CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF – success
This year’s CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF has impressively underscored the recovery of the caravanning sector and the growing interest in caravanning holidays with numerous new products, higher attendance and good sales figures.
“Posting 170,200 visitors CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF 2010 is among the three best events in its history and has far exceeded our expectations,” Joachim Schäfer, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH summed up with satisfaction and went on to say: “We are particularly delighted because over half the visitors came to Düsseldorf with concrete intentions to buy and a willingness to invest. 70% of the prospective buyers said they wanted to spend EUR 25,000 plus on a new vehicle.” The number of visitors from abroad was also up: 23,000 international visitors used the leading international fair in Düsseldorf to gain a first impression of the 2011 generation of vehicles. Some of them went to great length to get here. Long-distance travellers to CARAVAN SALON included caravanning fans and experts from Australia and New Zealand, America, China and Mexico. On the trade fair company’s caravan parking lot, the Caravan Center, over 25,200 vehicle overnight stays were registered.
Klaus Förtsch, President of the Caravanning Industry Association, also drew a resoundingly positive conclusion: “Attendance was substantially up against last year and we are pleased to note that this has also impacted sales figures. The innovations presented here also went down very well.” According to a survey amongst exhibitors, luxury-class caravans were very popular as were cruisers, i.e. smaller caravans. These, it was said, met with great approval especially because of their novel and compact interior layouts. In terms of motor homes it was the small to medium models that were particularly in demand. Förtsch added: “CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF 2010 raises hopes that the positive trend of the first six months will continue for the second half of the year.” From January to June the German caravanning sector generated sales worth EUR 2.5 billion, i.e. 11.3% more than over the same period last year.
Exhibitors at CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF 2010 voiced great satisfaction because their expectations had been exceeded across the board with an excellent mood prevailing throughout.
Giovanni Marcon, Chairman of the Board at Knaus Tabbert GmbH, explained: “The flow of visitors was very good and interest very high – we would not have expected this extent of interest. This was also reflected in the number of deals actually concluded. The fair was one of the most successful of past few years.” Hermann Pfaff, on the board of HYMER AG, also said they had fully reached all targets set before the fair: “Attendance showed that interest in caravanning continues unabated. But this is not all as we are also very satisfied with turnover.”
On another positive note Dr. Holger Siebert, General Manager at Eura Mobil GmbH, added that customers were going for more quality again and were less focused on bargain hunting. Siebert delighted at numerous first-time visitors showing an interest in caravanning as a form of holidaymaking but also stated: “We have a substantial number of visitors who come regularly every two or three years but failed to do so last year. Last year many postponed investing in a new vehicle for budget reasons but they have come back this year to spend.” Frank Mix, General Manager of VARIO mobil Fahrzeugbau GmbH, noted that the interest in luxury-class vehicles was also high but that size and required furnishings varied widely: “In general the mood is better than last year and we have held many good conversations. Interested visitors this year included many owners of major companies who are now prepared to spend on a vehicle again.”
The fair also proved successful for accessories suppliers. Joachim Kinscher, Executive Vice President of the Domestic Group and board member of the suppliers organised in the Caravanning Industry Association, summed up: “It was unexpectedly positive and we can say that we had one of the best fairs of the few past years from the upstream supply point of view. Visitors take an avid interest in high-quality furnishing components. Furthermore, we are getting important signals here from vehicle manufacturers that we can expect a good production over the next few months. This again is better than expected.”
Just as avid as in previous years was the interest taken in the tourist ranges at CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF; roughly half the visitors are already planning their next summer holiday and the other half gathered information on destinations for trips in autumn and winter. Two thirds of visitors came with specific plans, explained Eike Schüürmann, General Manager of LeadingCampings. “Not least through its longstanding presence at CARAVAN SALON LeadingCampings is now perceived as a brand and visited in a targeted manner. Visitors to our stand sought specific holiday information and high-end camping sites at the destinations they had selected for their next holiday.”
Next year will see CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF celebrate its 50th anniversary.
