Monthly Archives: April 2016

NCC conference highlights market opportunities.

29 Friday Apr 2016

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More than 200 delegates attended the NCC (National Caravan Council) Conference 2016 last week to hear a stellar line-up of expert speakers including: Nick King – Insight Director, Autotrader; Carl Castledine – CEO, Away Resorts; Harvey Alexander – Director of Marketing, The Caravan Club; and Alex Marshall of Management Consultants CIL. Kevin Keegan OBE was an extremely popular after dinner speaker, helping to raise £2,440 for the NCC Benevolent Fund charity.

John Lally, NCC Director General, said: “From start to finish our speaker line-up was excellent this year, delivering fresh insights and new perspectives while stimulating plenty of debate in the process. Topics included adjusting caravan products for Millennials and developing new ways of promotion (mobile-friendly, via specially designed apps, using social media etc). Speakers looking at the bigger picture examined how technology is changing the world, the state of the UK and worldwide economy and how positive thinking can influence your business in a positive manner.  

 “Getting together as an industry is really important. Following a successful 12 months for many, it remains vital our industry continues to innovate and attract new entrants to the market, to improve its customer service and product quality and embrace self-regulation. If we do that, our speakers were agreed that success will continue in 2016 and beyond.”

 

A selection of quotes from the event are shown below:

Carl Castledine – on innovation

‘As baby boomer spend slows, our industry must be ready for Millennials … who will become the primary engine of the UK consumer economy.’

Harvey Alexander – on new entrants to the world of leisure vehicles

‘A recent study showed 11 million UK adults are our potential audience – those who love outdoors but don’t own a leisure vehicle, and can potentially share our passion …’

 Alex Marshall – on the mergers and acquisitions outlook (holiday parks)

‘We will see strong valuations, further consolidation and further investment in the product …’

Nick King – on successfully selling vehicles

‘Forecourt visits are down 41pc in the automotive industry in three years. But we are still selling successfully. A buyer will now visit more websites than forecourts.’

Psychologist Dr Maureen Gaffney – on positive thinking

‘In this world the optimists have it not because they are always right but because they are always positive.’

Market commentator, Justin Urquhart Stewart – on the UK economy:

‘The UK is the world’s fifth largest economy. It’s got pulling power – the Number 1 in Europe for inward investment, with 85k new jobs created …’

 

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

One reason we all stare at our mobis all day.

28 Thursday Apr 2016

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I was reading a piece in the FT this morning about a proposed restructuring of Facebook shares which would allow Mark  Zuckerberg to retain control of the company whilst pursuing  his philanthropy. 

This fact emerged:

The average user now spends fifty minutes a day on Facebook apps including Facebook owned Messenger and Instagram but not including Facebook owned WhatsApp. About one billion users logged on to Facebook every day during March.

Add twitter and all your emails into the mix – quite apart from actually speaking to anyone on the mobi – and it’s amazing we have time to do anything else.

SOURCE: FT

http://www.ft.com

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

The National Caravan Council (NCC) 2016 conference.

23 Saturday Apr 2016

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I attended the NCC 2016 conference in Liverpool this week. 

It was an excellent event, very well run with excellent speakers and good to see a very positive atmosphere on display. Also, in my purely personal opinion, really good to see that one of the primary themes was how we can do better, and what we need to do to be better – so no complacency but rightly looking at other industries to see what if anything we can learn from them.

Congratulations to the organisers!

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Win a California dream.

18 Monday Apr 2016

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Volkswagen campervans have always stood for peace and freedom: the chance to just drive away, follow your dreams and seek adventures. The most recent iteration of the classic camper, the California, is no different, and that’s why Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is giving would-be adventurers the chance to win their California dream through a new Facebook competition.

From Wednesday (20 April) until 4 May, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will be posting images of the California hidden in stunning landscapes on its Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/VolkswagenCommercialVehiclesUK. The images – taken by award-winning photographer Harry Cory-Wright – show locations from the Peak District to the Alps, and the Dolomites to Tuscany – and, if you look carefully enough, you’ll spot the campervan. For your chance to win your perfect getaway, simply ‘like’ the competition post on Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Facebook page and add a comment or a picture of your own California dream.

