National Motorhome & Caravan Show Birmingham NEC 18-23 October 2022 - Tickets, Tips, Where To Stay & Who's Going?

We arrived just after 10 this morning and traffic was fine.

Wasn't so keen on the torrential rain and thunder storms at the start of the journey though 😳
 
Tony50 said:
Not a good spelling on my part 🤔I meant not aimed at the British market
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Just swap the steering wheel from left to right when ordering and Job done.....there are many continental models in the UK (y)
 
Going on Saturday but will stop at Park Gate Leisure, Penkridge on Friday night and set off about 7.30am from there.
Where are they parking motorhomes at the show?

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Fdhadi said:
Going on Saturday but will stop at Park Gate Leisure, Penkridge on Friday night and set off about 7.30am from there.
Where are they parking motorhomes at the show?
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There's always plenty of parking & motorhomes are directed to suitable spaces but strictly no overnighting in the car parks as you are probably already aware
 
We went to the Nec motorhome show,stayed 2 night at a Travelodge Yardley, Birmingham, about 5 miles from Nec.
Please don't ever stay there the room was filthy, even the kettle had black grease on the handle, toilet seat o nearly off !! Carpet threadbare in places, we spent at least an hour cleaning with Detol wipes , at least the bedding looked clean well we think it was, we thought the whole place was disgusting.
 
Tony50 said:
We went to the Nec motorhome show,stayed 2 night at a Travelodge Yardley, Birmingham, about 5 miles from Nec.
Please don't ever stay there the room was filthy, even the kettle had black grease on the handle, toilet seat o nearly off !! Carpet threadbare in places, we spent at least an hour cleaning with Detol wipes , at least the bedding looked clean well we think it was, we thought the whole place was disgusting.
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I would definitely have walked😟😟
DJT
 
Overnight Parking at Toby pub just down the A45 at Stonebridge.
We called in Monday night for a carvery and counted 14 motorhomes in the carpark. We were camping with the CMC at the NEC.
 
Tom A said:
Going on Saturday and Sunday and still undecided whether to park the car at a nearby train station and get the train in or risk the traffic going in. Any suggestions please?
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After my experience today, I’d say that’s a great idea.
It took 35 minutes to get from the motorway to the car park this morning.
Coming out this afternoon ‘all traffic’ was directed out by electronic signs, however once off site further signs to the motorway were conspicuous by their absence or terrible positioning (ie visible only when you’d already committed to a specific lane) and it was entirely by luck that I ended up on the correct bit of road, even though that was still after a torturous and unnecessary detour. Now I remember why I usually ignore the ‘all traffic’ signs. You’d think by now they’d have got the signage sorted out. And no, I didn’t leave during the ‘rush’. So I would definitely go in by train if it were an option.

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DJT said:
I would definitely have walked😟😟
DJT
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Unfortunately for us we live 182 miles away and to find vacancies at night or even during the day around the Nec is pretty hard , we had stayed there before about 5 years ago and it was nice, but, we also found out that they have long stay shall we say Residents !! We liked to stay at the Nec Premier Inn but was late booking
 
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Well we enjoyed our day there yesterday, busy but not too busy. With all the problems of cost of living etc, thousands of people throughout the week looking to buy? And they were buying.

We did not see anything to tempt us to down-size. Prices have gone up and we both felt quality had gone down. I went hoping that some of the foreign makes would tempt me but was actually, IMO and management's opinion very disappointed in the quality of some of them. I think the only van that got us excited, other than a Swift, was a Benimar, but too much to fork out. We noticed that in many models the cab pull across window blinds were no long fitted, curtains across the cab replaced them. We also felt, sounds daft but thickness of driving seats had been reduced and quality of any other internal blinds seemed to be poor. Our observations, others may disagree.

Some dealers we spoke to were taking orders with possible delivery not until June 2023 and without guarantees of holding the price you ordered at.

So whilst slightly deflated we did not come away with a new van in mind, actually pleased it had helped us to stick and enjoy our current MHome that overall seems far better than anything we looked at. We sometimes take for granted what we have.

We then departed around 1600 and things went downhill. Getting out of NEC to get to M6 toll took an age, only to hear just as we got on the toll that the M6 northbound had been closed between jcts 14-15. We hit the queue just before jct 13. It took what was a 1hr 15min journey 3 and half hours. M6 apparently didn't open until 1930. It was a pain but nothing in comparison to the poor chap involved in the incident.

For those who are going over next few days, hope you have a great day.
 
olley said:
Overnight Parking at Toby pub just down the A45 at Stonebridge.
We called in Monday night for a carvery and counted 14 motorhomes in the carpark. We were camping with the CMC at the NEC.
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Plenty here this morning as well. Stpped in for the all you can eat breakfast.
 
olley said:
Overnight Parking at Toby pub just down the A45 at Stonebridge.
We called in Monday night for a carvery and counted 14 motorhomes in the carpark. We were camping with the CMC at the NEC.
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Just done this, dont be put off by the grim car park at Stonebridge its fine for a night. Book a breakfast in the self service toby there its delicious, nec is a mile away , surprisingly good nights sleep considering its under a motorway!
Use it for every event at NEC I attend.
Always a few motorhomes there, nice and safe and you can have a pint too, the night before obv… 🍻

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Got to the NEC at 09:10, no real queues for car parking, security or to get in the halls. Stayed a few hours looked at a few vans and stalls and then headed home. Traffic heading home was pretty bad, took us 3 hours which is twice as long as it should have done.
Probably wont bother going again.
 
