COLUMBUS, Ohio — The 42nd annual Ohio RV and Boat Show is underway in Columbus.
Ohioans visiting it can expect two buildings and 250,000 square feet of inventory.
“We pride ourselves on being a one-stop shopping location,” show manager Tim Luckhaupt said.
Luckhaupt is the original organizer of the show. Before combining boats and RVs, the Ohio Marine Dealers and Ohio Recreational Dealers hosted individual shows.
“They asked me, you know, could you put both of our organizations together and plan for a show that we will call at that time the boat and RV show,” said Luckhaupt.
More than 40 years and a name change later, RV now comes before boat, the event is much bigger and stretches across nine days.
“We’re finding the interest this year to be very, very good,” said Luckhaupt.
On opening day, we were up over 18% opening day compared to two years ago.”
Assistant Manager of Greenlawn RV Jeff Schmittauer said the family-owned business has been setting up at the RV and Boat Show for a decade.
“Each year, we try to bring something new, something refreshing for people to see,” said Schmittauer.
Some vendors have been hit hard by supply chain issues, having limited inventory to set up at the show.
Schmittauer said Greenlawn RV has about the same number on display this year, but they’ve been facing challenges, too.
“Supply chain has been a nightmare,” said Schmittauer. "Luckily, we are getting more product in and we’re still keeping our prices affordable for people. We’re doing the best we can to help out and get product in as quickly as we can."
The 42nd annual RV and Boat Show runs until Sunday, Jan. 16.
Face masks are optional.