RV Dealers Convention/Expo Wraps Up Successful Week

Phil Ingrassia addressing the audience prior to the RVBusiness Top 50 Dealer Awards ceremony. (Photo: Shawn Spence/RVBusiness)

LAS VEGAS – Perhaps it was the changing nature of the industry, or just that dealers didn’t realize how important the event was to them until they didn’t attend, but the 2022 RV Dealers Convention/Expo was extremely well attended – and those in attendance were taking full advantage of the workshops and Expo.

A random sampling of vendors Thursday (Nov. 10) afternoon showed that they all had good foot traffic at their booths and that dealers were interested in the products and services being offered.

With 1,811 dealers, exhibitors and industry partners in attendance – a 16% increase over the 2021 event – there were good crowds not only at the Expo, but also at most of the educational seminars that were held throughout the five-day show.

Phil Ingrassia

“The Convention/Expo committee put a lot of work into making a few changes to the schedule,” said RVDA President Phil Ingrassia. “The eye was always toward making sure the convention is relevant to all types of dealer business models. There are a lot of things dealers share, but different dealers have different ways of doing things, different numbers of employees, different product mixes. We’re trying to put on an event that is relevant to any type of dealer no matter what the business model is.”

Over the past year, as sales have slowed, dealers were looking for new ideas and were greeted with a host of workshops to help with sales and in encouraging their staffs to get back to business in terms of selling.

They also were challenged to better communicate with the consumers to not only head off potential litigation if service problems arise, but also to help the consumer better understand their RV and potentially retain a customer rather than have the customer leave the lifestyle altogether.

As for the Expo portion of the show, a number of new vendors were on hand in addition to the traditional lineup.

“The vendors had done a lot of preparation to get ready for this event,” Ingrassia said. “They’re bringing relevant products and services to the table. That’s the key. It takes a while in our business. It’s a very collegial, ethical business and they want to know who they are dealing with. For some of the newer vendors, that’s their first step in building a relationship with dealers that could lead to long-term partnerships.”

In 2023, the Convention/Expo returns to Paris Las Vegas for a Nov. 6-10 run. Paris has undergone a renovation and has added some attractions and restaurants since the 2021 show.

“The Paris expo space and workshop space is really ideal for the size of our event,” Ingrassia said.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/rv-dealers-convention-expo-wraps-up-successful-week/