Bridging the gap between dealers and parks

 It’s a known fact that school holidays mean a lot of travellers and full caravan parks; however, for General Manager of Canterbury Caravans, it was an opportunity to show off his stock to a ready-and-willing audience.

 For Mr Sadler, it’s been a real opportunity to both enjoy the stay and to promote both his RVs and a new business deal. 

 “I went with my family to the caravan park and they were extremely accommodating,” he says.

 “We were able to take advantage of our time there and go down the river and really experience everything the caravan park has to offer.

 “We’ve developed a new tie-in with Warburton Caravan Park now; when I sell customers a new or used van, we offer to pay for the first two nights there.”

 At the caravan park, there was a mix of campers in tents who may be looking for more shelter and camper trailer owners looking to upgrade.

 “We showcased a family van—people were out on school holidays and the parks at this time are typically more full of families,” Mr Sadler says.

 “We took up a Toy Hauler, in the Yarra Valley people are more inclined to adventure sports, and Toy Haulers are big enough to cater to those activities.”

 Mr Sadler says while there wasn’t a large amount of feedback from customers, he says there is a hunger among established caravanners looking to upgrade.

 “We had two customers in particular; one had a family van who was looking to change their setup so that the bed is internal and then no longer have to fold out the canvas; and the second was a customer looking to upgrade a ten-year-old van which we are currently working with to see if we can get them a new van in a month’s time,” he says.

 Mr Sadler believes bridging the gap between van manufacturers and park owners would be beneficial to the industry.

 “We want to remove the stigma; there’s a lot of room for us to work better,” he says.

 “You wouldn’t want to do it outside of your demographical area.

“But certainly for caravan dealerships; if there’s a long weekend or you have a product you’d like to showcase, there’s a lot of value and advocacy in working together with your local caravan park.”

 Mr Sadler says he plans to return to Warburton Park to showcase more caravans in November.