Caravan Salon 2009 Enjoys Record Turnout
Organizers of Caravan Salon 2009, an international trade fair for recreation vehicles and camping equipment, reported record participation at this year’s event, held August 29 through September 6, 2009, in Dí¼sseldorf, Germany. The show concluded with 161,200 visitors from 37 countries, up from 158,000 visitors in 2008. A total of 580 exhibitors from 25 nations showcased an extensive selection of motorhomes and RVs, as well as accessories and travel destinations.
According to Wilhelm Niedergí¶ker, managing director of show organizer Messe Dí¼sseldorf, the 161,200 visitors registered at this year’s event exceeded the organizer’s expectations of 150,000 visitors. He also said that approximately 18,200 visitors came to Dí¼sseldorf from abroad, and that 49 percent of those who attended the show arrived with the intention to buy. It also was reported that exhibitors at Caravan Salon 2009 were extremely satisfied with their participation and reported good sales during the event.
Caravan Salon 2010 will take place from August 27 (trade visitor and media day) to September 5, again in Dí¼sseldorf. For further information about visiting or exhibiting at Caravan Salon 2010, contact Messe Dí¼sseldorf North America at (312) 781-5180 or visit www.mdna.com.
New President/CEO At Foretravel
Greg Amys, who served as senior vice president and chief operating officer at Foretravel Inc. for the past four years, was elected president and chief executive officer during the company’s quarterly board meeting on April 16, 2009. Mr. Amys succeeds Lyle D. Reed, who became president and CEO of the company after an investment group purchased the Nacogdoches, Texas-based company from the Fore family in 2005.
Prior to joining Foretravel in 2005, Mr. Amys completed a career in the railroad industry “” where he first met Mr. Reed “” and retired in 1996 to Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. Mr. Amys and his wife, Sue, have resided in Lufkin, Texas, since 2006.
Mr. Reed remains active with the company as chairman of the board and is focusing on strategic issues and business development opportunities while the RV industry and overall economy rebound from current conditions.
For more information about Foretravel Inc., call (936) 564-8367 or visit www.foretravel.com.
Bendix Finalizes Smartire Acquisition
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC announced in August 2009 that shareholders of SmarTire Systems Inc. had ratified the agreement to sell select assets of SmarTire Systems Inc. to Bendix. The companies had signed the original agreement in December 2008.
The acquisition allows Bendix to continue to expand its electronics business portfolio, complementing other leading safety technologies, such as Bendix Wingman Active Cruise with Braking (ACB) and Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program.
SmarTire Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) by Bendix CVS “” also marketed as SmartWave TPMS “” will enhance Bendix’s line of chassis-based safety components. The system monitors the pressure and temperature of each tire on a vehicle to provide real-time tire status information. It also is designed to warn the driver of tire-related problems before they become dangerous.
For more information, call (800) 247-2725 or visit www.bendix.com.
Online Campground Reservations For Winter Olympics
Duckworth Management Group and Friend Communications have joined forces to provide online reservations and a front office management system for the Vancouver Park Board’s Spanish Banks and Jericho Beach parks during the 2010 Winter Olympics, to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, February 12 to 28. This service will allow RVers planning to attend the 2010 Olympics to find and book camping reservations online at one of the two city parks, which are being converted to overnight RV parking to house out-of-town RVers.
“By providing the Olympic RVer with the online tools to plan their visit to our area, we are able to instantly reach more visitors with fewer phone calls,” said Stan Duckworth. “This partnership allows us to offer a streamlined reservation system to our customers, speeding up our response time.”
Friend Communications developed the Hercules online reservation system specifically for the campground industry. It combines real-time Internet reservations with sophisticated, Web-based front office management tools.
Deb Kohls, vice president of Friend Communications, said the Web-based application service gives Duckworth Management the tools necessary to reach the online visitor and eliminates the need to install a costly network infrastructure to support the operations of both parks.
Reservations can be made at www.vancouver2010rv.com.
Dometic Changing To New Eco-Friendly Refrigerant
Dometic, a manufacturer of specialty products and systems for the recreation vehicle industry, recently announced that by January 1, 2010, all of the company’s recreation vehicle air conditioners and heat pump models will use a new refrigerant called 410A, which does not affect the ozone or contribute to global warming.
The current refrigerant, R22, is being phased out by a U.S. government law that requires the use of “green” gases in such products beginning January 1, 2010. All DuoTherm, Brisk Air, and Penguin brands will be affected. The new products using 410A will be identifiable by a green leaf label affixed to the shroud.
“In going to this new refrigerant we had to redesign our whole refrigerant system, all the way from new compressors, evaporator, and condenser coils to the manufacturing process, in order to accommodate the transition to this eco-friendly refrigerant,” said Brad Sargent, vice president of marketing for Dometic. “We did a great deal of lab testing on each of our models to optimize performance before launching a significant field test in late 2008. We’ve done our homework.”
The law affects only new HVAC products manufactured from January 1, 2010, forward. Dealers or original-equipment manufacturers who have an inventory of R22 air conditioners or heat pump air conditioners can still sell them without penalty after the deadline.
Consumers requiring warranty or service work on an R22 unit after the government-mandated date also will see some changes. If a product under warranty loses its refrigerant charge, Dometic will replace the R22 system with the new 410A system.
Because the 410A refrigerant is less efficient than R22, each Dometic model was converted from a low-pressure system to a high-pressure system, which required design changes to rebalance the internal components in order to reach the proper comfort performance levels for each model.
For more information, contact Dometic at (574) 294-2511 or visit www.dometicusa.com.