Why are caravan shows so bloody popular?

Despite much of our shopping experiences shifting online, caravan shows continue to buck the trend.

Event organisers constantly add new events, with around 40-plus dedicated caravan shows now operating annually around the country.

Add in 4x4, lifestyle and rural expos, and some RV brands are attending upwards of 40 shows a year.

Attendances also remain healthy, with hundreds of thousands of Aussies attending one or more days of a caravan show each year.

As a result, anecdotal reports suggest as much as 50 per cent or more of RV orders in Australia originate at shows.

We headed to the latest industry-backed show, the Cranbourne Caravanning and Adventure Leisurefest in Melbourne's outer southern suburbs, to gain some insight.

The first thing we learnt was that caravan enthusiasts turned out in their droves for the opening day despite arctic Melbourne weather. Being a weekday, the crowd was dominated by grey nomads.

However, organisers had plenty of family fun lined up for the weekend crowds, including carnival-type rides, remote control car racing and a kids' show. Combine this with food trucks and live music and there's a real carnival atmosphere.

We think the atmosphere provides part of the answer. With relatively affordable entry fees and free parking in some cases, it’s a cheap day out to go look at some caravans and have some fun along the way.

Another explanation is that caravan industry distribution is very fragmented compared to the automotive industry, for example. Car dealerships tend to cluster together, so you can walk through one precinct pretty close to home and see most of the brands you're interested in, all in one go.

When it comes to shopping for a new 'van, you're likely to have to travel all over the place to see a cross-section of caravan brands on display at dealerships. Caravan shows create a one-stop shop.

We checked in with some attendees at the Cranbourne show to understand what motivated them.

Plenty were not in the market for a new caravan but were keen to spot a bargain for that must-have accessory to enhance their caravanning life.

Some were there, just curious to see what the latest caravans and motorhomes looked like. Others were beginning their research journey for that exciting and somewhat daunting big life purchase.

Ready-to-buy customers on the opening day were a bit thin on the ground with our little vox-pop, but we reckon the current environment has created a real buyer’s market. If you're contemplating getting a new caravan, now is a great time to get a deal.

We also sought the insights of industry leaders in attendance to understand what drives them to attend so many shows, often at great expense.

According to long-time show exhibitor and Royal Flair boss, Billy Deralas, show displays "make it easy for customers".

"We come to the people instead of them having to come to us," Billy explains.

"They can see lots of choices in one location. Even if they're not ready to buy, we start to build a relationship.

"We all know it's difficult times at the moment, but we’ve had a good start to the show with some really good conversations with people who are keen to own their next caravan.”

Goldstream RV Director Shaun Noble told us "it’s kind of a two-part thing".

"Even though it's an expensive exercise, dealers and manufacturers keep turning up to shows because there is a fear that if we don’t come, we miss out on sales opportunities," he says.

"But the second part is when organisers put on shows, consumers turn up. So, at the end of the day, it's a great opportunity to get in front of customers that we can’t pass up.”

We also bump into Caravan Industry Victoria chief, Daniel Sahlberg, who is now responsible for organising six industry-run shows after recently adding two new shows in Geelong and Cranbourne.

“We have expanded our coverage to match the shifting market," Daniel tells us.

"In the early days, two industry shows close to the city were accessible for many people. Now, with urban sprawl getting across the city is not as easy as it used to be.

"Our expanded number of shows in popular locations makes it easier to get to shows. It's pretty simple, we aim to be in the right place at the right time to represent the industry.”

“It also provides more exposure to our members who are at the forefront of the industry," he continues.

"Unlike non industry backed shows we enforce strict criteria to participate in our shows. Exhibitors must be accredited, demonstrating they build quality products, have a dealership and have been in business for at least 12 months, so customers can have confidence that the product is backed.”

It appears for the foreseeable future, consumers, manufacturers, dealers and organisers are all hooked on shows.

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