Hello everyone! As we head into April, the first half of RV Show season has ended, except for the Tampa Bay Summer Show in June and, for the most part, our early 2023 shows have been successful, not record breaking, but successful with all dealers reporting strong sales and our vendors in attendance doing well also. Many factors affected the attendance at several of our regional shows including weather, conditions of the venues and, as all of you know, Fort Myers still in clean up mode after the hurricane which probably made it difficult for some to attend and, to be honest, I’m sure there were many in the area that just weren’t quite ready to go to an RV Show. Uncertainty in the economy is also playing a key factor in some of the sales and attendance figures we are seeing.
While the majority of the shows showed steady sales, according to the February 27, 2023, article from RV Pro magazine, RVIA conducted a monthly survey of manufacturers and found that RV shipments during the month of January were down 62% from the 53,351 units shipped during the same period in 2022. According to the article, January 2023 signals the RV world is officially back on its axis.
RVIA President and CEO Craig Kirby stated, “With record high RV production through the first half of 2022, the year-over-year decrease we are seeing in the report was expected.” Kirby also stated that “We are encouraged by the positive news and high attendance at RV shows across the country and the strong reservation numbers reported by campgrounds surveyed.” It is the belief of the industry experts that, while we won’t see the record numbers we have experienced in the recent past, we should see steady sales and shipments as more new customers come into the market and new campgrounds continue to be built while existing campgrounds and resorts continue to expand due to increasing demand by new campers and customers looking to the RV lifestyle just as they did in the early 2000’s.
I would like to remind all of the regional members that our Executive Director, Dave Kelly recently sent out a memorandum to all of the Region Presidents and Directors that spells our term status for each officer at the regional level. Many regions have officers that are getting ready to term out and this is a great opportunity for members to become more involved in their region by participating as an officer and giving them an opportunity to possibly hold a seat on the State Board, if they wish once they have held positions on the regional level. We continue to look for fresh faces and new insights so please, give some thought to putting your name in the hat for a regional officer position in your local region. Maybe YOU could be the next mover and shaker in the industry!
I’ll end this month’s message by reminding everyone that the FRVTA Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for the Fall 2023 Semester. This scholarship is open to all FRVTA members and their employees. The deadline to apply is June 2, 2023. The FRVTA Scholarship Program is an excellent way to help our members and their families have the chance to receive financial help toward their pursuit of further education and we encourage all who qualify to apply.
Until next time!
Ken Loyd
FRVTA President