Caravan Salon Draws 70,000 on its Opening Weekend

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Caravan Salon is underway in Dusseldorf, Germany, with brisk attendance and an abundance of product. (Photo: Bob Parish/Wells Fargo)

DUSSELDORF, Germany – The 2022 Caravan Salon started its 10-day trade fair run in Düsseldorf with more than 70,000 visitors having walked through the gates from Friday through Sunday (Aug. 26-28.)

“The first three days were characterized by the great enthusiasm of caravanning fans for the comprehensive range of products in the 16 exhibition halls. Many people are using this year’s Caravan to get an insight into mobile holidays for the first time,” said Project Director Stefan Koschke.

Running through Sunday, Sept. 4, visitors can obtain information and place orders with the 736 exhibitors about the wide range of caravans, motorhomes, campervans, tents and outdoor equipment as well as popular holiday destinations and exotic destinations.

The North American RV industry was well represented at Caravan Salon as well. Not only were dozens of familiar companies displaying at the event, but many industry insiders made the trip overseas to take in what Europe has to offer.

Onlookers peer into a Hymer caravan at the 2022 Caravan Salon. (Photo courtesy of THOR Industries)

Bob Martin, president and CEO of Thor Industries Inc., said attendance at the show has been brisk.

“The first day alone was close to 40,000 people (consumers) coming into the display,” Martin told RVBusiness this morning (Monday afternoon in Dusseldorf.) “So, from all appearances, people are really embracing the RV/caravan lifestyle here in Europe. And so, for me, it’s been just phenomenal as I’m running all around the show and meeting with different vendors and customers. And this being a consumer show, the retail sales, from what I’m hearing, have been very good.”

Martin also took the time to engage in a brief Q&A session with RVBusiness. (See below)

Mary Pouliot

Speaking from the floor of the Caravaon Salon, Mary Pouliot, executive vice president of Thetford, said the opening weekend was marked by “high energy, big crowds and a very international flavor.”

“The way I’ve been explaining it to people back home is it’s the equivalent of entering Disney World on a crowded day,” she told RVBusiness. “There’s lots of excitement and lots of people. There are lines to get into the units. They said there was a record 37,000 people on the first day, and I’d say today is even more crowded than that.”

Consumers check out a houseboat on display at Caravan Salon. (Photo: Bob Parish/Wells Fargo)

Also in attendance is Bob Parish, VP of national accounts, RV Group for Wells Fargo Capital Finance.

“It’s a little bit like the Florida SuperShow on steroids, I would say,” Parish observed. “All the buildings are occupied with everything from pop-up tents for the top of your car through Class A motorhomes.”

Houseboats, tiny homes, glamping tents, spas and a wide range of camping accessories also are on display as consumers from all over Germany and across Europe come to the 10-day show to see the latest and greatest the European caravan industry has to offer.

Robert ‘Bob’ Parish

“Turnout is great,” Parish said. “I talked to a spokesman for the caravan industry association, the host of the show, who said attendance was meeting expectations. It looks a little lighter to me than say, 2019, but I will tell you, you see people sitting down considering buying. They write deals at this show.”

Tiny homes and spas are also part of the show at Caravan Salon. (Photo: Bob Parish/Wells Fargo)

He said orders are being placed even though consumers know they won’t take delivery for 12 or 14 months.

“It’s quite a shortage of chassis over here on the B-van side,” he noted. “But people are here and it’s got a little bit of a carnival atmosphere.”

At the time of the interview, Parish was standing in front of a testing area where people were trying out different brands of electric bikes and Vespa-type electric scooters, “and they’re all running around this track. People do that and engage in other outdoor activities, and then they go back inside and shop RVs and caravans,” he said.

Bob Martin

Martin’s Q&A focused on the show and consumer trends he’s seeing in the European market.

RVB: You’re speaking on behalf of both your North American and European business units, THOR Industries Inc. and Erwin Hymer Group, correct? 

Martin: Yes, and we’ve had some of our people from state-side coming over, looking for ideas. But our Hymer unit has a very large display of all its products on hand for retail sale while we’re showing dealers some of the new products. So it’s a little bit of a hybrid of what we do in Indiana with the Open House, where there’s new product being shown to dealers, but then it also includes most everything for actual sales to retail customers at this show.

RVB: In the big picture, it seems, this powerful show that you’re describing comes at an interesting time economically, looking at both the European and domestic markets. Is it a surprise to you, or others among the industry’s leadership, that things are as robust here as they appear to be on the heels of the Dusseldorf show’s opening weekend? 

Martin: Yes, I think there’s probably some pent up demand over here and people haven’t been able to go to shows as well as the fact that the RV lifestyle here is very strong among consumers well under (age) 50 in both camper vans and small travel trailers. Obviously, it continues to grow here. On one hand, it’s a surprise in many ways that it’s busier than I’ve ever seen it here with everything going on in the world, but at the same time, it gives us great confidence and optimism that we see so many people coming in, looking for something new and enjoying the lifestyle. In addition, we’re seeing many people buying RVs a year out from now just to get on a list so that they can get their coach when it becomes ready.

RVB: That, as we understand it, is because the supply chain is still a factor, with deliveries of component parts not as quick as they might be. 

Martin: Yes. The supply chain is still an issue, especially when 80% of what they build here in Europe is motorized, with the chip situation and chassis having been difficult to get for everybody. So, from our perspective, we’re hoping for maybe some more consistent supplies by the end of the year or into the next year and some more regular deliveries. But with all of that and all the other things going on in the world, it’s even more amazing to see the number of people out shopping here for new units and aftermarket parts — you name it. I’m in a parts hall right now, and it’s completely packed. If they’re (consumers) here, they’re spending money. And we’ve actually seen some dealers from the U.S. coming over, just looking for different ideas and products and things like that.

RVB: Bottom line, the camper van growth that we’re seeing, really on both sides of the ocean, is obviously continuing. 

Martin: Yes, it really started over here and this is where, when we bought Hymer (2019), we saw the potential of camper vans and that really helped motivate is to bring camper vans to the States. But over here, it it’s taking over. The numbers for the typical travel trailer are going down and more and more camper vans are being developed on both sides of the Atlantic. But they’ve got even smaller ones than we have in the U.S. that are some of the new things that we’re seeing here this week. So, I just think it’s here to stay.

The Europeans build even smaller camper vans that are almost a minivan with a small kitchen and it’s something that – with certain things removed – becomes a minivan during the week. Consumers are buying these as a second vehicle. It’s something that, in Europe, is becoming very popular. Along with that, there are a few more electric vehicles over here this week as well, including two from our company, one on a Ford chassis and another, a very small urban camper not designed to go much more than a hundred miles. But for many of those customers, that’s fine. It’s their daily driver and they’ll just drive it around home and take shorter trips. It’s interesting. I think we’ll we’ll learn a lot,

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/slideshow-caravan-salon-draws-70k-on-opening-weekend/