Feedback on Tampa RV Show

Hogladyrider

Well-known member
Hi everyone. Gary & I attended the RV Show in Tampa on Wednesday, January 18th. We arrived prior to gates opening at 9 am. We have regularly attended this show since 08.

We both feel that the Show has outgrown the location and this year we noticed several changes that IMO were not positive.

None of these comments are reflections on Heartland at all, in fact the Landmark display was the nicest in the show for display and volunteers and dealer reps.

It appears that the local RV dealers have been pushed out by the larger Camping World, Lazy Days etc people. The Lazy Days people were like vultures and often not educated on the product they were displaying.

I do not feel with the crowds in attendance that a show of this size is anyplace for pets to be in attendance. I am a HUGE pet person and I saw too many dogs panting like crazy in the heat and crowds.

This year at the ticket gates there were no porta pottys like in previous years. Also there were not enough parking lot trams running, people were sitting waiting for in excess of 30 minutes for a tram. The two trams that ran inside the venue were ALWAYS packed full, my heart went out to both drivers of those 2 trams.

When we were purchasing our admission tickets the attendant informed us that this was day one of a new computer system and they were just learning it.......IMO this is poor management. The lines to purchase tickets were very long.

The first display we visited was Road Warrior. We were very surprised to see that the RV's were not clean and in one RV the displayed new oven the door was broken. We mentioned all this to one of the workers and it was all fluffed off an nothing to be concerned with.......REALLY!

We got to view all the displays that we had on our list and we are not in the market for a new RV, we are very happy with our Cyclone which is our THIRD Heartland product and we are Heartland fans. There are only two other mfgs that we would consider if we were ever to leave the Heartland family.

Hoping that those who organize and arrange this show will be open to suggestions for future shows, after all it is the paying customers who are purchasing the products on display.

Susan
 
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