101,606 visitors attended this year’s Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham from 22 - 27 February 2022, a triumphant return with a huge wave of new buyers visiting from across the UK eager to explore everything from tents to campervans, trailer tents to motorhomes, caravans to luxury lodges.
Many exhibitors including Coachman, Knaus, Bailey, Auto-Sleepers and Rapido reported the show as being the best on record for sales of leisure vehicles. Visitors were delighted with the return to live events, relishing the opportunity to get inside and compare the layouts, fittings and finishes of hundreds of models side by side.
As well as five halls full of caravans, motorhomes, campervans, holiday caravans, luxury lodges, tents, trailer tents, accessories and destinations, the introduction of the Inspiration Theatre saw a great spectrum of speakers from all kinds of outdoor interests drawing huge crowds. The biggest of the weekend was for Matt Baker, who talked about adventures with his caravan Cathy and his new show ‘Travels with Mum and Dad’. Julia Bradbury, Lizzie Daly MBE, Martin Dorey, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Andrew Cotton also took visitors through their travel adventures and thrills in the outdoors. Ex- Eastenders’ star and motorhome fan Adam Woodyat was joined by surprise guest Shane Richie and pop star turned farmer, JB Gill was spotted roaming the halls.
Families flocked to the free activities on offer which included a 10m high climbing wall, a custom built paddleboarding and kayaking pool, (filled with a whopping 316,000 litres of water) and the Great British Seaside with its own sandy beach, helter-skelter and crabbing pier. Newbies also took advantage of the free Motorhome Manoeuvring courses and Caravan Towing Tuition, offered by the Caravan and Motorhome Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club – with sessions quickly booking out each day.
Karen Dodd, Interim Marketing Director at NCC Events said,
“It’s been a difficult couple of years, but we are delighted to be back delivering our most successful event yet. This is the biggest audience the show has ever seen, with 86% of ticket buyers being new to the Show. This 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 in October.”
Tickets are on sale now for next show from the NCC, the Motorhome and Caravan Show, which takes place at the NEC from 18th-23rd October.
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.”
Keith Holland, Business Development Director at Willerby said,
“It’s been really nice to be back together as an industry. We’re proud to be supporting the NCC team, as well as our partners and resellers this week. We’ve launched two new products which have been excellently received. We’ve had lots of positive leads from both old and new faces.”
Hayden Yates - Sales Director, North Wales Resorts said,
“This has been a brilliant show for us. We’re showing a side elevation lodge with a 42ft wide living space on the Tingdene stand. We already have follow-up appointments booked back in Wales - we’re full next week. We’re probably coming away with 100 leads for people looking to buy a lodge which has been monumental.”
Malcolm Bell, Chief Executive of Visit Cornwall said,
“It’s been a great show, with lots of families coming to see us. There have been a lot of people who are new to the motorhome industry which has brought new people to us. Everyday has been a busy day which is great, and we’ll definitely be coming back.”
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% in comparison to 2020. The stand had a positive vibe and we had a really warm response to our speakers including Club President Julia Bradbury, and also to YouTubers The Roaming Radfords who joined us throughout the show.”
Editor’s Contacts:
Kellie Hasbury, T: 07932 067283, E: kellie@weareplaster.com
Sophie Jones, T: 0117 953 0320, E: Sophie@weareplaster.com
Editor’s Notes:
The Motorhome and Caravan Show takes place on 18-23 October 2022 at the NEC, Birmingham | mcshow.co.uk
Tickets are on sale now for £12.00 when booking before 17 October 2022. A £1.25 transaction fee applies. Children 15 years and under go free when accompanied by a paying Adult/Senior but still require a ticket to attend (max 4 children per adult). Tickets are non-refundable. Car parking is included in the ticket price.
2.png)
