LAS VEGAS, Nev. – After a day full of educational sessions and awards, those attending the RV Dealers Convention/Expo at the Paris Las Vegas were ready to set their hands and eyes on something new.
And nowhere was that excitement more evident than the display around the AC Future AI-THd electric motorhome.
Looking for the talk of the show? This was it.
AC Future also is building the AI-THt smart electric trailer and AI-Thu mini home, but it was the copper-colored motorhome with the oversized slideout on the driver’s side that had dealers talking.
The AI-THd also has a slideout off the back of the vehicle, creating the illusion of a massive amount of space, but when the slides are in, the vehicle is only 26 feet long as it goes down the road.
National Sales Manager Dan Davia said the vehicle has a range of about 300 miles on a charge and is reliant upon shore power for recharging, although the batteries recharge as the driver uses the brakes and there are solar panels on the roof and slideouts that add a certain amount of power. It has a separate battery set for powering lights and appliances.
LINK TO RVB VIDEO – https://rvbusiness.com/video-check-out-the-ai-thd-motorhome-from-ac-future/
CEO Jose Paul said the motorhome will begin its production run in March at the AC Future facility in Irvine, Calif.
General Session
During the Opening General Session, keynote speaker Ryan Estis urged the crowd to keep up with the changing marketplace and do what it takes for each member to set themselves apart from the competition.
“What’s different today is the rate of change,” Estis said. “The rate of change is accelerating at an unprecedented pace and it’s never going to be this slow again.”
He said the amount of change seems daunting, but it presents a real opportunity for successful businesses.
Human-centered teams perform better and adapt to change better.
He said three practices can help businesses improve.
Rather than focusing on making the transaction, they need to focus on the lifetime relationship they are building with the customer.
Business that set themselves apart in the eyes of the customer are poised to win.
To get that first point right, dealers have to have the best team of people around them and to capture their potential.
Once that team is properly motivated, the business needs to disrupt itself before the market does the disrupting.
Estis proposed an “idea jam” to move the cursor.
“It’s a creative conversation,” he said. “We get all the ideas together and get them up on the white board. We’re not going to use them all, but through that conversation and creative process, ideas will emerge that you can consider and experiment on.”
He said success breeds complacency, which is a recipe for a business getting disrupted, so having these conversations and using the ideas to disrupt business as usual can be profitable to all.
Spotlight on Excellence
During the lunchtime Spotlight on Excellence, a number of awards were presented honoring achievement in dealership personnel.
The RV Learning Center Society of Certified RV Professionals presented six scholarships to professionals. Those honored were Kristin Della Camera of Hemlock Hill RV in Southington, Conn.; Chris Dougherty of The RV PhD and Dougherty RV Consulting in Springfield, Mass.; Ken Glover of Campers Inn in Jacksonville, Fla.; Jessica Flanagan of Wilkins RV in Syracuse, N.Y.; Erica Saldana of La Mesa RV in Phoenix; and Adam Traut of PleasureLand RV in Minnesota.
Gwynn Sullivan, executive director of Care Camps Foundation, presented a special recognition of excellence to Campers Inn’s Jeff Hirsch, who she said was responsible for $1 million in funding for the children’s oncology camps.
Three DMS providers presented awards to dealers who have used their systems to improve Repair Event Cycle Time.
IDS honored Vogt Leisure RV Center, Haltom City, Texas; Meyer’s Shreck RV, Apollo, Penn.; Cookeville RV & Marine, Cookeville, Tenn.; and Moix RV, Conway, Ark.
Lightspeed honored R&R RV Center; Rich & Sons RV; Chesaco RV; Parris RV; and Great Alaskan Holidays. Forest River also was honored as Innovator of the Year.
Motility honored Campers Inn of Jacksonville, Fla.; Optimum RV of Ocala, Fla.; North Trail RV of Fort Myers, Fla.; Krenek RV of Coloma, Mich.; Fun Town RV of Fort Worth, Texas; Wheels RV of Tontitown, Ark.; and Tri-City RV of Bay City, Mich.
And the annual DSI Awards were presented during the ceremonies.
Winners were:
- Alliance RV Avenue, Delta, Paradigm and Valor
- Brinkley RV Model G, I and Z
- Coachmen Brookstone, Chaparral, Catalina and Shasta towables
- Coachmen Class B motorhomes
- Dynamax
- East to West Towable RVs
- Entegra
- Forest River Cardinal, Cedar Creek, Cherokee, Columbus, Flagstaff, Ibex, No Boundaries, Puma, r-pod, Riverstone, Rockwood, Rogue, Sabre, Sandpiper, Sierra, Solaire, Surveyor and Wildcat towables.
- Forest River Class C motorhomes
- Grand Design Class C motorhomes
- Grand Design towable RVs
- Gulfstream motorhomes
- Gulfstream Amerilite, Conquest, Innsbruck and Kingsport towables
- Highland Ridge Open Range
- Jayco Motorhomes and Towables
- Keystone RV Alpine, Cougar, Hideout and Retreat
- KZ RV & Venture RV
- Leisure Travel Vans/Triple E
- Newmar
- Starcraft
Wednesday
Things got going early on Wednesday with a 7 a.m. leadership and prayer meeting followed at 8:15 by the U.S. and Canada breakfasts and annual meetings.
This is a change from past years, so anyone wishing to attend the annual meeting should plan ahead.
The Expo hall opens at 1 p.m. with plenty of education sessions scheduled throughout the day.
