34th Annual Indianapolis Boat & RV Show Deemed a Success – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News

The team from Woodland Airstream of Indiana had a successful experience at the Indianapolis Fall Boat and RV show Sept. 22-24. (Photo: Woodland Airstream)

INDIANAPOLIS – Despite not having as much foot traffic as other shows, the consensus among the vendors that RV Business spoke to, the Indianapolis Fall Boat and RV Show was a success.

John Gustafson, president of Woodland Airstream, shared, “The Fall Boat and RV Show was a success for Woodland Airstream of Indiana. We went in with low expectations being this was our first time at this show. Compared to the spring show that we’ve been attending, this show had a lot less foot traffic.”

Gustafson thought there were possibly 10-15 times less people than at the spring show.

“However, the people that did come this year were buyers! We did bring our oldest models to the show, which were late model 2023’s and a couple of 2024’s,” he said. “I think we were the only ones who didn’t have 2022’s or older.”

The show was organized by Renfro Productions and was held Friday, September 22nd through Sunday September 24th at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The promoters said it was a great way for potential buyers to “see, touch and compare from a huge selection of new, used and year-end model boats and RVs at unbeatable savings.”

Mack Wozniak, RV Lifestyle Consultant for Pete’s RV Center in Schererville, Ind., agreed there was not as much foot traffic as he expected, “But that didn’t stop us from having a successful show.”

Wozniak said they were representing Nu Camp. Pete’s RV Center is one of only 68 dealers nationwide for the Amish hand-crafted campers. He said he didn’t sell as much as he did at the Hershey, Pa., show but added, “We were able to get our name out there. Every day I talked to a couple of people that I feel will generate business down the line.”

He said when consumers realize Nu Camp is “constructed like a boa —o ne piece fiberglass frame” and uses quality materials like birch and maple wood and slow-close cabinets, for example, “they won’t need to upgrade because it’s already upgraded.”

He also praised the promoter, “Mitch was great; he handled any issues right away.”

Bish’s RV of Indianapolis had several representatives at the show, including Sales and Finance Manager Scott Chlebina, who said, “I thought the show was great and the venue was fantastic.”

Chlebina said this was their first year there as Bish’s RV, but Modern Trailer Sales had been at the show for many years and has been part of the organization and association for a long time and Bish’s plans to continue that relationship.

“We got to meet a lot of people and further introduce ourselves to the Indiana market,” he said.

Chlebina said they were able to capitalize on the opportunities at the show to get a lot of people into quality campers.

“The venue and organization and association did a great job of getting the word out. Everyone had a lot of fun and it was a success all the way around,” Chlebina said, adding people took advantage of the year-end sales.

“Everyone that was interested in finding a camper we found a way to get that done. I look forward to the next one!” he said.

Gustafson summed it up by saying, “Overall, it was a very positive experience and a great way to kick off the fall RV season.”