NIRVC Adds a Day to ‘Fantastic’ Music City Motorhome Expo – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
LEBANON, Tenn. – The skies cleared out and dried up just in time to give the National Indoor RV Centers’ (NIRVC) new show, the Music City Motorhome Expo, its hottest day yet of test drives and sales.
With rains earlier in the event wreaking havoc, customers who had paid either $400 for a day pass or $1,500 for the duration of the show for the chance to get their hands on the newest 2025 motorhomes were quick to sign up for test drives and meet with sales reps, executives and lenders Thursday as the approaching end of the show today gave a sense of urgency.
But NIRVC Director Chuck Lasley announced during Thursday night’s sponsored Josh Turner concert that the show would remain open until 6 p.m. today to help accommodate shoppers who had not been able to get a test drive of their vehicle of choice.
Lasley agreed with what CEO Brett Davis had said earlier in the week.
“It’s been fantastic and exceeded every expectation that we had in every way, shape and form,” Lasley told RVBusiness. “It’s been a really unique new experience for RVers to be able to have a close-knit opportunity to find the perfect RV.”
Lasley said consumers were getting a good sample of what is on the market. He said he saw good numbers of Class A, B and C models being taken out for drives as well as decent numbers of gas models to complement the larger diesel pushers.
He said that kind of interest in everything on the lot reinforces the notions that led NIRVC to host the show in the first place
“It is a commitment to be here with the registration fee that is more than you’ve ever seen before, but you know that everybody who walks into your display is a serious buyer because they’re here for that VIP shopping experience,” Lasley said. “You have a group of people who are interested in test-driving and determining which one is going to be their next RV.”
The consumer commitment went a long way toward convincing NIRVC to extend the hours the final day of the show in order to make certain everybody had their chance to get behind the wheel.
On Thursday, test drivers were not only signing up for outings, but they also were signing up to be backups or to split driving time just to get on board.
Lasley said that kind of reaction lets the company know it is on the right track with the show.
“There is a lot of work that goes into putting something of this magnitude together,” he said. “We’re trying to give them the VIP experience.”
