DENVER – RV show organizers sometimes can predict the success of a show based on the severity of the winter. For example, more snow usually means more customers with cabin fever looking to get out.
But, if anything, the opposite seems to be true in Denver this year as the Great American RV Show experienced about a 20% increase in foot traffic over last year for its first day following one of the mildest winters on record in Denver.
“We ended up about 10% ahead of last year in attendance, but last year’s crowd was different because of tariffs and everything they wouldn’t commit,” said show Owner/Organizer Hague Atkinson. “This year’s crowd was ready to buy. I think it was pent up timing and people were ready to pull the trigger now.”
Atkinson said Blue Compass RV reported its best results to date in the show’s four years. He said Windish RV also did well in sales and that all of the 10 dealers on hand turned in good numbers of sales.
Dealers staffing their booths on Friday, March 13, reported a quality turnout in numbers for the second day as well, but also in the type of customers on hand.All reported seeing serious buying candidates among the usual tire kickers.
“I asked Hague about Thursday’s numbers because it seemed really busy for the first day,” said Whitney Holtz, president of Windish RV in Denver. “We definitely felt the difference in our booth.”
Justin Slusser, Mountain West regional president for Blue Compass said the dealership’s sales were up a solid percentage on the first day.
“It’s definitely outperforming what we were expecting,” he said. “Engagement with the customers has been great.”
Campers Inn RV was attending its first show in Denver in 2025, having bought one of Northern Colorado’s Lazydays locations.
Regional Manager Mike Garwood said the biggest part of the show this year is getting the Campers Inn name out to the Colorado RVing community. Most of the Campers Inn locations are in the eastern portion of the U.S.
“It has gone really well for us,” he said. “Some of the smaller travel trailers seem to trending among our customers.”
Likewise, General RV is making its debut, having bought a separate Lazydays location in 2025.
“It has been a good step to get the General name in front of the customers out West,” officials said.
Other dealers displaying at the show included Trailer Source and Van City RV.
Atkinson said one of his goals for the Great American RV Show is to show a broad range of RV possibilities to potential buyers, and as such there were a handful of manufacturers on hand that may not have been familiar. Most of them build rugged off-road RVs built on large pickup chassis.
One such newcomer was Bliss Mobil. Based in The Netherlands, Bliss mobil features some of the toughest off-road chassis on the market. Vehicle parts are imported into the United States and assembled in a plant in Longmont, Colo. Vehicles offered include models built on Acela Monterra, International HV and RAM 5500 chassis.
“We try to curate a show that has more new stuff than any other events to attract different customers,” Atkinson said.
Other offerings from the show geared at attracting an atypical audience include a number of seminars, including cooking tips. In addition, anyone buying a ticket received a one-year free membership to The Dyrt, a subscription service providing information about camping resources.
