Community Forums

TEO · 12-23-2004, 04:00 AM

My wife and I will be attending the FMCA rally in Brooksville in early Febuary. This will be our first group experience and we're looking forward to it.

Is anyone else on the Forum going to attend? What can I expect in the way of seminars, etc ?

Paul

TEO · 12-23-2004, 04:00 AM

My wife and I will be attending the FMCA rally in Brooksville in early Febuary. This will be our first group experience and we're looking forward to it.

Is anyone else on the Forum going to attend? What can I expect in the way of seminars, etc ?

Paul

Gary RVRoamer · 12-23-2004, 06:11 PM

We usually go every other year and this is our off year.
Seminars of various kinds will run all day (8 a.m. til about 4?) Wednesday thru Friday and some Saturday a.m. as well. It's hard to guess what will be on the agenda, but some of the frequently recurring topics are tech topics like insurance, fire safety & tires and craft, hobby & cooking things for the ladies. It would also be a good idea to sign up to have your rig weighed and the weight distribution and tire loads professionally analyzed. Find where to sign up for that as soon as you get onsite becasue slots get booked up early. If you have never had this done, it will be the best $20 or so you ever spent on your RV.

There will be a lot of vendors displaying and selling RV accessories & equipment of all kinds, plus insurance, extended warranties, campground memberships, etc. Shopping is part of the fun, even if you are "just looking".

There will also be ad hoc entertainment scattered here and there on most days plus some really terrific professional entertainment every evening in the main tent. DOn't miss the evening shows.

Expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000+ attendee coaches plus 300 or so more on display for sale. I recall a few years ago there were a total of 2700 rigs on the airport grounds - a pretty amazing sight! Pretty noisy too, when all of them get their generators going at once around dinner time! You will be packed in fairly tight, parked nose to tail in double rows with only about an awning width to your neighbor. It's more like a convention hotel than camping, but everybody just grins and joins in the fun. It's an experience you won't forget!

DriVer · 12-24-2004, 12:55 AM

Something tells me that we might be attending this event.

Dick N. · 12-24-2004, 03:16 AM

I'm wondering if you can attend every day and not have your rig there. I'll be staying about 20 miles away and would like to come just during the daytime. What is the cost if you attend every day?

RVNotebook · 12-24-2004, 03:35 AM

We'll be there. This is our first FMCA rally and excited to see it all. DriVer, if you go I sure would like to say hello in person. We'll be easy to find, we will be the one in a motorhome.

TEO · 12-24-2004, 09:07 AM

Yes, you can attend the rally every day without camping there. It costs $55.00 for one person and $70.00 for two. I've been thinking of doing that for years as I only live 20 miles north of the airport.

What got me this year was my desire to have my coach weighed. RVSAFETY is going to be there and I will be one of the first to sign up.

Paul

travelin_man · 12-26-2004, 02:02 AM

Hi Paul & Helen,
You will usually find service reps from many of the major RV companies at the larger FMCA rallies and especially the two International Conventions. They will often resolve problems you are having right at your site. Roadmaster, Blue Ox, Carefree and A&E, Norcold, Dometic, Onan, Freightliner, etc. might be there. If you are having any problems this might be a good opportunity to get them resolved if you can make an appointment when you arrive. Just ask for where the service reps are located.
We plan on being there with about 45 members of our chapter.

Gary RVRoamer · 12-26-2004, 05:47 AM

You can also attend on a daily basis, buying a day pass at the door. That allows you to tour the exhibits and the vendor tents, but not the seminars. Do not have to be an FMCA member to get a day pass - public is welcome. However, I doubt if anyone would question you if you walked into one - there is no seminar registration or anything.

See FMCA Southeast for rates.

Boldtning · 12-26-2004, 02:48 PM

Looking forward to meeting a few of you IRV2 folks at Brooksville. I'll be there working the rally as a photographer for FMCA Southeast Area. I'm sure all will enjoy the displays, seminars, entertainment and most of all the comraderie.Stop and introduce yourselves to me.