RV shows are packed, and working your way through each new model with ten other people inside is flat-out uncomfortable. That may have just changed for serious buyers.
The $1,500 NIRVC Music City Motorhome Expo VIP Experience
Would you pay $1,500 to park your RV at a fairground, to have exclusive access for three days, and test drive any of 113 new motorized 2025 RVs—brands like Newmar, Entegra Coach, Fleetwood RV, American Coach, Jayco, Winnebago, Holiday Rambler, Grech RV, Pleasure Way RV and Tiffin Motorhomes? What about paying $500 for a day pass?
Well, this historic first-ever event, the NIRVC Music City Motorhome Expo VIP Experience, sold out to 500 people who all believed it was well worth it. Knowing their registration fee would be applied to any purchase over the next year helped justify the cost.
The brainchild of National Indoor RV Center founder and president Brett Davis, this event was held June 4-7 at the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Mt. Juliet, TN. Never before had so many manufacturers welcomed the opportunity to launch their new model year RVs together, much less at a private event.
CEOs, salespeople and technical support in attendance
Why would all these manufacturers agree to bring their CEOs, salespeople and technical support to such a small event? Because these were not just prospective customers—they all had serious skin in the game. These were not tire kickers, these were buyers.
Tiffin founder Bob Tiffin was in his Bob Tiffin Limited Edition Bus greeting and shaking hands with everyone coming inside. It was for sale, after all. His grandson Leigh Tiffin, who is also the current president, was out front personally greeting shoppers and riding along on test drives.
Casey Tubman, President of Newmar, was also at their display. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) builds approximately 80% of all motorhome chassis. Both the outgoing president and incoming president were there, too.
The Question-and-Answer panel at the NIRVC Music City Motorhome Expo featured seven manufacturing presidents. I asked Brett Davis how manufacturers could justify bringing all these new units here and taking them back. “They’re not going back. These are ours now. Any unsold units go to our store just one exit down.” NIRVC is a high-volume, low-margin dealer. “Most RV dealers turn their inventory once a year. We turn ours around eight times.”
“A different way of buying”
Everything about this event was VIP—the coaches, the top industry people, the food, and, yes, even the entertainment with country legends Diamond Rio and Josh Turner. YouTube couple MJ and Izzy from Endless RVing live-streamed their walking tour, so check out that video here.
The NIRVC Music City Motorhome Expo VIP Experience is a different way of buying and is not for everyone. But if you are seriously in the market next year around this time when the 2026 models are about to come out, check out nirvc.com and have yourself a true VIP shopping experience.
Want to visit an upcoming RV show? Here’s a list of what’s to come in the U.S. and Canada.
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I am not in the market for this type of RV, our Airstream suits us just fine…however if I was, I would be first in line to sign up for this way of shopping. It is genius way to really drill down to what you want! I hope it was a success! This is just the beginning of a new way of shopping
If it isn’t free or reasonably priced entry fee, it’s not for me.
it is Free if you buy ANY motorhome in the next year from NIRVC.
If you buy, and this is intended only for serious buyers, the net cost is ZERO! Read the article. The fee is applied to the purchase price of your MH.
I’m not in the market for a new MH as my current one is still doing fine but if I was I would purchase this experience. Getting a chance to speak with the top brass of the companies as well as have them ride along would be fantastic! The Q&A would be very helpful as well. Knowing my $1,500 dollars will be put toward any new MH I purchase makes this a no brainer.
Concur, guess some readers missed the part “fee would be applied to any purchase over the next year helped justify the cost” part. The beauty is YOU [we] can decide whether or not to attend.
Let’s see… pay to be sold to? Yup, that makes sense.
Stupid is as stupid does. What a bunch of sheep. @@
it is Free if you buy ANY motorhome in the next year from NIRVC.
Oh boy, what a deal. @@
My wife and I were in attendance for the full 3 days. This is precisely how one should buy a coach costing 100’s of thousands of dollars. Touching, feeling , examining coaches and driving them was well worth the $1500. Access to techs , execs , and current owners spawned conversations one could only dream of at a super show . I expressed to Brett Davis this is the appropriate experience and level of access to ensure one makes a confident decision and drives a very healthy level of competition among the manufacturers. Plenty of coaches were sold based on the opportunity to contrast and compare over multiple days. Many were repeat buyers or folks trading .
Interesting
GREAT IDEA!
If you are in the market for a motorhome $1,500 to kick the tires and TEST DRIVE 113 different coaches is a BARGAIN. Nowhere else in the country will you have that opportunity all in one location.
I will spend $1500 any day of the week to avoid a $100,000+ Dollar mistake by choosing the wrong coach!
I scoffed at this when I first saw the headline. But, after reading the article and seeing that it was for three days, I changed my mind. If I were seriously looking for a MH and knew my $1500 would go toward a purchase, like Bull, I would jump on this opportunity. Luckily though, we’re not in the market.
From the comments I have reviewed from actual attendees, they feel it was a very worthwhile event. These are people that buy frequently and have the money to do it. They are far from “stupid sheep,” as stated below. They paid a relatively small down payment, got access to top execs…better yet top experienced techs…got to directly compare and drive the units they have been considering to buy in the next year. End cost for the event? Zero, for a ton of attention and knowledge they would get no where else.
P.S. Casey Tubman’s title is, I believe, President of Newmar, not CEO.
Thanks, Mikal. It’s been corrected. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I love this and if we were to purchase another MH, this is how I would do it. Obviously it is not for everyone. It is a bit like a sea trial when purchasing a boat where the buyer pays for the captain’s cost to take you off shore for a couple of hours. It removes the tire kickers from a free day of boating in the form of an RV.
No brainer. In another couple of years, I’ll be leading the charge to get there.
A year from now, come back and tell us how many actually “cashed” in the $1500.00 deal. The dealer gets in his Rolodex and sees the possible buyer already contributed $1500, so he just adds another $1500 to the deal to cover the so-called discount from a year before. Also, it’s a good thing it was in Mt Juliet, TN. then Palm Springs, CA. where a number of years ago they ran Bob Tiffin down the road over window issues in his Red Bay, AL.built motorhomes.
It is definitely for serious buyers only. Not for casual attendees of a random RV show.
Like you, I was a little skeptical when I first heard about it, but was so moved by the experience I actually wrote and submitted this article. I was there three days and spoke with many who were ordering and making selections. Some flew in just to purchase. I sat with one guy who trades every couple of years with NIRVC and he drove in for the day just to pick out colors, etc and ordered. In the coaches (air conditioning was on) I talked to many who were trying to decide between two brands. One couple told me they came to purchase a specific high end brand, but the test drive was a disappointment and they ordered a different brand. Like I said, this is not for everyone.
Thank you, Steve! 😉 Yes, that was quite a deal they had in Mt. Juliet (Lebanon?). I am more ready to trade than DW, so resisting the temptation to attend was pretty easy. Thanks again for the review of the deal. Safe travels! 🙂
We flew into the event and what a lot of articles/titles fail to get across is that this is not just an event to kick tires and do test drives. For the $1500 (we rented a trailer and stayed on site) you get so much more including 3 live private concerts after each of the three included dinners. There was included breakfast, lunches, and snacks as well. For the price, heck you could go just for the extras and hang out/meet like-minded shoppers/RV’rs. We met so many new nice RV friends at this event. The icing on the cake was buying a new RV!
Exactly
Thank you, Steve! 🙂 Pay $1500 to test drive 113 RVs? Short answer, no. Longet answer, nope. Thanks again for reporting on the happenings in Mt. Juliet. I guess things have slowed quite a bit since Charlie Damiels died. 🙁 Have a great week amd safe travels! 🙂