News

The UK’s Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show attracted a record-breaking 101,606 visitors across its six-day duration at the National Exhibition centre in the country’s second city Birmingham. The show, which is organised by NCC Events, was making its return after two years of being forced to cancel due to coronavirus restrictions and was a showpiece for new caravans, motorhomes, campervans, tents, awnings, camping accessories and luxury holiday lodges.

Perhaps the most telling statistic was that an estimated 86 per cent of ticket buyers were new visitors to the show – NCC Events interim marketing director Karen Dodd said: “This [percentage of new attendees] reflects a huge influx of new people to the industry, with a new appreciation for getting out into the great outdoors. Our exhibitors have seen thousands of new customers walking the halls across the six days. We’d like to thank them for their continued support and are looking forward to building on this interest to produce an even bigger and better Motorhome & Caravan Show at the NEC from 18 to 23 October.”

Of course, Camping Trade World was walking the floor of the show and you can check out some of the video content we gathered right here:

For more, don’t forget to subscribe to Camping Trade World to receive our next digital magazine, which will have a full eight-page wrap-up from the show.

Exhibitor satisfaction was extremely high at the event. Canvassing the opinion of many companies of different shapes and sizes didn’t seem to affect the positivity.

Ben Parker, sales director at Coachman Caravans said: “Our new Coachman motorhomes have proved to be very well received, and we’ve sold 25 over the course of the week. We sold 46 caravans on our first day vs 21 in 2020 on day one. It’s been busy, but absolutely brilliant!”

Ian Rawlings, sales director at Bailey of Bristol said: “This show has exceeded expectations. Our retailers have continued to enjoy high levels of sales throughout the week and it’s great to be back with customers, both new and returning. We’re delighted with the numbers of people visiting the event. See you in October!”

David Williams, sales and marketing director at Auto-Sleepers said: “This week has exceeded our expectations across the board. Our primary concern was the customer experience, and the show has delivered a great result with the spread of the footfall throughout the week. We’re seeing lots of new customers to the market, as well as lots of returning customers. It represents a leap forward with customers confident to get in and explore the vehicles, which is great news.”

Norbert Waldhäusl, export manager for Rapido, Itineo and Dreamer said: “It was great to be part of this year’s Caravan Camping & Motorhome Show - it felt like we were back to “pre-pandemic” times, with strong visitor frequentation each day and even bigger interest in leisure vehicles than in the years before. We had great results with the products of our three brands RAPIDO, ITINEO and DREAMER, and achieved a historic record level of sales.”

Mike Lake, UK Agent, Knaus Tabbert AG said: “The best ever result for Knaus Tabbert AG at any Birmingham Show in either February or October.  A big thank you to our retailers, the stand team, the organisers and of course our customers the new members of the Knaus Tabbert family.”

Grenville Chamberlain OBE, chairman of the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “It’s been an excellent show. A wide range of interests are represented, with lots of new entrants to caravanning and motorhoming. This show has surpassed 2020 and we’ve really liked to have the crowds spread evenly across the six days. It’s allowed us to spend more quality time with people visiting and the show. The buzz at the event is reflective of the growth in our industry more widely.”

Michelle Jewell, marketing manager of The Camping and Caravanning Club said: “It’s great to be back. We were really pleased with the visitor numbers at the show, which is reflected in our strong performance, and each day felt like a Saturday. We exceeded our targets and our new-member recruitment was up by 15 per cent in comparison to 2020.