During the 2018 RV Leadership Conference earlier this week, the RV Industry Association’s Board of Directors unanimously determined that a completely new approach was needed for the industry’s national event.
Over the past decade, the Open House has firmly established itself as the premier buying event, while at the same time the National RV Trade Show has not successfully redefined its purpose, according to the board. As a result, it is clear the industry no longer needs multiple buying-focused shows, and the time to redefine RVIA’s event has come, the directors said in a joint statement.
The board said it felt that an opportunity existed to deliver an all-industry event featuring expanded innovation and market development, education and training, and enhanced focus on improving customer service.
The new national industry gathering will include a shift in venue and timing, and will reveal the newest and most exciting products from the RV industry. The event will be positioned earlier in the calendar year, kicking off the RV selling season, creating a promotional platform to drive consumers to RV dealers nationwide.
To support the creation of this new event, the board of directors unanimously directed RVIA to cease producing both the 2018 National RV Trade Show and the 2019 RV Leadership Conference, to focus and combine all efforts on launching a single, new and fully reimagined event in the spring of 2019.
The City of Louisville and the Kentucky Expo Center have been tremendous partners and friends to the RV industry, the board said, thanking them for their support over the decades.