Slideshow: Great American RV Show Pleases Colorado Dealers

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DENVER – In something of a nod to the way RV shows used to be conducted while offering a swarm of modern touches, the Great American RV Show blew into the Mile High City this past weekend (March 30 to April 1).

An estimated 11,000 people attended the show over its three-day run, officials told RVBusiness.

The second day of the show brought visitors downtown under a glorious blue Colorado sky that reminds campers of why they like to get outdoors in the first place – if they could ignore the 90 MPH chinooks gusting out of the mountain canyons and into the manmade canyons near the Colorado Convention Center.

AMP Expos President Hague Atkinson and his wife and assistant, Melanie Atkinson (Photos: Travis Pryor/RVBusiness)

AMP Expos President Hague Atkinson and his wife and assistant, Melanie Atkinson, said they organized the show for regional dealers who felt left out of a January show in Denver that featured models exclusively from Camping World locations in Colorado.

“I think the crowd has been visibly good the first couple of days and has really exceeded our expectations,” Hague Atkinson told RVBusiness. “Considering it’s a new show with new name promotions, it’s been interesting to see the way the public reacts to it. We are really hoping to get them connected to the dealers.”

Jordan Colabello

Jordan Colabello, co-owner of family owned Trailer World of Colorado in Henderson, Colo., said he was mostly hoping to be able to reach the customer traffic that was filling the booth on Friday with a positive message.

Like many, he said things had slowed down since the pandemic, but if the numbers are looked at from before the pandemic, sales are very comparable to those years.

“Customers are far more educated than they were years ago, though,” he said. He added that sales staff is having to work harder to earn the sales with the new savvy consumer. “Knowing the answers when they have questions is extremely important.”

Melanie Atkinson said AMP Expos had used a number of marketing methods to get the word out about the show, but that any perceived slowdown of the industry didn’t show up in the types of responses they received from customers.

“We even have people who said they were coming from five hours away,” she said.

She said that her goal was to bring in at least 500 qualified buyers for the dealers to reach out to, and that goal largely was met. The two largest dealers, Windish and Cousins, both were either close to or right on their sales goals, she said.

By early on the second day of the show, a large “SOLD” sign adorned the side window of a Tour Rig custom Class B.

Opening up the variety of dealerships attending the show definitely meant a broader spectrum of RVs for consumers to get a look at. More than 20 dealers had more than 500 vehicles on display. In addition, about 20 accessory vendors had displays.

Along with the traditional, a lot of new young blood was on display at the show.

Jim Humble

Jim Humble, president of Cousins RV near Colorado Springs and part of the Blue Compass RV dealer group, had one of the largest displays, and was showing off the latest models from new manufacturers Brinkley RV and Alliance RV as well as more traditional brands.

Humble told RVBusiness he was excited about both of the new manufacturers and anxious to get a feel for consumers’ responses as the show went on. Steady groups of consumers were going through both the Brinkley Model G and Model Z as well as the Alliance trailers on display Friday.

Along with its exclusive Airstream line, Windish RV, with locations in Lakewood, Colorado Springs and Longmont, had a number of trailers on display from new manufacturer Ember RV.

Consumers also were able to attend educational seminars designed to help them better understand their vehicles and even equip them to make minor repairs.

Todd Henson and Tony Flammia

Todd Henson and Tony Flammia of the National RV Training Academy covered topics ranging from electrical and solar equipment to propane. They even had a course designed to introduce those interested in supplementing their income on the road with a career as a mobile technician.

New from the ground up, Wes Schmucker of RD Trailers represented the newly built Transformer teardrop, a small teardrop model with a popup camper on the top, a rear kitchen and more storage capacity than can be imagined.

Schmucker said the teardrop was the concept of two partners, one of whom developed cancer and unexpectedly died during a regular procedure.

In his memory, an image of his electrocardiogram pattern is worked into the logo of the vehicle and his signature is tucked away behind a panel in the rear kitchen.

4539 – The Transformer teardrop features an optional popup tent on top.

Schmucker said the name of the vehicle could refer to its nature mixed between a teardrop and a popup, but it also refers to the fact that the friends had watched the movie “Transformers” the night before the procedure.

“I get chills just talking about it,” he said.

The trailer features all aluminum construction that includes metal exterior sidewalls. It has rear solar panels and a 100-amp 12-volt battery. It is all rugged and designed to go offroad.

Options include the rooftop tent, 6-liter on-demand water heater, two 100-watt solar panels and an inverter.

Transformer typically runs about $30,000 direct to consumer. Schmucker said there is currently a limited production on the trailer as RD Trailers tries to maintain quality specifications, but a future with dealers is not out of the question depending on demand.

The Great American RV Show already has plans in place for returning to Denver and is working on booking a show in August 2023 for Colorado Springs.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/slideshow-great-american-rv-show-pleases-colorado-dealers/