RECORD BREAKER! THE MOTORHOME & CARAVAN SHOW, NEC BIRMINGHAM
INDUSTRY’S NATIONAL SHOW SETS NEW RECORD FOR SALES AND VISITOR ATTENDANCE
The industry’s national show attracted a record-breaking audience of 98,058* (excluding exhibitors and press) last week, and delivered significant sales during what has been a challenging trading year for the industry.
The Motorhome & Caravan Show ran at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham for six days, from Tuesday 16th to Sunday 21st October.
Attendance was up by 5% on the 2011 Show, which attracted 93,323 (audited) visitors and was the first event delivered by NCC Events, the exhibitions arm of the National Caravan Council.
Due to demand for more space from existing and new exhibitors, the Show footprint was increased by 13% to occupy an eleventh hall at the Central England venue (83,400 sq m in total).
The Show benefitted from the support of the major manufacturers and dealerships, including Bailey, Coachman, Elddis, Lunar, Swift and Trigano, who used it as a platform to unveil their 2013 model ranges.
The event attracted many first time exhibitors including Frankia & Bavaria, Hymer, Sunlight, Tripbuddy Ltd, Zone Design, Automotive Leisure Ltd (Eriba) and Horizons Unlimited, plus independent outlets including Eterniti Caravans, Wellhouse Leisure and Leisurehubs who launched new brands and innovative new product ranges into the marketplace.
From the opening day (Tuesday 16th October), attendance was higher than anticipated with 14,144 people visiting the Show. The first day was Caravan Club Day with ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ star Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke) officially opening the Show from the Club Lounge.
The Camping and Caravanning Club staged the first Real Richness Awards ceremony in the Show’s Experts’ Advice Theatre, which was presented by TV personality Julia Bradbury.
Attendance remained consistently high throughout the week culminating in a phenomenal 27,176 visitors flooding through the doors on Saturday (20th) and a further 17,820 on Sunday (21st).
Says John Lally, CEO NCC Events, “The last six days have been exceptional. The atmosphere in the halls has been upbeat with everyone pulling together to stage a spectacular display for the tens of thousands of consumers that made the effort to visit.
“As the organisers of an event like this, our measures of success are that visitors enjoy themselves and exhibitors achieve excellent sales results. The feedback so far is that we achieved both of these targets so we’re delighted,” he adds.
The Motorhome & Caravan Show will return to the NEC from 15th – 20th October 2013.
