Queensland Supershow postponed

Two out of three of Australia’s big caravan 'Supershows' are unlikely to run this year, after the Federal Government put an indefinite ban on indoor gatherings of more than 100, and outdoor gatherings of more than 500, following the coronavirus outbreak.

Caravanning Queensland CEO Jason Plant said the 2020 Let’s Go Queensland Caravan & Camping Supershow, which was scheduled to run at the Brisbane Showgrounds from June 3-8, is likely to be either cancelled or postponed.

“We’re still holding dates for June but given (Prime Minister Scott) Morrison’s announcement we will postpone that to a future date (although) we will wait until the absolute last moment possible," Plant said.

"If by some miraculous occurrence the government comes out at the end of April or May and says things aren’t as bad as we thought, it's flattening, it's improving, we have the resources to put something together at the last minute. But based on Morrison’s announcement and his statement of six months it’s unlikely."

Plant said if the Brisbane Supershow was cancelled, one option would be to hold a bigger version of the Let’s Go Brisbane Caravan & Outdoor Sale, which is scheduled for October 31-November 1 at the same venue.

“We could look at increasing the capacity of our RNA event at the end of October should the June event not proceed," he said.

The news marks another devastating blow to the Australian RV industry, with only a handful of caravan shows including the Victorian Supershow (February 20-24) likely to be run in 2020. Many RV businesses, large and small, rely on caravan shows for generating a significant portion of their sales.

Plant said there were promising signs of a recovery after the recent bushfires at the Let's Go Gold Coast Caravan & Outdoor Expo, held at Metricon Stadium from March 6-8.  The three day event attracted 15,000 spectators and generated an estimated $12.5million in RV sales, including an upsurge in motorhome purchases according to Plant.

Caravanning Queensland has also cancelled its popular Free Caravan Safety Check Program until further notice, and other events held by the state body including the Sunshine Coast Caravan and Outdoor Expo, scheduled for August 21-23, are also in doubt.

“It’s going to be challenging for all aspects of the industry, it's going to be tough," he said. "The positive is we do have a resilient industry, the dollar is low, people will still want to holiday and the thing about our industry is the ability to escape to open spaces and go to areas that are sparsely populated.

"If you can’t travel overseas, travel locally and do so in a responsible manner to restrict the spread of this virus. It is going to be a tough few months but I'm optimistic the recreational vehicle industry will pull through this and emerge stronger in the long run."

Related:

Sydney Supershow cancelled