Another successful year for International Caravan and Motorhome 2010 with P&O Ferries
International Caravan and Motorhome 2010 with P&O Ferries has enjoyed another great year, welcoming over 71,000 visitors to the show, held at the NEC. This year’s event attracted remarkably high quality customers intent on making a purchase, which was demonstrated in the strong sales from exhibitors with some even breaking 2009 records.
Incentive to purchase was especially high as many rushed to beat the planned 2011 VAT increase. This coupled with the show sponsor, P&O Ferries’ generous offer of a free return crossing for those who bought a caravan or motorhome at the show, was extremely popular with visitors. “The show was a real eye opener for us,” said Mark Atherton, Head of Sales for P&O Ferries. “We expected it to be busy but the place was absolutely buzzing. We offered a free crossing for people buying at the show. Beforehand I thought that might run to seven or eight hundred, tops but it turned out to be more like double that. There were clearly some very attractive deals being offered”. He adds “it was a great place for us to highlight the new ships we’re launching in 2011 to such an important part of our customer base”.
Major exhibitors such as Swift and Bailey reported ‘best ever sales’ during this year’s show. Richard White of the Swift Group comments “we achieved the highest first-day sales in the history of the company, selling nearly 40 per cent more than last year. This translated into £3.5 million of sales, of which three quarters were from our four new ranges.” Simon Howard of Bailey adds “We enjoyed a phenomenal year last year with the launch of our new Pegasus range, so we are delighted to top that this year with £15 million of sales.”
With such success for exhibitors, Clarion Events were delighted. Show director Sam North, commented “We pulled out the stops this year to ensure excellent value for our exhibitors and customers. The show attracted serious customers who were ready to make their purchases. We’re expecting the same for The Caravan & Motorhome Show 2011 Manchester Central. Stand space for this show is almost sold out proving that caravans and motorhomes are as popular as ever.”
This year’s show had something for everyone, with a broader array of entertainment and exhibits than usual ensuring a fun, family day out. The new Expert Talks Theatre proved to be the perfect place to relax and listen to interesting talks on a whole range of topics with speakers such as John Clews of the RSPB and The Irish Caravan Council.
Another popular attraction was the cookery theatre, where celebrity chefs Lesley Waters and Martin Blunos demonstrated their cookery skills and taught visitors some great new, simple recipes that could be recreated in their caravan or motorhome.
