FMCA’s Nebraska Rally Going Well, Attendance Figures Aside

The leadership of the Cincinnati-based Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA), one of North America’s leading RV owner clubs, knew well in advance that its 105th International Convention and RV Expo now underway at the Lancaster Event Center (Aug. 24-27) in Lincoln, Neb., wasn’t going to be a record-breaker in terms of attendance due to the nation’s economic backdrop including gas prices.

Yet, FMCA CEO Chris Smith tells RVBusiness that FMCA has made the best of it – starting with a downtown, kick-off party Tuesday night – the “Blue Ox Bash” sponsored by first-ever title sponsor Blue Ox, the Pender, Neb.-based, RV towing products supplier, that included a DJ and a live band.

And like much of the overall rally so far — the first international FMCA rally held since the 2020 version was canceled due to the pandemic – Smith said the party went quite well.

“I was surprised just how packed it was,” he said of the Tuesday night affair at the Lincoln Station Great Hall. “When I got there at 4 p.m., it was hard to get in. There was a line to get in. So, it’s been nice having them (Blue Ox). It’s definitely created a different buzz and a different vibe at the event.

“It was something different, something we normally don’t do,” added Smith, noting that Blue Ox’s senior management played a visible role at the party. “We bused our attendees downtown and it was a fun time. And while it was outside the box of what we normally do, it’s something I think we’ll definitely try to do wherever we go moving forward.”

All of which, according to Smith, pretty much set the tone for the rest of this week’s rally, which drew about 650 coaches – maybe half of what a typical international FMCA summer rally might have tallied prior to the pandemic, he said. The FMCA rally, like most others over the years, includes OEM product displays, seminars, social aspects and exhibits of RV-related accessories, components and services at a Nebraska facility that had never been utilized before by the RV club and has generally impressed FMCA’s leadership.

Chris Smith

“Even though the numbers are half of what they normally are, if you walk around, you can’t tell,” Smith added. “It’s the same excitement, same vibe as if we have 1,500 people. The exhibitors came out and supported us, as did the family members. And again, you can’t tell the difference. When I walk around, when I ride around on my golf cart, it feels like a regular FMCA event.”

Asked to comment on the economic realities affecting the market right now, Smith said he feels that gas prices continue to play a role. “We saw a little bit of an uptick (in registrations) as things have slowly gotten better in terms of gas prices,” he noted. “And I think that there’s definitely a correlation that all of our RVers are affected by the higher gas prices. And it shows. As those prices went down, our numbers started creeping up.

“So, considering what’s going on in the world, I’m happy with those numbers as things continue to get better,” he observed. “We have our next big rally in Perry, Ga., scheduled for March 15-18 of next year, and I think we’ll see some strong numbers there regarding exhibitors and families (coach owners) as the economy improves.”

In yet another departure from normal times, FMCA plans to make the public gate free on Saturday, the last day of the rally, in an effort to reach the area’s RV-minded families and build up the crowd at the Lancaster Event Center, which recently added a campground with modern sites.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/fmcas-nebraska-rally-going-well-attendance-figures-aside/