In positive news for folks RV shopping in the west, the California RV Show is returning to the Pomona Fairplex, just outside of LA from October 25th to 29th. The California show was once one of the three big manufacturers’ shows – along with “America’s Largest RV Show” in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and let’s be honest, who knows if it’s actually the largest RV show that’s just it’s official name, and the equally expansive Florida RV Supershow in Tampa.
The California show formerly ran a full 10 days and was a highlight of the show season calendar. It was put on by the manufacturers, which is rare for all but the biggest shows – most are run by dealer associations. But it was expensive for manufacturers and suppliers to bring their latest and greatest from Elkhart County Indiana where 80% of RVs are manufactured all the way out to Los Angeles, even though Californians spend more on RVing than any other state. When Covid hit in 2020, it was canceled indefinitely.
The new show is being billed as the 68th Annual Pomona RV Show, and it’s run by a group of investors. One thing really caught my eye in the announcement, though. Have you ever been to an RV show and tried to shop for just one type of RV? After all, I think most people are looking for something specific, or at least want to see one type at a time. At most RV shows, they’re scattered all over the place, organized by brand. If you want to just see Class B campervans, you still may have to hike through acres of RVs to do it.
The California Show Shakes Up the RV Show Layout
The new Pamona Show is trying to create a better buying experience and a level playing field for all manufacturers, instead of dedicating large swaths to just the biggest.
The plan is to have the major products segmented so that all the motorized units will be in the same block, all the toy haulers in a separate block, and so on. This new format should make it easier for customers to find the products they’re interested in and create a more enjoyable shopping experience.
If you’re out west, mark your calendars for October 25th to 29th and you may just see RV Miles there.
