62nd Annual Fort Wayne RV Show Draws Crowds and Sales

Organizers and exhibitors were pleased with the 62nd Annual Fort Wayne RV Show. (Photos: Jim Mac)

Aided by a February warm spell and clear roads, attendance at the four-day Fort Wayne, Ind., RV Show which wrapped up Sunday (Feb. 5), was 2% above 2018-2019 pre-Covid numbers and a near record, according to IMHA-RVIC Director of Recreation Vehicles Matt Rose.

Held in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, a venue Rose describes as a first-class facility, the event typically draws visitors from Indiana, Southern Michigan, and Ohio.

RVBusiness visited with Rose Friday (Feb. 3), and his optimism was unmistakable. “The excitement this year is as good or better than I’ve experienced in the past,” Rose said. “People are genuinely excited about getting out and camping this year, and they are excited about being here. Their enthusiasm is just a tick above what I’ve seen in recent years.

IMHA-RVIC Director of Recreation Vehicles Matt Rose

“In the last couple of years, people bought what they could get, not necessarily what they wanted, because of dealer inventory issues. This year, they can buy what they want for the first time in a while.”

Dealers also were cautiously optimistic, with early reports of serious buyers who knew what they were looking for and welcoming the greater selection of models, especially compared to the last few years.

“If you had asked me three weeks ago what my outlook for RV sales this coming season was, I would not have had a positive outlook,” commented Barton Lake RV President Dave Barry. “However, the past two weeks and the start of this show have convinced me that there is still a strong demand for our products. Usually, our Thursdays are pretty slow, with people trying to decide what they are looking for. This year we had traffic that knew what they wanted, and we wrote up several deals that normally we don’t get until Saturday or Sunday.”

An independent dealership in Fremont, Ind., Barton Lake RV specializes in towables, primarily the Keystone brand.

Barton Lake RV Sales and Marketing Manager Steve Wilcox

Sales and Marketing Manager Steve Wilcox elaborated. “This year, price is important to the customer, more so than in recent years, and manufacturers have responded. Wilcox referred specifically to the new Cougar Sport fifth wheels, several of which he had in the show. “The price is very attractive, and they offer the innovation buyers are looking for, like solar and boondocking capability, direct from the factory at unheard of prices.”

Like the Barton Lake team, Justin Miller, owner of Wana RV Center in Shipshewana, Ind., was also expecting an upbeat show. When RVBusiness caught up to Miller, it was Friday afternoon, the show’s second day. “It’s early Friday, but we had better traffic on Thursday than expected. We were in the South Bend show roughly a month ago, and we have already had more interested buyers and series people than we did during South Bend.”

Justin Miller, owner of Wana RV Center

Miller added that he expects to see people ready to upgrade their RVs, especially first-timers who now have a better idea of what they are looking for and what they need. “We expect many customers here looking for the 25-30-foot couple’s coach. Retirees or soon-to-be-retired, looking for something to take them down south or out west.”

While Miller is upbeat, he does recognize the challenges, one of which is higher interest rates. “Some customers still think they will get that 4.99% rate, and that’s not the case anymore.

All told, about 200 units were on display at the show, most of which were towables, including travel trailers, fifth wheels, teardrops, and destination models.

Exhibiting dealers included Barton Lake RV, Colerain Family RV, Coplen’s Camper Center, Garrett Camper Sales, Sullivan RV Sales, Suncoast Trailer Sales, Wana RV Center, and Zoomers RV.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/62nd-annual-fort-wayne-rv-show-draws-crowds-and-sales/