The CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF 2018 has exceeded all expectations and succeeded in clearly surpassing last year’s record results once again. The 57th edition of the world’s largest trade fair for motorhomes and caravans experienced the best attended event in its history. Summing up Joachim Schäfer, outgoing Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf, said: “Over the past ten days we have welcomed 248,000 visitors (2017: 232,000) to Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre. We are delighted with this new record and also see the high visitor turnout as confirmation of the outstanding collaboration between the exhibitors, the Caravanning Industry Association and our trade fair company.” Mobile vacationing as a form of holiday-making continues to be a top trend. Thanks to record new registrations and changes of ownership the general mood prevailing in the caravanning industry is excellent. “This was also clearly felt at the CARAVAN SALON. The mood in the halls among both exhibitors and visitors alike was excellent. With 35% we again managed to welcome a very high percentage of first-time visitors. We cater to these newbies providing a service-oriented and customer-friendly advice centre in the form of the StarterWorld. It was also striking to see even more young families with children taking an interest in this form of holiday-making,” says CARAVAN SALON Director Stefan Koschke.
Hermann Pfaff, President of the Caravanning Industry Association, also looks positively on the trade fair: “The high spirits among manufacturers, exhibitors and customers as well as first-class sales figures are evidence of the enormous and constantly growing popularity of caravanning.” Visitors, he adds, were thrilled with the diverse line-up of products unique worldwide, the numerous new models and the presentations at the stands. “The outstanding number of sales concluded here have more than fulfilled our expectations and reflect the current market situation. We look back on the biggest and best-attended CARAVAN SALON of all times. This once again confirms its position as the world’s leading trade fair.” The CIVD President hopes to carry over the momentum and the excellent atmosphere within the industry to business in autumn 2018.
A total of over 600 national and international exhibitors presented their innovations and current styles in 13 halls as well as on the outdoor premises. To the tune of 2,100 RVs plus accessories, technical equipment, detachable parts, awnings, and mobile homes were exhibited on more than 214,000 square metres. Furthermore, campsites, motorhome parks and travel destinations were also on show. This year saw many trade visitors registered from Asia, Australia and the USA – along with extremely high media interest.
The exhibitors at the CARAVAN SALON therefore voiced their satisfaction and reported very good sales deals.
Taking stock Martin Brandt, Chairman of the Board at Erwin Hymer Group, voiced utmost satisfaction: “We are pleased with the high attendance figures at the CARAVAN SALON and the overwhelming demand for our brands and products. The trade fair marks the “crowning climax” of the most successful business year in the history of the Erwin Hymer Group. Caravanning is a trend and has now become part of mainstream society. This is also reflected in the noticeably younger audience and many newbies at the stands of our brand. Our commitment in China also met with avid interest. We will be following on from these impulses in Düsseldorf and look forward to helping our customers enjoy unique leisure and mobility experiences worldwide.”
Holger Schulz, General Manager at Hobby-Wohnwagenwerk Ing. Harald Striewski GmbH, is enthusiastic about the footfall at the Hobby stand: “Compact, completely furnished van campers and connectivity were the focal themes at our stand. The new line of Vantana van campers, which we presented with three furnishing options for the first time this year, were received very well by the audience. A highlight worth mentioning here is definitely our entry-level model Vantana Ontour, which sold ever so well with its attractive basic price from the outset. The on-board control of our vehicles by Smartphone or Tablet was also in increasing demand. With our intuitive HobbyConnect system it is possible to control various functions like lighting, heating and air-conditioning remotely by App – and from almost any point in the world. We are convinced that the future of caravanning is getting increasingly smarter.”
Dr. Holger Siebert, General Manager of Eura Mobil GmbH, underlines how well the trade fair concept has worked out: “The CARAVAN SALON has developed into a first-class caravanning trade fair. We are happy with the results and found that visitors came to sales talks even better prepared and informed.” The higher percentage of first-time visitors, he adds, had a positive impact on the sales of van campers and vans at both Karmann Mobil and in the entry-level segment of the Forster brand. Also posting growth is Trigano Haus with its import brands. “Customers honour the quality of the vehicles as well as the first-class after-sales service,” rejoices Siebert.
“The CARAVAN SALON was extremely successful for us. This trade fair is the perfect setting for unrivalled sales – as shown by our repeated growth rates: yet again in 2018 they significantly exceeded the previous year’s record figures. Our customers and dealers alike are more than satisfied,” says Gerd Adamietzki, Marketing and Distribution Manager at Knaus Tabbert GmbH. The reasons for this are wide-ranging: “Caravanning has become part of mainstream society. But we can also see that customers appreciate innovation. Our new vehicles have once again set decisive trends and thrilled visitors. In a nutshell: CARAVAN SALON 2018 has exceeded all our expectations.”
Bernd Wuschack, Sales, Marketing and Service Manager at Carthago and Malibu: “CARAVAN SALON 2018 again proved a resounding success for our Carthago and Malibu brands. Impressive for us was not only the enormous number of visitors at our exhibition stand but also the quality of the audience. We met with many very well-informed guests. Furthermore, we were visited by numerous newcomers dealing with the motorhome theme for the first time. Here the work done by Messe Düsseldorf and the manufacturers’ association CIVD in the run-up to the event paid off, since it noticeably widened the circle of potential buyers. This also makes us look to the future with optimism.”
Over the past years the “Technik-Order” segment with technical equipment, detachable parts and installations has been very popular with visitors. 2018 saw the second “Technology” hall debut with exhibitors of technical furnishings and accessories in Hall 14. In summary Bernd Löher, General Manager at Dometic GmbH, said: “We clearly felt that caravanning as a form of holiday-making enjoys ever more popularity and that its international flair has increased. At our stand we were able to welcome trade visitors from all continents – especially from Asia, Europe and the USA.” Customers, they felt, take a strong interest in connectivity and are very open to the many product innovations offered by accessory suppliers. “The increased demand for high-quality furnishing components is striking. People increasingly view their RVs more as homes on wheels and are therefore prepared to invest in comfort and functionality.”
Higher attendance figures also translated as high footfall at the stands in the tourism hall as well as in the cash & carry area in Hall 7a. “It is striking that the younger generation is taking a far greater interest in camping and caravanning than some years ago. Talks with customers are high quality. Apart from that, we feel that consumers clearly place more emphasis on advice on site. To us the CARAVAN SALON is also always a barometer for the autumn business – most of the time demand substantially goes up in the weeks after the Düsseldorf trade fair,” says Maurice Perske, General Manager at Fritz Berger GmbH.
The 58th CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF will be held from 30 August (trade visitor and media day) to 8 September 2019. www.caravan-salon.de