From all the entrants who share their dream, the winner will be drawn at random and subsequently enjoy the loan of a California Ocean for a week in Europe or the UK (full Ts & Cs are on the competition page on Facebook).

At the same time, a campaign will be running in Volkswagen Van Centre California specialists (see https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/find-a-van-centre for details) promoting the new model, and helping aspiring buyers to convert their California dreams to reality.

Based on the sixth-generation Transporter which went on sale in the UK last September, the new California remains the only factory-built camper van on the market. The latest model – and fourth to bear the California name – builds on the strengths of its highly successful predecessors. The range incorporates all the key features introduced on the new Transporter T6, including new, more efficient engines that are up to 15 per cent more economical than the outgoing units. The new California also features a range of advanced technologies designed to make life safer and even more enjoyable for occupants. These include driver assistance systems, a completely refreshed infotainment system and the availability of adaptive suspension.

To enter the competition go to http://www.facebook.com/VolkswagenCommercialVehiclesUK
For more information on the California, visit http://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/findthecalifornia

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Camping de Courte Vallée 

17 Sunday Apr 2016

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Have recently returned from the Loire where I stayed at an excellent site south of Saumur. Camping de Courte Vallée, 8 Rue de Courte Vallée, 79600 AIRVAULT, France. 

The site is run by an English couple and has a very strong English feel about it – and is about 400 miles from Calais. You could stay there for a few days or use as a transit site on your way south or back home. I enjoyed it.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

As seen on BBC2….8pm April 20th and 27th.

09 Saturday Apr 2016

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The Caravan Club’s Caravanner of the Year Competition. Soon to be shown on BBC2, two one-hour shows…

The Caravan Club is the largest touring organisation of its kind, representing over one million caravanners. As a champion of the great outdoors it is committed to raising the positive profile of caravanning for the benefit of members and the industry as a whole.

The Caravan Club allowed the BBC to film its ‘Caravanner of the Year’ competition that celebrates this Great British pastime which is held in high affection. Six top enthusiasts, (all Club members) battled it out across two highly charged weekends to win The Caravan Club’s inaugural competition and the coveted title of ‘Caravanner of the Year’. It’s the caravanning world’s “Great British Bake Off”.

The programmes – which will be aired on BBC2 at 8pm on 20 and 27 April – follow the fun, and drama, of how the motorhomers, caravanners and campervanners competed against each other.

The enthusiasts were faced with a variety of challenges covering activities such as manoeuvring, navigation, hospitality and caravanning knowledge. There was also the precision challenge of the Concours D’Elegance which demanded much polishing and primping of their vehicles!

Judges for the competition were Grenville Chamberlain, Chairman of The Caravan Club and motorhome maverick and journalist Andy Harris. Guest judges Lucy Jayne Grout, a specialist in vintage caravan restoration and Martin Dorey, the Camper Van Cook, both utilized their expertise to assess the competitors.

Scenic Ferry Meadows Caravan Club Site was the backdrop for the competition and on the Finals weekend all site visitors enjoyed an impromptu party with the finalists to celebrate the competition.

Grenville Chamberlain, Chairman of The Caravan Club, said, “It was a privilege to be involved with the competition and have the opportunity to meet such wonderful people who obviously greatly enjoy their caravanning and motorhoming. The programmes really highlight the camaraderie and sense of community that caravanners enjoy and we certainly had great fun during the competition. Tune in and watch the programmes and start planning your summer caravanning trips!”

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Hate it when a rowdy family interrupts a long leisurely lunch….

06 Wednesday Apr 2016

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Here I am spending a few days in the Loire valley, enjoying a long leisurely lunch on the banks of this amazing river and the next thing? A stressed mother and father with thirteen offspring sit at the next table screaming, arguing and every sentence begins with “Like…”. I’m quite expecting fourteen smart phones to be produced at any minute and stared at.

But in fact they were a delight and I loved every minute of their visit. I thought mother had every reason to look stressed out. Father marched about looking important but actually did nothing of any use at all. Sounds familiar.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews