A sell-out weekend wrapped up a record-breaking Motorhome & Caravan Show (17-22nd October), with 106,131 visitors flocking to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham across six days, proving that public interest in the Leisure Vehicle lifestyle shows no sign of slowing down.
Despite a difficult economic backdrop, the Show’s attendance and sales figures confirmed that the UK’s Leisure Vehicle sector continues to soar. The UK’s largest display of Leisure Vehicles was met by keen buyers and holiday-makers from across the country, looking to invest in the new-for-2024 models from the UK and Europe's leading manufacturers and dealers.
With the industry’s leading manufacturers, dealers and experts all under one roof, presenting an unrivalled display of campervans, motorhomes, caravans and accessories, many exhibitors including Bailey of Bristol, Coachman, Swift, Erwin Hymer Group UK, Hillside, Chausson, Carthago and Malibu, have praised the success of the Show, both in terms of record sales and visitor numbers. Some manufacturers used the Show as a platform to launch completely new model ranges to the UK public as well as showcasing innovative concept vehicles of what motor-holiday adventures could look like in the future.
The Show’s signature Inspiration Theatre proved appealing to visitors, with featured talks and Q&As from some of the UK’s most popular TV personalities. Household names Joe Swash, Jenny Powell, Josie Gibson, Kwoklyn Wan, Jeff Brazier, Jim Moir and Nancy Sorrell shared their stories and tales of touring and exploring to the large crowds who attended the Show in droves.
Providing a one-stop-shop for anyone looking to hit the road and quench their thirst for adventure, Ask the Expert Sessions offered practical and technical advice on Leisure Vehicle ownership and the leading Clubs saw fantastic numbers of new member sign-ups. Many of the Show’s 400 exhibitors are already gearing-up to return to the NEC for 2024.
Karen Dodd, Marketing Director at NCC Events said: “We couldn't be happier with the results of this year’s Show. We’d like to thank our exhibitors, partners and sponsors for the effort and investment they made presenting their products, new model ranges and innovative concept vehicles to visitors - the whole show looked fantastic!
“We’d also like to thank our visitors, who despite tough market conditions and storm Babet, attended the Show from across the country to explore all that’s on offer and buy vehicles and products for their coming adventures. The show continues to be the UK’s leading event for those who love touring and exploring the great outdoors in leisure vehicles, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back next year.”
Simon Howard, Marketing Director at Bailey of Bristol said: “It’s amazing to be back! Well done to NCC Events for another brilliant show these past six days - it’s been the perfect platform to launch significant products like the Endeavour, with positive reactions and strong sales. We’ve been gauging customer feedback on the EV Concept Van on the future of Leisure Vehicle design and how we can incorporate it into other ranges.
“The demographic we’ve seen has been a good mix of people and we can’t wait to come back in February!” Ben Parkin, Sales Director at Coachman said: “The level of interest from the audience has been great and our range of products has been well received across the board. We’ve experienced a lot of interest for future investments after the Show has finished, which is exactly why we come to the Show.
“We’re going through some difficult times and to see that there’s still people out there looking to buy and invest - it’s great to see.” Rachel Moncrieff, Marketing Manager at Erwin Hymer Group UK said: " 2024 Season sees the relaunch of Erwin Hymer Group UK brands: Xplore, Elddis and Buccaneer.
“The Motorhome & Caravan Show was therefore a pivotal part of our launch and branding strategy. We invested in an all-new stand design and build to showcase our growing brands and create maximum impact. This was well-received and complemented by the show’s record-busting volume of visitors – and we trust that all those who visited our brands’ stands had a thoroughly enjoyable experience!
“We launched our all-new Xplore campervan – the Xplore CV X8 – to critical acclaim and gained invaluable insight engaging with existing and potential customers, across all of our ranges and products." Joanne Mitchell, Marketing Director at Swift Group said: “‘It was a terrific week for Swift at the show with a great buzz on the stand from day one. As well as having the right product line up, we made some changes to our stand manning this year which really paid off and resulted in some record-breaking sales days!”
Tobias Reutlinger, Team Leader International Marketing at Carthago and Malibu said: “We are very happy with the Show. After two record years, we continue with this record season. We are very happy with the sales and the people who are coming through. Just looking around, there are a lot of people here who are not just passers by, but genuinely interested - which for us is always a good sign.
“The Show just brings the best people to our stands and as you can see on our tables, people are here getting their offers and are really interested in the industry and sector. We will definitely be back next year.” Adrian John Cross, Managing Director at Hillside Leisure said: “We have had a record breaking number of sales at the show, with a 5% increase on our previous best show.
“In addition to the show we have also had an exceptionally high number of enquiries and pre-booked appointments and test drives for our open weekend, and would like to thank all of the NCC team for all of their support.” Nick Barker, Sales Director at Travelworld said: “This year has exceeded our expectations. It’s been fantastic and we’re set for our best show to date! We’ve seen a wide mix of customers with great interest each day! The four wheel drives have continued to sell well and we’ve had great reception to the premium models.”
Nick Markel, Stand Manager at Chausson said: “The footfall for this Show has been amazing and the whole set-up of the Show works brilliantly. We always have a successful Show here. We can't wait to come back in February!” Amy Cooper, Manager at Rolling Homes Camp Limited said: “The Show’s been really great. There’s been a lot of interest and we’ve been super busy.
“Footfall has been really strong and there’s been a steady flow of people coming through all week ahead of the busy weekend. Our latest model has gone down really well and we’ve got some people booked to come down for some test drives next week which is excellent.
“It’s always unnerving when you bring something new, but it’s been really positive and we’ve had a ton of enquiries about it - so yes, we will be back in February and October!” John Broderick, Managing Director at Don Amott Caravan & Motorhomes said: “We had a great show as a company and as always, the Show delivered the right number and quality of visitors. We would like to pass on our thanks to the entire organising team for another great Show.”
Harvey Alexander, Director of Marketing and Membership Services for the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: "The Motorhome and Caravan Show was a great success. The Club stand was busy with Club members and show visitors alike talking to the team, joining the Club and getting inspiration for their next touring adventure. Club Day, the opening day of the show, was fantastic.
“We were joined by Club ambassadors Matt Allwright, Annabel Croft, Karen Wright and Siobhan Daniels who all shared their touring tales with the audiences on the stand." Michelle Jewell, Senior Marketing Manager at the Club said: “It’s been a successful show and we’ve had some really positive feedback. More people took advantage of our show joining offer this year, while we also had a record number of competition entries.
“Outside of the halls, our towing experience in partnership with Isuzu was fully booked.” For those who may have missed out, tickets for the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show (13 - 18 February 2024) are now on sale.
