RVBusiness, January-February 2017
BY RICK KESSLER PHOTOS BY SHAWN SPENCE It was a record breaking five days for us we had a 20 increase in sales over last years show said Ron Fleming vice president and general manager of Lazydays RV The association did a great job of promoting the show The customers were good quality and there were lots of buyers Vehicles waiting to enter the Florida State Fairgrounds to attend the SuperShow were backed onto the I 4 highway and there were reports of 90 minute waits to get in C ombine a healthy economy increasing consumer confidence and the escalating popularity of enjoying the outdoors with an RV and you pretty much have the makings for a significant boost at the turnstiles of RV shows across North America going into 2017 But even taking all those attributes into consideration the visitor count for the 32nd Annual Florida RV SuperShow defied expectations How strong was the SuperShow held Jan 18 22 at the Florida State Fairgrounds Consider this By the time the event entered the final day the sprawling consumer show had already set an attendance record 42 RVBusiness J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 In fact each of the first four days set an attendance high compared to past years which despite a storm on the final day that brought rain and wind to the shows Tampa based venue resulted in an overall gate of 70528 people a total that eclipsed 2015 s record by 7264 visitors according to Lance Wilson president of the host Florida RV Trade Association FRVTA We had the best four days ever and then we had one of the worst days ever We had 30 mph winds all day on Sunday and it was raining off and on Wilson told RVBusiness But we killed it on Saturday we had more than 20000 people that day alone All in all it was a great show Everyone seemed really happy and I know there were a lot of sales Indeed by all accounts the 2017 Florida RV SuperShow which serves as a harbinger for the industrys overall health going into the selling season was an overwhelming success It was a great show for us I dont want to confirm the rumor that our numbers were over 400 sales but that rumor is out there said Ron Fleming vice president and general manager of Tampa based mega dealer Lazydays RV He noted that Lazydays combines the number of units sold at the show with what was sold back at the dealership Ron Fleming PHOTO COURTESY FRVTA
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