RVIA press release - December 2008 - An enthusiastic audience and energetic, information-packed presentations helped make the Dec. 2 “Outlook 2009: We’ve Got Heart!” a showcase for the RV industry’s resilience and “heart” in the face of difficult economic times.

Hosted by RVIA Chairman Jim Sheldon, the kickoff event to the 46th National RV Trade Show featured a detailed assessment of the industry's future by RVIA President Richard Coon.

In a presentation titled “Straight From the Heart,” Coon acknowledged the difficulties the industry currently faces while encouraging the crowd to remain optimistic. Coon stressed that the RV industry has survived tough times before, and historically, the industry recovers from such down times by coming back stronger than ever.

Go RVing Coalition Co-Chairmen Don Walter and Tom Stinnett then took the stage with RVIA Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Gary LaBella for a presentation titled “Heartening Words from Go RVing,” which emphasized the national advertising campaign’s continued success in communicating its messages to consumers, even in stormy economic times.

The industry coalition announced the addition of new value messages and unveiled print ads that have been retooled to put the spotlight on the affordability of RV travel. Go RVing Coalition Co-Chair Tom Stinnett said, “A new slogan - 'Go Affordably. Go RVing,' will set the tone for our 2009 print and Internet ad campaign. Because no matter how people today may be yearning for the intangibles that make RVing so special, what’s really going to convince them to buy now is knowing they’ll be saving money as a result.”

In “A Heart-to-Heart Talk with RVIA Public Relations,” RVIA Public Relations Committee Chairman B.J. Thompson joined LaBella to offer perspectives on what has undeniably been a difficult year for the industry. They noted that new studies commissioned by RVIA this year found RV vacations to be both more affordable and "greener" than many other types of travel - which helped maintain the industry's positive image. LaBella said, "Our research helped us make an extremely important point to the media - that RV sales are down because of external forces beyond the industry’s control, not because RVs are becoming unpopular.”

LaBella and Thompson reviewed several issues that could have – but didn’t – critically injure the RV industry. The media-hyped “staycation” trend never caught on, and high gas prices didn’t stop RVers from traveling – they simply adjusted by staying closer to home. Overall, despite negative outside forces, the efforts of RVIA’s PR team ensured that RVing’s reputation has remained unblemished among consumers, a fact which positions the industry to return to growth when the economy improves.