Successful Motorhome & Caravan Show 2014

Successful Motorhome & Caravan Show 2014

New buying audience delivered to the NEC

Record sales for many exhibitors

Tickets now on sale for Spring NEC Show

NCC Events commits both its shows to NEC until 2018

As the Motorhome & Caravan Show 2014 drew to a close on Sunday 19th October more than 96,000* people had enjoyed a fantastic caravanning exhibition, many of whom having never visited the event before. With the economy showing signs of improving, exhibitors indicated that sales had remained strong throughout the show and a huge number of new and exciting products were launched to press and public alike.

Initial analysis indicates that more than 52% of those buying advance tickets had never previously attended the show** before, meaning a significant new audience of buyers was delivered to the NEC.

Exhibitors of different sizes reported more trading than at previous events. For example, Swift Group reported motorhome sales 40% higher than in 2013, Bailey enjoyed a record show, and Pathfinder Homes enjoyed brisk trading with its total sales running into the millions of pounds. The UK's largest dealer network, Marquis, also reported record sales of over £9.5 million at the show.

Filling 11 halls at the NEC with more than 400 exhibitors, Saturday 18th October was again the busiest day with 26,474 people visiting the show. Visitors remarked that there were many new and innovative products to see. Interest in the Caravisio 'caravan of the future', as well as the vintage Swift Eccles President, continued throughout the six days.

In the Experts' Theatre the new product launch / demonstration sessions were packed as were seminars on buying a motorhome or a caravan, run in partnership with MMM and Practical Caravan magazines respectively.

Attendees were also very interested to hear how Nigel Mansell has been caravanning since he was a child, about the different motorhomes he has owned over the years as well as hearing his take on the current state of F1 racing. Comedian Rowland Rivron entertained the crowds too, about his caravanning adventures, as did windsurfing champion Neil Greentree and the Meek family.

Building on this success, NCC Events has renewed its contract with the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), announcing that its two annual exhibitions – the Motorhome and Caravan Show and the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show – will continue to be held at the Birmingham venue until 2018.

Andrew Whalley, Managing Director NCC Events, said: “I am extremely happy that we managed to attract a significant number of people who had never visited our Show before and that many exhibitors enjoyed record sales. I'm also delighted that our revamped Experts' Theatre was such a hit with our visitors and that we have now secured our future at the NEC until 2018. This clearly demonstrates our commitment to stability for the UK's largest show of its kind, as well as its sister event in February.”

This is what just some of the companies exhibiting had to say about The Motorhome & Caravan Show this year:

Simon Howard – Marketing Director – Bailey
“Quite simply the Motorhome & Caravan Show 2014 was the most successful event in our company's sixty-five year history. Having sold a large number of caravans and motorhomes prior to the exhibition we were a little apprehensive that we had taken significant numbers of potential customers out of the market. However, the show delivered a fresh audience who turned up to buy our leisure vehicles in record numbers. As a result we now have a forward order book stretching well beyond Easter next year, a position we have not been in since the start of the economic downturn six years ago”.

Nick Page – Commercial Director – Swift
“With promising sales and interest early on in the year, and a product line-up that we felt was very strong across all market sectors, we were optimistic going into the NEC show but still a little unsure about the level of recovery in the economic market. At the show we saw incredible sales activity not seen for several years. We are delighted with the results, which show a highly encouraging sign of resurgence in the caravan market, right from entry level to the top of the range. We also saw a large number of first time buyers visit and buy from us, which is hugely exciting, and our order book is full well into next year.”

Martin Henderson – Managing Director – Coachman
“Our new models generated a huge amount of interest with the public, and sales activity was strong. Our top end products were received extremely well following the introduction of Alde Central Heating within our VIP range, and with the positivity towards our new layouts and changes made within all ranges, together with weight reductions throughout, we all came away from the show with smiles on our faces and look forward to a positive 2015.”

