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RVIA’s upbeat trade-only National RV Trade Show, held in Louisville December 1-3, is one more sign of the industry’s recovery from reduced shipments due to the recession, tight credit markets and historically low consumer confidence.

While 2009 RV shipments through October were down 38.8 percent from 2008, attendance at the Louisville show was virtually unchanged. A total of 8,323 RV dealers, warehouse distributors, accessory store owners, campground operators and exhibitors attended this year’s event — down just 1.2 percent from 2008. There were 2,864 dealer representatives in attendance, a decline of 2.4 percent from 2008. A total of 1,294 dealerships attended — down only 6.7 percent from 2008.

Despite tough economic conditions, show attendees noted a palpable optimism as a result of an array of industry factors including rising shipments in recent months, strong consumer interest in a future purchase, robust travel intentions among current RVers, and manufacturers rehiring workers and returning to a full production schedule.

“We wrote more orders in the morning of the first day that we did in three days last year,” said Ned Collins, CEO of A-Liner.

“This year, dealers are getting more retail financing, and their customers are more upbeat,” said Bob Tiffin, president of Tiffin Motorhomes.

An RV industry recovery is potentially a good sign for the broader economy — in the past four economic downturns, RV shipments were a leading indicator of both recession and recovery.

After reaching their lowest point in the first quarter of 2009, RV shipments have steadily grown, reaching their highest point in September. RV shipments in October were 23 percent higher than the previous October. On a seasonally-adjusted annual rate, October shipments reached 216,000 units — topping 200,000 for the third consecutive month. RV shipments are projected to grow 27.6 percent in 2010.

The National RV Trade Show got off to a rousing start with the "Outlook 2010: Let the Sun Shine" breakfast kicking off the show with a strong message of optimism. Despite the smaller show this year, attendance at the event remained high, with more than 1,000 filling the KEC ballroom for a two-and-a-half hour program that featured substantive presentations and entertainment.

“This year’s Outlook breakfast was one of the best,” said Dwayne Nickel of Dicor Corp. “It was relevant for today’s market with messages for tomorrow’s product and buyer. I especially appreciated the demographic profile of the new buyer.” Tom Gaither of Affinity Events added, “‘Let The Sun Shine’ was the perfect message for the RV Industry…great message…great job!”