RVBusiness, March/April 2019

BY S H E RMA N G O L D E N B E R G STATE OF THE ART Theres no Question that RVIAs RVX Show Made Plenty of Headway in Salt Lake City in Changing the Game for the U S RV Industry T 6 RVBusiness M A R C H A P R I L 2 0 1 9 STAFF PUBLISHER Sherman Goldenberg 574 457 3370 sgoldenberg@ rvbusiness com CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER Gregg Fore 574 266 7980 ext 15 gfore@ g gmediagroup com EDITOR Bruce Hampson 574 266 7980 ext 13 bhampson@ rvbusiness com ART DIRECTOR Trina Nissley 574 266 7980 ext 12 tnissley@ rvbusiness com MANAGING EDITOR Rick Kessler 734 777 6830 rkessler@ rvbusiness com MIDWEST EDITOR Ben Quiggle 574 306 7781 bquiggle@ g gmediagroup com WEB EDITOR Dave Barbulesco 574 220 1049 barbulesco@ gmail com SENIOR EDITOR Bob Ashley 765 675 4106 writer892@ aol com PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Shawn Spence 317 843 2114 shawn@ shawnspence com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ron Barger Cean Burgeson Chris Hemer SR RV INDUSTRY ANALYST Mike Schneider 805 223 0898 mschneider@ masassociatesinc com RV INDUSTRY LIAISON B J Thompson 574 255 5000 bjthompson@ bjta com EDITORIAL BUSINESS OFFICE RVBUSINESS G G MEDIA GROUP LLC 2901 E Bristol Street Suite B Elkhart IN 46514 800 831 1076 574 266 7980 Fax 574 266 7984 ADVERTISING NATIONAL AD SALES Ally Kollat 800 831 1076 574 266 7980 ext 11 akollat@ rvbusiness com Wendy Thorne 800 831 1076 574 266 7980 ext 14 wthorne@ rvbusiness com CUSTOMER SERVICE Call 800 831 1076 Email rvbusiness@ rvbusiness com SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe electronically log onto www rvbusiness com and click on the Subscriptions icon below the masthead then follow the prompts for New Subscription Renewal or Change of Address Alternately forward your company name your name and title address phone number and email address to RVBusiness Subscriptions 2901 East Bristol Street Suite B Elkhart IN 46514 or forward this information to rvbusiness@ rvbusiness com RVBusiness is published bimonthly by G G Media Group LLC 2901 East Bristol Street Suite B Elkhart IN 46514 Postage paid at Elkhart IN 46515 Subscription rates Subscriptions for U S and Canada are 39 for one year Single copies are 650 each Postmaster send address changes to RVBusiness 2901 East Bristol Street Suite B Elkhart IN 46514 Publication Sales Agreement No 1938495 Canadian return address G G Media Group LLC 2901 East Bristol Street Suite B Elkhart IN 46514 RVBusiness is copyrighted 2011 by G G Media Group LLC in the United States Canada Great Britian and other countries All rights reserved Permission to reprint or quote excerpts granted only upon written request Advertising rates and Editorial calendars are provided upon request GROUP G LLC Recreational Vehicle Aftermarket Association heres all kinds of topics we could address right now on the brink of the 2019 selling season including Thor Industries Inc s intriguing rebranding initiative or the encouraging growth of Class B motorhomes a trend that could well signal a wider shift in future vehicle types And dont forget the next RV Industry Power Breakfast slated for May 9th at the Northern Indiana Event Center in Elkhart Ind with keynoters including Indiana Gov Eric Holcomb and high profile economist Peter Morici But heck were all well aware that the 40 ton gorilla in the room right now is RVX The RV Experience the RV Industry Associations RVIA inventive new show that took place March 12 14 in Salt Lake City As everyone knows RVX essentially replaced the trade groups venerable National RV Trade Show the Louisville Show an annual tradition on the industrys business calendar that took place annually right after Thanksgiving for 54 years RVIAs board of directors voted to drop the Louisville Show after the last 2017 go round because of its outdated format and dwindling attendance Never a huge show by national standards of course the Louisville Show drew 7300 people in its last iteration in late 2017 down by about 50 from 14000 plus in 2004 And no one really quarreled with the decision to cancel it because it had so obviously outlived its usefulness as a viable trade venue even among those of us who remembered it warmly for the sumptuous shrimp hors doeuvres at Chevrolets cocktail parties as well as Onans delightful alcohol laden riverboat cruises But again the question of the hour is just how well RVX a show that was about half the size of Louisvilles peak years and involved far fewer display units served the varied goals of todays RV arena And the general assessment is that there was a lot to like about RVX among the estimated 3000 plus attendees actual attendance figures hadnt been released at press time especially the consumer media outreach Everyone was apparently impressed with the presence of national media like Fox News and Sports Illustrated who were drawn to the floor of the show in an effort to expose the industrys lifestyle and products to the uninitiated thanks in large part to the behind the scenes efforts of RVIA staffers Karen Redfern and Courtney Bias This of course was all designed to lead off the first ever Kick Off to Camping Season outreach a multimillion dollar marketing campaign developed to ignite consumer interest and drive traffic to RV dealers nationwide Another win win was the show layout wherein manufacturer and supplier exhibits were co mingled to an extent which helped create a networking atmosphere throughout the RVX show In fact many attendees while greeting friends and associates in the corridors of the Salt Palace were reminded of the central appeal of networking as an asset of RV industry shows dating back to the Kentucky Exhibition Center and to parties that accompanied that show After all isnt that the true grit the essential magic if you will that has held this industry together on a personal basis for all these years Now going forward lets assume that RVIA and the rest of the industrys leadership in the weeks and months ahead will be able to sort through some of the things that key members are going to want to discuss including show timing locations and the likelihood of expanding dealer traffic so that the 2019 RVX will prove to have been a fertile seed for a brave new world of RV trade shows RVB Sherman Goldenberg is publisher of RVBusiness magazine and RVBUSINESS COM the only RV trade journal and website located in the RV manufacturing center of Elkhart Ind M E D I A