FRVA, Escapees, Fun Town & Overland Rallies Underway – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
RV consumer rally season gets underway in an impressive way in March with the Family RV Association (FRVA) – formerly known as the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) – among several key national retail event organizers rolling out spring shows for thousands of current and prospective RV consumers from coast to coast.
FRVA’s 110th International Convention & RV Expo takes place the rest of this week, March 12-15 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, Ga. – site of 13 previous FMCA conventions – in an event that had logged registrations for some 1,400 coach owners and prospective RVers at last count, according to Pamela Kay, director of communications for the venerable Cincinnati-based, not-for-profit club.
“It’s a great opportunity for RV owners to get together with people who share their passion for the lifestyle,” said Kay regarding her organization’s first international convention under its new name introduced last year to more fully reflect its membership, which currently encompasses owners of all types of RVs.
This year’s FRVA rally will include “RV Essentials” seminars tooled for those who are simply “RV curious” and not necessarily current coach owners, said Kay, whose 120,000-member Cincinatti, Ohio-based organization is planning to facilitate two national rallies a year going forward while billing itself as the world’s largest not-for-profit association for RV owners. “They can attend seminars on topics ranging from chassis maintenance to microwave cooking,” she told RVB. “There are exhibits for them to view. There’ll be RVs on display at the RV Expo as well as all kinds of components for people to see. Any imaginable RV-related product will be on display.”
Just for fun – and fun is clearly still an essential ingredient in FRVA’s rally formula — this week’s convention is embracing a pirate-related theme. “There’ll be live entertainment along the way,” added Kay. “They have some special events taking place related to a theme of ‘Return to Perry: Lafitte’s Lost Treasure.’ It’s loosely based on French pirate and privateer Jean Lafitte. They’re doing a lot of fun pirate-related things including a drop-anchor, meet-and-greet and a ‘Buccaneer Boom Fest Fireworks Show.’
Rally attendees will also have an opportunity to meet influencers Kevin and Patrice McCabe, hosts and producers of the Discovery Channel’s “RV There Yet?” travel series, now beginning its fourth season. “They will be filming a future episode of ‘RV There Yet?’ during the convention,” said Kay, “and they’re actually taking over the Georgia Grown Building and turning it into the ‘RV There Yet? Discovery Zone.’ They’ll have an interactive RV marketplace going there with product demos and seminars. Some Winnebago RVs will be featured in there. And then, there’s an area where people can watch past episodes of the RV show.”
Among the other key national rallies currently on deck is the Escapees RV Club’s Escapade, a well known annual event taking place March 16-21 in Tucson, Ariz. And while it’s the organization’s 64th Escapade and is open to both on-site campers and walk-in attendees, it’s actually the first under the auspices of new owner Harvest Hosts which announced its acquisition of the 46-year-old Carr family’s member-organization in mid-2024.
With it came greatly expanded campground options for Escapees members.
This being Livingston, Texas-based Harvest Host’s largest annual event with a wide variety of seminars, social gatherings, nightly entertainment and vendor options, the 2025 Escapade at the Pima County Fairgrounds also caters to new RVers.
In addition, high-profile Texas-based dealership Fun Town RV’s busy DFW RV Party is set to take place March 13 to 16 at the iconic AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. In fact, Fun Town CEO Jarrod McGhee calls it the “biggest and best” show in Texas, with last year’s rendition having drawn an estimated 50,000 attendees.
“We are thrilled to bring the DFW RV Party back to AT&T Stadium,” said McGhee in a release, adding that this year’s show will feature expanded exhibit space and a greater variety of vendors. “Our goal is to create an experience that transcends a regular RV show – to make it a true party with free parking, admission and family fun for all. This event is our way of celebrating the RV community and offering them the best of what Fun Town RV offers.”
Overland Expo SoCal, in turn, is slated for March 15-16 at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., and is billed as “the world’s premier event for overland adventure enthusiasts, drawing thousands of attendees looking to shop the latest brands in adventure travel gear, participate in the event’s education sessions and enjoy entertainment like film showcases and live music.”
This being the expo’s first year in California, where a strong local community of off-road enthusiasts combined with access to abundant public lands and trails contributes to Southern California’s reputation as an overlanding hub, Overland Expo SoCal “will showcase more than 300 top-tier gear exhibitors, 50 expert instructors and more than 100 hours of hands-on education, live demonstrations and workshops tailored to all experience levels.”
This Overland event is expected to draw thousands of showgoers. “This may be our first event in Southern California, but we feel right at home in such an active overlanding community,” said Jessica Kirchner, vice president of consumer events for Emerald, owners of Overland Expo. “Camping is already sold out, and we’re expecting thousands of attendees in addition to more than 300 exhibitors – all of which will help make this event a success.”