Lee Roberts – National Sales Manager- Lunar and Venus
“We were very happy with the response from visitors to our caravan and motorhome ranges. We achieved our sales targets, with Clubman and Delta performing particularly well along with the all-new Venus range. We were particularly delighted with the mix of products sold as it demonstrates that our entire range is popular with consumers and that confidence is returning to the market.”

Rob Quine – Managing Director – Elddis
“We had a very good show this year, our new products gaining positive feedback from the public and press alike, with strong sales figures. There was particular interest in our high-end caravans and motorhomes, in particular Buccaneer, which has been completely redesigned for the 2015 Season. Our motorhome ranges were unveiled at the Motorhome and Caravan Show and continue to have a loyal customer following. Our very latest motorhome offering – the all-new Encore – was unveiled at the show and was enthusiastically received, prior to being launched at dealership level. We enjoyed many engaging discussions with visitors about our SoLiD Construction system, demonstrating that the audience was well informed and ready to buy.”

Slavica Sterk – Managing Director – Adria UK
“We had high expectations for the show this year due to our now completely updated model ranges and extremely competitive pricing strategy and our results exceeded them. Our new Altea4Four caravan and Sonic Supreme A-Class motorhome proved real “ head turners” standing out from the other products at the exhibition. Both tourers and motorhomes sold in high numbers and we are delighted with the result and reception of our products. We look forward to an extremely fruitful year and season.”

Dave Williams – Sales Director – Auto-Sleepers
“We entered the show with optimism running high on the back of a superb 2014 season and we left the show absolutely delighted having successfully raised the bar again for the start of 2015, attendance was good throughout and customers were there to buy which bodes well for us all in the year ahead.

Mike Wills – Managing Director – Pathfinder homes
“The show was our best ever this year, and we have an order book from it worth many millions of pounds. This bodes well for the 2015 season and we’re looking forward with a great deal of optimism to the year ahead.”

Andrea Kibler – Sales Manager Northern Europe & Overseas – Hymer
We were overwhelmed by the amount of people attracted to our products at the show, giving great exposure for our HYMER Motorhomes, HymerCar, Hymer and Eriba caravans. We enjoyed excellent sales and high numbers of visitors on our stand, which is fantastic. We will certainly be back next year and are already looking forward to it.”

Tony Hall – Director of Marketing – The Caravan Club
“This show yet again proves the huge popularity of caravanning and motorhoming. Following an extremely dry and warm Summer, that has continued into Autumn, consumers are becoming ever more confident about holidaying in the UK, which was certainly reflected in the high number of new members The Caravan Club signed up at this show. With so many models under one roof this exhibition is the perfect showcase for those looking to take-up the pastime, while the many seasoned caravanners in attendance are able to view the latest designs and upgrade their outfits.”

Paul Jones – Marketing and Communications Director – The Camping and Caravanning Club
“The Camping and Caravanning Club enjoyed a very successful show. We were delighted with the number of new joiners at our main stand, and our Club 'Friendly Friday' day with Club President Julia Bradbury was a huge hit among showgoers.
Our Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays and European Travel Service stands attracted large crowds for our presentations on overseas destinations, and we took a record number of holiday bookings. Plus, our free towing experience, in partnership with Hyundai, was again very popular. It was a great end to what's been a very strong season for the Club.”

Steve Sharpe – Commercial Director – Lowdhams
“We are delighted with our results from the show this year, in fact it was our best ever. We ended 20% up on caravan sales and 30% up on motorhomes, based on 2013 figures which was itself a very good year. Our order book is now full well into the future and we’re looking forward to 2015 with a great deal of optimism.”

The show enjoyed visits from more than 150 members of the press, including journalists from the BBC, ITV, The Sunday Times, Express and Star and international press from Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

The Motorhome & Caravan Show will return from the 13th to 18th October 2015 and its sister show, The Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show 2015 takes place from the 17th to 22nd February at the NEC in Birmingham. Tickets are on sale now and can be booked by going to www.caravancampingmotorhomeshow.co.uk