Though attendance was down at the Florida RV SuperShow, REV Recreation Group (RRG), a subsidiary of REV Group, Inc., reported 40 percent sales growth compared with last year’s show.
The Florida RV Trade Association’s Florida RV SuperShow saw a 25 percent attendance decrease compared with last year. RRG, a Class A motorhome and luxury coach manufacturer, was not affected. Lenny Razo, RRG’s director of sales, said, “We had our best Tampa RV Show ever and are extremely pleased with the buzz around our product line.”
Record sales were driven by a well-informed crowd who had done their research beforehand, as well as new models. Though she did not attend the Florida RV SuperShow, RRG Marketing Director Deb Stapel said her team noticed more serious buyers at this year’s show. “It seemed like they came with all of the information already gathered,” Stapel said. “We had some really smart, savvy shoppers, who would come into the booth and say, ‘I want to see this specific model.’ They had already done a lot of homework.”
Stapel said REV Group’s recent website statistics showed more new users than returning users. “It’s a good indicator of the impact that the pandemic is having on the industry,” Stapel said. “People are trying to do more research online.”
Though RRG did not specifically advertise the Florida RV SuperShow online, the company increased its digital marketing. RRG had more information online about products than in previous years, including several RV walk-through videos. Stapel said Mike Grove, one of RRG’s video creators and walk-through hosts, was a show celebrity, taking selfies with attendees who watched the YouTube videos.
Stapel said Florida RV SuperShow attendees loved the new Discovery LXE 36HQ with a fixed island. “The 36GQ really strikes a chord with people who love to gather around that center kitchen island and entertain,” she said, “even if it is only with their immediate family during the pandemic.”
Stapel also said the new Holiday Rambler Nautica, a Class A diesel with 340HP and Aqua-hot 250D, was popular with attendees. “Not many diesels at that price point have that aqua system or storage,” Stapel said.
Stapel said RRG expects to see heightened new vehicle interest at other consumer shows this year. “I think the team did a great job with what consumers value, what they are looking for, and creating nice units based off that consumer research,” Stapel said. “Moving forward, I think we will continue to see demand for those units.”
