Instilling The RV Lifestyle One Experiential Event At A Time

Attending a Go RVing experiential event means two things: touring RVs and gaining a perspective of the fun lifestyle. These events are hosted around the country from spring to fall and are made possible, in large part, by RV dealers. After all, without them there wouldn’t be an RV to experience at these events!

Brian Copley is the owner of Copley’s RV in Hobe Sound, Fla., and he participated in the Go RVing display at the 2018 Carnaval on the Mile in Coral Gables, Fla. We reached out to Brian to recap the event and learn why he teamed up with Go RVing.

Go RVing: Did you know anything about Go RVing experiential events before participating in the display at Carnaval on the Mile?
Brian Copley: I knew about Go RVing from promotional ads and materials, but I did not know about the Go RVing experiential events. I was excited for the opportunity to work with the Go RVing team and meet new customers. I love talking about the RV industry and meeting people who do not know the benefits of this lifestyle. My family has been in the RV business for over 33 years and I regularly camp with my family. My kids think a two-hour ride to Orlando requires a motorhome.

GRV: Can you talk a little bit about what you already knew or learned about the event itself?
BC: I am familiar with the term “Carnival” and what it represents, but I had not been nor did I realize how large of an event was in Miami. I was worried that the language barrier would be a huge problem, but with the translators we had and people doing their own translating it was not an issue. The atmosphere was awesome, and the people were very interested in what we were doing. Over 10,000 people came through the RVs, so, I would say it was well received.

GRV: What stood out most to you about the Go RVing display?
BC: I found the Go RVing display refreshing. As a RV Dealer, we do a lot of RV shows. The shows we do consist of showing product to educated buyers where you are competing against other dealers for sales that weekend.  With the Go RVing display I was able to go back to the root of why people go camping. Camping is about being with family, enjoying the outdoors and getting back to nature. It was really nice to hear the ideas and planning swirling around in the heads of these proverbial “newbies”. I liked the picture booth idea, it really broke the ice and everyone seemed to enjoy that aspect.

GRV: What were some of the reactions you heard from visitors about the RVs?
BC: I received many reactions during the event that ranged from awe to excitement for planning a trip with the family. Most of the people had never been in an RV before, so there was a lot of basic questions and opinions. We always get the “I can’t drive that!” or “I had no idea it was so roomy.”  I particularly recall a family, who already camps with an RV, taking the lead in sharing the range of benefits of the RVing lifestyle. It wasn’t just the parents either, I saw the kids explaining in great detail the places they had been and experiences they have had. The number one thing I hear from people who’ve camped as kids is how those memories are the best and most fond to them and here at the Go RVing display I was witnessing this play out with young RV travelers.

GRV: Did you find there to be any benefits to your dealership in participating in the display? What about for the industry as a whole?
BC: I gave out 450 business cards, hundreds of brochures and about a thousand rental brochures. As a dealership we did not sell anything and the distance from our dealership played a factor. However, I am sure the display will pay dividends in the future for Copley’s, we call it stocking our pond. The industry was the big winner here. Whenever you can get in front of a new potential customer base with such interest and enthusiasm, it’s an opportunity to seize. I think Go RVing is on the right track.  

If you’re an RV dealer and interested in participating in an event display or have questions, please contact Dana DelVecchio at ddelvecchio@rvia.org.