Attendees take in the displays at the Ft. Myers RV Show.
Recent Florida-based RV shows in Fort Myers (Jan. 29 to Feb. 1) and Jacksonville (Feb. 5-8) showed mixed but generally positive results.
“Overall, dealers seemed quite pleased with what they were seeing,” said Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) Executive Director Dave Kelly. “We are continuing the positive trend we noticed at the SuperShow in Tampa; attitudes are improving, and people are more optimistic and very upbeat. It seems that for the past two or three years, many have been hesitant to make a decision, but now they have chosen to buy an RV and hit the road. I believe the tide has turned, and buyers are beginning to pull the trigger.”
The Fort Myers RV Show, hosted by FRVTA on the last weekend of January, drew more visitors than the previous year, with attendance up by approximately 500 to 5,656.
Although the weather posed challenges, especially on Saturday and Sunday, Fort Myers benefited from increased traffic on Thursday and Friday as consumers anticipated unfavorable conditions over the weekend. Aiding the gate, this year marked the third consecutive year that the show has been hosted at JetBlue Park, as exhibitors and the public get acclimated to the venue.
Attendance at the Jacksonville MegaShow, which was held at the Equestrian Center and also hosted by FRVTA, was down by approximately 6-7% compared to the previous year. However, the total number of attendees across the four-day event exceeded 6,000. The decrease in attendance was attributed to poor weather on Thursday, which was designated as senior discount day. Despite lower foot traffic, Kelly said that dealers and suppliers appeared satisfied with the overall results.
Greg Stachacz
Kelly’s observations about the Florida shows are supported by Greg Stachacz, General Sales Manager at Campers Inn, who worked the Jacksonville show.
“Saturday was particularly strong, and it made up for the slower weather days. Sales were good, exceeding last year’s number. And I think it’s the same for the other dealers at the show. I would say that all told, the consumer’s attitude is better than average.”
Camper’s Inn’s Jacksonville display included all categories of RVs, from Class A motorhomes to single axle trailers, 70 units total. Stachacz says that across all categories, sales exceeded the prior year’s show results. The $80,000 to $110,000 fifth wheels did particularly well, as did single-axle trailers, which appealed to retired couples seeking something half-ton towable.
“Not only were sales good, but we saw a lot of people who plan to come and visit the dealership in the next week or two. We scheduled many appointments for people to see a model we didn’t have at the show.”
Campers Inn participates in approximately 50 to 60 shows each season. According to Stachacz, early show results are encouraging, indicating that industry trends are shifting in a positive direction.