That was a fun week - recovered now & catching up! Will post our impressions & findings in no particular order but will give some their own threads too so not lost on here.
Impressions:
Overall, although as many halls as previous years some manufacturers stands had stock spaced out with larger gaps as what they had available to display was limited. The demand to visit was high with Friday, Saturday & Sunday selling out early with no sign that the motorhoming/caravanning bubble has burst yet! First time owners that we met were resigned to the high prices & often long lead times whereas current owners seemed less keen to change. As always there was a great friendly atmosphere with lots of impromptu chats with fellow enthusiasts :)
Due to effects of the pandemic there were fewer new products & ideas than in previous years - this has particularly affected the manufacturers of accessories who have prototypes & stock made in China as the whole process has slowed down hugely so some are looking at other countries as alternatives for supply. The cost of using shipping containers, which has increased hugely, was the main reason given by many companies for the higher prices.
The best part of the October Show, as well as the excitement of any new launches, is to be able to speak direct to the factory or management staff that work for the manufacturer for their more detailed knowledge of their product. For products it's sometimes the entrepreneur or design staff on the stand who usually welcome feedback which often shapes what they offer.

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It will be interesting to see the NEC sales figures, especially I found walking around Monday and Tuesday there were a lot of lookers, and some buyers
 
Some may have been a little put off buying by the signs (see below) at each of the entrances but many dealers that we spoke to were guaranteeing prices for their pre-ordered stock with factory orders to bespoke spec. more likely to be affected by changes.
 

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I was informed that there is a chassis change, the Stellantis order book will not open until November and that is why Fiat chassis cabs are more less non existent, unless of course I have been told porkies!! and if you read the small print on Sales Orders it say if the dealers charges increase they can charge the difference , it would surprise me if dealers are going to absorb £9000 plus price rises, but there again I have been told so many stories
 
Whilst many were quoting May-September next year for stock pre-ordered by dealerships & 2024 for factory orders to the buyers specification it was a pleasant surprise to find Wingamm https://www.wingamm.com/en/small-motorhomes-luxury-camper-van-fibreglass-monocoque/ had new stock (34 motorhomes) immediately available! Whilst we love having a van conversion with a sliding door the solid build quality of their motorhomes being fibreglass monocoque was a little tempting but out of our budget at £115k for this one:

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A few manufacturers had one model that was advertised as "Gas Free" utilising a lot of lithium batteries as we might expect or alternatively this Wallas XC Duo diesel cooker & heater https://www.campervanheating.co.uk/ from Finland developed for the marine market but now an option for self builds too:

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Having had diesel heating in a previous motorhome we found it noisy & smelly but having stood next to this stand with it operating as a heater for some time it was neither of these & having seen the exhaust unit fixed underneath a van on display it is unobtrusive too (y) A hot water unit is in development but not currently available.

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There were more levelling systems than previous years, lots of small lightweight caravans from £15k that were causing a stir especially those with funky exterior designs, some coachbuilt motorhomes with coloured panels so a change from standard white, MAN & Mercedes bases used more, lots of pop tops including this one from Hymer:

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I did clamber up the stairs inside & have a feel of the inflated material which feels like that of an airbed so not as substantial as expected so durability may be a concern for such a bespoke version.
Even a pop top on the coachbuilt Burstner, slightly different design but similar structure:

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Some of the cute small caravans mentioned above - some motorhomers might want to tow one?!

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Wombles said:
Whilst many were quoting May-September next year for stock pre-ordered by dealerships & 2024 for factory orders to the buyers specification it was a pleasant surprise to find Wingamm https://www.wingamm.com/en/small-motorhomes-luxury-camper-van-fibreglass-monocoque/ had new stock (34 motorhomes) immediately available! Whilst we love having a van conversion with a sliding door the solid build quality of their motorhomes being fibreglass monocoque was a little tempting but out of our budget at £115k for this one:

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Weren’t they nice … a lottery win is the answer
 
Wombles said:
There were more levelling systems than previous years, lots of small lightweight caravans from £15k that were causing a stir especially those with funky exterior designs, some coachbuilt motorhomes with coloured panels so a change from standard white, MAN & Mercedes bases used more, lots of pop tops including this one from Hymer:

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I did clamber up the stairs inside & have a feel of the inflated material which feels like that of an airbed so not as substantial as expected so durability may be a concern for such a bespoke version.
Even a pop top on the coachbuilt Burstner, slightly different design but similar structure:

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I am sure I’ve seen that pop top coach built Burstner a few years back . I think it was Minxy that posted it ?
 
Things selling like hot potatoes!

Cadac E Braii https://www.cadacuk.com/product/e-braai-40/ this sold so well that we couldn't even get to see one on the stand early in the week - presume that especially with it being electric with all the functions of other Cadacs & the 5 minute heat up time it's ideal for those who camp on EHU pitches



Melamine dishes that look like stoneware - various versions including the Brunner ones https://www.brunner.it/en/117-stone-touch-2 which have some mineral content plus a rubber grip ring on the back of the plate too:

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Lots of lovely colours & designs, slightly heavier than just melamine & would have been tempted if we didn't already have lots of Corelle.

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