Now that I’m finally fully rested from the NEC 2017 Motorhome and Caravan Show I can safely say that I had an amazing time. Having looked at the figures coming out of the show it seems that I am not the only one who had a fantastic time.
The 6 day extravaganza was a success on all levels. The NEC, which hosted the show across 11 halls had an astonishing 750 leisure vehicles on display with 101,583 visitors. Which is the highest figures since the show began. The attendance soared higher than ever before. The records were broken on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday with 13,779 attending on the Wednesday. The Wednesday of last year saw 13,779 visit the show. The Friday of the show had a 9.3% increase on the previous years show.
The massive attendance did reflect on the success of the exhibitors who were displaying at the show. The leading manufacturers and dealers have reported a much higher than expected sales number. There was also a really good buzz around the show too. I spent a whole day looking round at all the dealers, manufacturers, accessories stand and everything else I could feast my eyes on.
UK sales Director, Lee Roberts of Lunar Caravans was extremely happy with the experience they had at the show: “This year we revealed our 8ft-wide Alaria caravan range and our new coachbuilt motorhome called Cassini. We were overwhelmed with their retail success.”
Coachman Caravans also reported higher-than-expected sales with Marketing Manager Jackie Shipley commenting: “We are delighted with the results from the Motorhome and Caravan Show 2017, with sales exceeding expectations.”
Operations Director of Raymond James Caravans, Bill Chilver stated: “We’ve had an excellent result. We targeted a marginal growth on last year and it’s been such a good show so we’re well within reach of achieving it for 2017. The general feel of the show has been fantastic all the way through.”
The Caravan and Motorhome Club had a great presence at the show. I spoke to a lot of their guys and found out so much more than I already knew about The Club. They had a great display with live interview and a celebrity Q&A with Matt Allwright. The Club were more than ecstatic with their input. Harvey Alexander, Director of Marketing at the Caravan and Motorhome Club commented: “The Club has had a great week at the Motorhome and Caravan Show. Club Day on Tuesday with Matt Allwright hosting forums for Club members and show visitors was a great success and there has been huge demand for our caravan and motorhome manoeuvring sessions. We also launched a series of ground-breaking member offers, including a fuel discount card. We want to inspire and enable people to have great adventures when they are on holiday and build lasting memories with friends and family.”
The show comes after the NCC released statistics confirming the growth of the UK leisure vehicle and staycation industry. Production of touring caravans was up 13.7% in the first six months of 2017 compared to the same period last year, while motorhome registrations rose by 11.3%. Caravan holiday homes are also steadily increasing, with a 5.6% growth in deliveries to holiday park locations between year start and end of June 2017 compared to 2016. The Motorhome and Caravan Show 2018 will run from 16 to 21 October 2018.
