The 36th annual Fort Myers RV Show recently saw strong show attendance with huge dealer and vendor sales, despite unusually cold and nasty weather, organizers say.
Held again at the Lee Civic Center, close to 11,500 attendees visited five participating dealers and 58 vendors.
Region 1 of the statewide Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) sponsored the annual event Jan. 27-30. Last year, the show was canceled due to inventory shortages and the COVID pandemic.
This year’s show followed the successful 37th annual Florida RV SuperShow in nearby Tampa, with many patrons saying they attended the event before making a decision on what to buy.
“I talked to many attendees who said they were actively shopping for an RV before making a final decision,” said FRVTA Region 1 President Everett Henkel III, owner of Fort Myers-based RV Kountry. “Fortunately, many made that buying decision at the Fort Myers RV Show as dealers reported very strong RV sales.”
This year’s participating dealers were Gerzeny’s RV World, LaMesa RV Center, RV One Superstores of Fort Myers, RV Kountry and Southern Marine & RV Sales.
Despite having only five dealers participate, the show filled the civic center grounds and featured a variety of gas and diesel Class A and C motorhomes, B vans, travel trailers, toy haulers and park models. Longtime Region 1 Show Manager Jack Carver said the variety and outstanding pricing are two of many factors that keep patrons coming to the show year-after-year.
“We had some very un-Florida-like weather over the weekend and that certainly kept some people away,” Carver said. “However, the extremely great sales racked up by participating dealers and vendors made for a great selling show.”
Besides show vendors and dealers, the Fort Myers RV Show presented a series of RV lifestyle seminars that offered patrons a chance to learn about various RV travel options and destinations, new RV products and simple RV maintenance techniques.
“From everything I’ve heard, the show was a tremendous success,” said Region 1 Vice President Paul Graef, the business manager at Gerzeny’s RV Sales’ Fort Myers location. “It was great to achieve an outstanding turnout with such strong sales.”
