2023 Elkhart RV Dealer Open House

This is the week for the annual Elkhart RV Dealer Open House, the annual wining and dining soiree the RV industry puts on every year to introduce their new models to RV dealers across North America.

That's where we come to you for Episode 466 of the RV Podcast, which features an in-depth interview with Jeff Runels, the President and CEO of Keystone RV, North America's largest manufacturer of towable recreation vehicles.

You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.

If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.

The Elkhart RV dealer Open House is held all across the Elkhart region, where 80% of all the RVs sold in the world are manufactured. But Ground Zero is on the sprawling grounds of the RV/MH Hall of Fame where Thor, Keystone RV, Heartland, Jayco, Roadtrek, Grand Design, and many other manufacturers display all their new 2024 models.

The show is closed to the public and open only to dealers, RV salespeople, suppliers, and other industry businesses who make the annual trek to place their orders for the coming year.

There's lots of entertainment and great food and drink, with catered meals, food trucks, and open pit barbecue made by two of the nation's top BBQ chefs.

In past years, the partying sometimes raised some community criticism, though we notice it has toned down a lot over the past couple of shows. The atmosphere this year was much more professional and business was definitely on the front burner.

No wonder because the show will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in orders in three days. It's not unusual for some RV dealerships to order new models by the dozens.

Interview - Jeff Runels, Keystone RV CEO and President

On the podcast, we found an empty Springdale trailer and sat down across from a comfy dinette to interview Jeff Runels, who oversees all aspects from manufacturing to the sale of 19 different RV models.

We've interviewed Jeff several times before. We've always found him to be very open and forthcoming and this interview was no exception.

Jeff called the Elkhart RV dealer Open House event the "Superbowl" equivalent for the industry, noting that collecting direct feedback from the dealers about customer wants and concerns helps manufacturers design models without superfluous features.

"Not only do we get their opinion on all of the new stuff we've come out with, but we get to hear what's going on with their business and what they think is going to happen the next several months, which of course, in this environment is really important," he said. "And so it just kind of helps give us an idea of whether what we've been doing is right or wrong or what they think and kind of gives us an idea of what to prepare for."

He talked in depth about the challenges the industry is facing in these post-Covid years, noting that the industry-wide downturn in sales coupled with today's ever-growing interest rates are causing belt-tightening and adversely affecting consumer confidence.

"I think everybody has been waiting with bated breath on what's going to happen," said Runels. "Are the interest rates going to continue to go up? Are they going to drop off? We haven't seen rates like this since early 2000, late nineties, and so that certainly has affected us. And that plays into, okay, do we need to deconstruct the coaches? Do we need to shrink 'em up because that's wha...