Newmar Hoots Rally 2023

[Neal]

After action report from the just completed Newmar "Hoots" rally in Hilton Head SC at the Hilton Head National RV Resort.

• Great location and great weather all week, if anything on the warm side, but we survived
• Thanks to @GlampDaddy for telling me how to sign up even though the event was full but he guessed I'd get in as an alternate, well, he was right, the day after I signed up I was in.
• I don't know the number in attendance, I think it was 70+ Newmar coaches
• Steve and Karen Upp (hope I spelled it right) did an amazing job with everything, no hiccups noted, tons of activities, I'm exhausted and need a vacation.
• NIRVC sponsored it, so we had food and entertainment
• The new Newmar President, Casey Tubman and wife attended on their own time, vacation time, and it was great to meet them and hear his story and plans for the road ahead. I'm impressed and optimistic but the economic situation and pandemic pricing are going to be an interesting trick to juggle in the time ahead.
  • I had the opportunity to chat with him in person in his King Aire and give him some feedback on a few areas of things that would be nice to have in coaches, i.e. electric gate valves to dump your tanks from inside the coach which was later driven home by a couple there with limited mobility and I pointed out, there is your scenario, can you see them going outside and getting under a slide? I think this is going to happen, he is hot on this item now. I also mentioned my observation that most coach owners don't know how to use their coaches. The initial answer was "Newmar University" like both Spartan and FL offer for in house training. I think his execs later schooled him on the answer and "Newgle" turned into the answer for what you need to be using to know how to use your coach. The audience in private after that was pretty heated about that answer, Newgle has and continues to fall short.
• Brett Davis, you've probably heard of him gave a talk. More videos to come from him but short story to the point is we are not at the bottom yet and October 2024 is when the economy is predicted to hit bottom. With high interest rates, etc. etc. it's hard to get a correction. I asked about recent model year Newmars coming to market, what's his observation (was trying to get an answer why) but it didn't get a real answer other than new sales are down but consignments are up 200%. He talked about his system of following communications while your coach is in service so you're in the know real time, how some facilities will eventually go 24 hour so your coach will be serviced during the day, storage and PDI work will occur at night.
• I haven't played golf in 240 years, so it was fun to get back into golf. We're not going to talk about the money spent and on what so don't even go there, you know, like clothes, new golf clubs, cart bag, putter, on and on and on and on! But I'm ready to start doing golf again on the RV circuit which will be fun.
• I did not make it to any pickleball play due to conflicts but they offered lessons and then times for advanced players to play. Bummed I missed it.
• I got to sit down with @AdventureGenie - Scott and get a demo and look forward to learning more about his product for trip planning. Neat tool and early in the life of it so it's going to grow and continue to get better and better. Once he educated me on what it did I was impressed and he will be working with the gang here to help get feedback and continue to evolve it.
• Great food, breakfast almost every day, if not every day, several very nice dinners, nice chats, seminars on some great topics and the guy that builds DEF simulators (Keith Coyle I think is the name) was on site to sell prebuilt sims to those that wanted them.
• Lots of great people, camaraderie, and a wonderful demo of how to cook wings on the Ninja Foodi was great, I think @GlampDaddy wins the top wing award! His bourbon was amazing too, I see some discussions coming soon about this on this site as I've heard some take RV bourbon tours finding locations and sampling it.
• Some good info on LiFePO4 by Steve Upp as his 2019 New Aire was pretty tricked out with Lithionics and other interesting components. He gave a seminar on it which was nice.
• At the last evening fire side chat everyone with push to start learned they didn't know how to properly start their vehicle. I don't remember the sequence but this is case in point I made to Casey T. that people don't know how to use their coaches and Newgle is not the answer. If someone here attended and wants to share that how to properly start your coach with push button starters please do.
• Hoots next year will also be the same size and location is southern Utah I think Sept 15-22 if I recall correctly.

Was a great time, educational, very social, very busy, and we all know what happened there too which I don't care to bring up, but it all worked out! (tire!)

If I missed anything, other Hoots (dare I say hoot'ers) please add to the after action report.

 

[Rich W.]

Nice write up. I agree about Newgle - there is a lot of data there but very poorly organized. I’ve been getting bugged about Southern Utah so I will probably make an effort next year. Not sure about golf in that area but we can definitely share notes on Bourbon.

 

[Neal]

FYI - Casey T. had a breakdown in his King Aire on the first leg out of Hoots. I believe it was a pin hole in a coolant line. I don't know the whole story of who he called, I know Steve Showalter was one, I think some high ups were another who got the President of Spartan on the line etc. etc. as rumors had it, not verified. However, this would have been a great opportunity for Casey to stop and think "let me do as our customers do" and call that number on the window. Would someone have picked it up or would it have gone to voicemail on Saturday as it was? How long would it take for him to get a call back. That would have been something we all would like him to experience as that system has gone south in the past 6 years.

Speaking of Steve Showalter, it was nice meeting him as he has a dealership in Nappanee and we all hope he picks up Newmar. Oh, and I also got to meet Theodore (hope that's spelled right) aka @Bilko97 - who has the Newmar I think London Aire that was a rare build we all saw the video of? He is the grandson of Mahlon Miller I think? I can't remember, hopefully @Bilko97 can come here someday and give us a tour/info post of the rare Newmar coach. I had hoped to get a tour but things got hectic and wasn't able to make it happen.

 

[Neemer]

A couple of points: Mahlon’s grandson’s name is Theodore, so you got that right, @Neal Super awesome kid from what I’ve seen.

I may have these confused, but didn’t the Newmar dealer closest to Nappanee get bought by CW? If so, that’s a heckuva opening for Showalter. (Whom I agree deserves to get the brand)

 

[jaydee325]

FYI - However, this would have been a great opportunity for Casey to stop and think "let me do as our customers do" and call that number on the window. Would someone have picked it up or would it have gone to voicemail on Saturday as it was? How long would it take for him to get a call back. That would have been something we all would like him to experience as that system has gone south in the past 6 years.

Agree. All these executives talk the talk when interviewed or blogging, but seldom walk the talk.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Camping World Holdings, Inc. agreed to acquire Mount Comfort Rv, Llc.

Camping World Holdings, Inc. agreed to acquire Mount Comfort Rv, Llc on July 24, 2023. The transaction is anticipated to close in the fourth quarter of 2023....

www.marketscreener.com

 

[Neemer]

Casey T. had a breakdown in his King Aire on the first leg out of Hoots.

He’s getting the full experience!

In all seriousness, he appears to be a unicorn in this industry.

 

[FLSteve]

@Neal ... nice report. Thanks for taking the time to do it. I am very impressed with Casey spending the week there and also doing his own driving back and forth to Nappanee. He is bound to experience a little of what we customers do and hopefully may appreciate our comments even more. Soon he will be able to say ... "been there done that". Next year's Hoots location being in southern Utah sounds great. One of our favorite places to visit.

FLSteve

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

I truly wish Casey had called the customer service number just to experience what his customers go through at times. I truly respect him for getting out amongst us commoners to experience the real world.

 

[Rich W.]

Found this on FB while looking for info on the 2024 Hoots - anyone look familiar?