong performance, Ferrando feels, was the fact that his staff spent months preparing for show season and brought “an immensely talented team” of 200 sales and finance specialists. “And the real deciding factor is our team outworked everyone,” said Ferrando. “They were there having fun, bringing positive energy 12 hours a day, and we had great support from our OEM partners.”

Bottom line, Ferrando feels the 2026 Tampa Show was a positive signal for his company and the market in general. “Yes, the RV industry is alive and well,” he said. “We saw attendance climb with the final numbers over 70,000, beating last year’s numbers even with some challenging weather on Thursday and Sunday. And when you have that kind of a turnout, to me that sends a clear signal that the consumer demand for the RV lifestyle is powerful and resilient and that Tampa, which was strong product-wise across the board but especially in towables, is a bellwether that helps set the tone for a good year in the beginning of the RV market recovery.”

Jacksonville, Fla.-based Campers Inn RV had the largest footprint of any dealer at the show with more than 450 units on display and Campers Inn COO Ben Hirsch was encouraged by the results.

“It was our first experience being in a show with as many products,” he said, adding that between sales people, managers and support staff there were also 300 Campers Inn employees on site.

“It was a great show,” he said. “In spite of some weather issues on Thursday and Sunday when cold fronts came through – freezing, really windy – it kind of kicked some customers out. In spite of that, we had a great show. What we saw, really hot, we actually saw good sales in motorized and high-end fifth-wheels. We saw a lot of customers coming in on those. Not saying that other segments didn’t do OK, but those were kind of the standouts for us during the show.”

Hirsch also noted that Campers Inn saw good results at this past weekend’s Boston show as well. “We didn’t have good weather and we still had a lot of customers coming out and purchasing. Not only not good weather, but a Patriots game in the middle of the day on Sunday, said with a chuckle.

“That, and we’ve had Hershey and a couple of other good shows around the country and we feel pretty optimistic based on what we’re seeing so far,” he said.

Among the exhibitors was Goshen, Ind.-based Brinkley RV, a front-line towable RV manufacturer that will be celebrating its fourth year in business in May.

Co-Owner Nate Goldenberg says he can’t speak for the rest of the industry regarding the Tampa Show with Brinkley’s staff unable to leave its exhibit because it was “busier than heck, and the sales were amazing.”

Brinkley also held a customer appreciation event at its Tampa Show display that drew 400 consumers. “So, it was a really good show with a lot of very motivated attendees,” said Goldenberg. “Yeah. I mean, a lot of them were coming to buy. And every customer you interact with doesn’t always buy at the show, either. I mean, a lot of them go home and buy from their local dealer. It just depends on the situation and the relationships they have with other companies.

“But by and large, we pretty much hit our lofty goal for the show, which is pretty impressive for us. It’ll be the best show we’ve ever had, and I hope it’s a sign for the greater economy and the season to come.”

Jarod Lippert, Chief Marketing Officer for Lippert Components, said traffic at the leading RV component supplier’s booth was strong all week. 

“From the second we opened our booth on Tuesday till right now, it’s just been pretty busy,” he said on Saturday. Highlighting the 18K Chill Cube with a heat pump integrated into it, Lippert called it a great option. 

”You don’t have to use propane, you can run your heat off electric,” he added. “It’s got variable-speed compressors, and it’s been very popular all week. We’re also selling a lot of furniture and taking orders for installations at a lot of our service locations.”

Lippert was also happy to see the crowds which greeted his team each day.

“I was here all year last year, and I can absolutely say there is definitely more traffic. I’m hearing the same thing from some of the customers out there, too,” he said, gesturing toward the OEM displays outside the supplier building. “Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come.” 

Long known as a bellwether for the year ahead, Lippert said he felt the Tampa show gave reason to be optimistic, “although it’s hard to tell anything for sure.”

“I don’t think anyone in this day and age can predict anything,” he said. “But judging by the traffic here, I think there are reasons to be hopeful.”

Also taking a pretty upbeat view in early 2026 after having attended the Florida RV SuperShow was Bob Parish, vice president of national accounts for Chicago-based Wells Fargo Inventory Finance, who says some of the show’s exhibitors were “pleasantly surprised” by the outcome.

And despite some rough weather Thursday and Sunday, consumers were out in force including more families with small children simply out RV shopping, said Parish, a Tampa resident who again attended the estimated 1,300-unit show.

“Opening day attendance was as strong as any I’ve seen,” he noted. “I’ve been going to this show since its inception actually and this year’s opening day on Wednesday was very, very strong. Some dealers reported that sales were so brisk that first day (Wednesday) that they were achieving 20 to 25% of their overall show goals in day one.

 “Now Thursday was a different story with the high winds and cold weather, but it’s safe to say that many dealers were still exceeding their expectations, Parish observed. “And most were at least meeting last year’s sales. So, it’s interesting to see the consumers’ reaction in this dicey of a market. And I will say, looking at price points, that it appears to be the bigger, higher-dollar units that were selling, with fifth-wheels and diesel (motorhome) sales surprisingly strong.”

 So, Parish’s updated outlook based upon the traffic, sales and buzz at Tampa – a show in which OEM’s showcased a number of innovative new lines — is that the RV market is “stable,” which, given the general state of the marketplace since 2002’s Covid spike, is saying something.

Coley Brady, co-founder of Elkhart, Ind.-based Alliance RV, said, “Just to talk hard numbers – it was a record-breaking year for us, There’s a lot of excitement around the RV industry. I feel having the interest rates come down slightly in Q4 helped. Based on the traffic we saw and the customers we talked too, it seems consumer confidence is trending up.”

He added, “I think, based on what we’re hearing and seeing, we didn’t see the negative equity we’ve seen in past shows and past years. It seems like consumers are in a much better position overall to get that new RV. I’m very optimistic for 2026.”

Officials with Thor Industries, Inc. and Forest River, Inc. could not be reached for comment this morning.