FMCA Convention turns prospects into customers in Maine!

Clams, Lobsters and Million-Dollar Motorcoaches

By Bob Zagami

A veritable sea of motorhomes at the FMCA Rally was overwhelming evidence that the RV lifestyle is alive and thriving despite a rather sluggish market this year, especially in motorized RVs.

One of the best-kept travel secrets in America was unveiled to the RV industry when over 6,000 motorcoaches transformed the Brunswick Naval Air Station in Maine into an RV resort in August.

FMCA's Back to Maine theme for their 37th annual Summer Grand National Convention featured clams, lobsters and million dollar motorcoaches for the discerning group of enthusiasts who were quite willing to fill their stomachs and empty their wallets. Attendees were treated to an impressive lineup of motorhomes and luxury bus conversions in addition to educational seminars and hundreds of exhibitors housed in one of the hangers on the runway.

The industry's leading manufacturers invested heavily in this event and brought over 1,000 RV's to Maine in order to showcase their latest offerings. By the time the show was over, many of the motorhomes and busses had new owners. It was quite obvious that this is an audience that is capable of making instant decisions and writing the check to pay for their new toys.

This was my first FMCA Convention and I don't mind admitting that I was awestruck at the scope of the event and the investment required to play with this high-stakes crowd. This is a buying show -- make no mistake about it. If somebody is really serious about buying a motorhome, then they are going to make sure they attend this show.

If a manufacturer is really serious about selling to qualified prospects, then they certainly should be in attendance at this event.

As the dealer's choice in RV trade publications, we always try to cover a story so that it has meaningful content to the dealers that sell the end product, and the manufacturers that sell their product through dealers, or in some cases, directly to the consumer.

The reason that I mention this is the impression that the show had on me from a sales and marketing perspective, which is the way I want to report on the event.

As noted above, this is a buying show. Why else would these companies make such an incredible investment of people, product and resources to a dedicated audience of RV professionals who are knowledgeable and discerning prospects and customers?

Lazy Days RV Center, Seffner, FL, reported selling 110 motorhomes at this year's event.

The best example for this statement would be the Monaco/Holiday Rambler exhibits at the convention. The Monaco/Holiday Rambler exhibit encompassed 160,000 square feet of display area. Monaco/ Holiday Rambler was the largest exhibitor in the show with a display that was almost 30% larger than Fleetwood, the second largest exhibitor. continued