Overland Expo West a Success for Dometic and Winnebago – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
By all accounts, Overland Expo West was a resounding success, according to show officials. Celebrating 15 years in Flagstaff, Ariz., the three-day gathering that concluded Sunday, May 19, drew just under 30,000 outdoor adventure-loving attendees –a near record – along with 415 registered exhibitors, 119 presenters, trainers and VIPs, and hosted 318 classes, seminars and activities.
Overland Expo is a premier four-event series that brings together a global community of adventurers, explorers, and industry professionals dedicated to overlanding. Overlanding, a form of self-reliant adventure travel, often involves overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the primary goal. Think of it as a hybrid of off-road driving, camping, and exploration.
Expo West was the first of four Expos held throughout the year—with events in Colorado, Oregon and Virginia to follow.
While it may not be familiar to most RVBusiness readers, many Expo exhibitors have roots in the traditional RV industry. We contacted two leading companies for their thoughts on the event and how this market fits into their plans.
Dometic
With ideal weather in the forecast, Sara Dover, Dometic’s brand manager for activation, had high expectations for the event. As a title sponsor, Dometic attends all four venues and has participated in Expos over the past three or four years. Dover commented that although traffic was slow at times, attendees were happy, conversations were plentiful, and sales were strong. “People that visited us were interested and buying,” she told RVBusiness.
RVBusiness readers will be most familiar with the Dometic brand in conjunction with refrigerators, toilets, awnings and air conditioners. However, the company has a growing universe of overland and outdoor adventure products, including powered coolers, shelters, camping furniture, tables, mattresses, Zamp Solar, and Front Runner vehicle upgrades.
“The overlanding consumer loves innovative products that make life easier,” Dover commented. “Dometic is focused on making life easier no matter how you get outdoors.”
Some of the Dometic products that drew the largest crowds include—
- TRT 140 Air inflatable rooftop tent with integrated mattress (photo attached)
- CFX3 powered cooler (photo attached)
- Highrise Self-inflating foam mattress
- HUB 2 REDUX inflatable, lightweight activity shelter (photo attached)
Winnebago
Like Dometic, Winnebago is all-in on the overlanding consumer. The company participates in all four annual events and claims leadership in this field with camper vans, according to company officials. This is the fourth year Winnebago has exhibited in the Overland Expo series of events.
“We were the first OEM to utilize the four-wheel-drive Sprinter chassis for this consumer,” stated Kunal Mehta, vice president of business development, marketing and strategy. “To some degree, many folks thought we were crazy. But we defined the market and ultimately owned, and continue to own it, and our Sprinter chassis owner community is by far the largest.”
“Overall, I would say we had more traffic this year than last,” added Events & and Partnership Manager Emalee Frase, noting that what was incredibly gratifying was the support of the Winnebago community. “Our loyal owners just come to hang out. They camp together, spend time together at the Expos, see our new products, and get to go to a cool event.”
Among the products Winnebago showcased:
- The new REVEL on a Mercedez Benz AWD turbo-diesel power chassis
- Ekko Series—which the company describes as “delivering the efficiency of a camper van with the living space of a Class C”
- The HIKE 100, is described as an off-road, off-grid adventure travel trailer
