RVIA Panel Discussion: Actionable Insights

By Scott Bahr

June 25, 2021

The RVIA panel in Elkhart represented the kick-off to in-person events sponsored by RVIA. The purpose of the panel was to provide insights surrounding some of the recent studies conducted by Cairn Consulting Group and IPSOS, and how the results of these studies are being integrated into the media planning and implementation strategies for RVIA and GoRVing.

“I think there’s some misconception of that generation a little bit,” said Cairn’s Bahr, whose firm also conducts the North American Camping Report for Kampgrounds of America (KOA). “The first is they turn 40 this year, so they’re not that young anymore. So, that generation is now peaking in terms of their earning potential. They’re building their families, building their wealth.1

Our role at the event was to discuss in greater detail the results of the study of new RV owners from 2020, many of whom started RVing as a result of the COVID pandemic. We also discussed what the industry needs to do in order to retain a greater proportion of these new RVers moving forward.

The discussion was highly interactive, with panelists keying in on their areas of expertise. We were able to weigh in on some of the other important trends in camping, which include the influx of younger RVers and campers, and the changing diversity of RVing and camping.

We were able to provide a more detailed summary of these issues using not only the new buyer results but also leveraging the results of the North American Camping Report.

And finally, after the discussion we were able to speak with many of the participants, as well as discuss some of our future engagements with RVIA, including a new owner follow-up study this fall, a holiday travel study in November, as well as upcoming work with a potential new partner in Truma.

Read the related post from RVbusiness.com.

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