Despite rising gas prices and war, the California RV Show, held March 20-22, drew more than 20,000 paying visitors. The event, which took place at the Pomona Fairplex, was the first major RV show in Southern California in almost six years.
“Given there hadn’t been anything in California for years, I thought anything over 10,000 attendees would be a success,” said RV Supershows President Rob Lynch. “The fact that we exceeded my expectations by more than double truly excites me for the future. Pomona is back – Pomona’s back in a big way.”
Exhibiting dealers and OEMs included: Aboard RV, Airstream, Beaumont RV, Best RV Center, Blue Compass RV, Ford Motor Company (Towing Bootcamp), Galaxy RV, Giant RV, Marjon RV, Pebble RV, Rovikk, Sport Truck RV, The RV Super Store and Venture Explorers.
One of the participating dealerships was Giant RV, which operates four locations in Southern California. The dealership showcased about 80 units.
According to President Frankie Barouti, sales were strong across all RV categories, and the crowds were impressive.
“I literally looked down the aisles, and they were packed with people,” he said. “We had two buildings in an outdoor area, and when I entered one of them, which had 30 or 40 units, it was just packed with customers. We had a successful event, but I believe we could have sold even more units if I had more salespeople present at the show.”
Thor Motor Coach’s West Region Sales Manager Len Longo also spoke positively about the show and crowd in general. Longo was on site to support both Giant RV and Blue Compass RV.
“I don’t have exact sales numbers, but all the dealers — not just Giant and Blue Compass — had smiles on their faces,” he said. “From what I could tell, they were pleased with the traffic, activity and sales. What’s more, not a single person mentioned the economy, gas prices, interest rates or world events. Additionally, the show took place during a record-breaking heat wave in Southern California, yet nobody complained. It was impressive to see such a large crowd and high level of activity at an RV event.”
Lynch’s RV Supershows has produced 20 RV shows this year, including events in Chicago, Boston, Savannah, Huntsville, Knoxville, Mobile, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Birmingham and Pomona. There is an upcoming show in Las Vegas, and a fall show planned for Phoenix.
“Having done this for 40 years, I’ve watched the ebbs and flows of public sentiment,” Lynch said. “I think right now we’re on the edge of really having a good uptick because everybody’s just happy. People are excited to be at a show, and they are excited about RVs.”
Lynch is basing his outlook not only on show results, but also on web traffic and analytics related to his show promotions.
“We’ve seen this coming all year,” he said. “Anytime I see those numbers climb, it’s just a matter of time before sales catch up.”
Lynch is optimistic about the future of the RV industry.
“As we approach summer, I think my prediction will come true — there’s a buildup in the market that we haven’t seen for a few years,” he said. People are ready to go camping, and they’re indifferent to gas prices, interest rates or global conflicts. We’ve observed this trend before in our industry. When the world faces challenges, we often thrive.”
