Celebrity Bookings Signal NEC's Push for Consumer Footfall — What Dealers Should Know

The Motorhome & Caravan Show has announced Ben Fogle and Susan Calman as headliners for its October 2025 event at the NEC Birmingham.

Strip away the press release language and this is what's happening: the show organizers are doubling down on consumer entertainment to drive attendance numbers. Ben Fogle appears on Friday 17 October. Susan Calman joins Rowland Rivron on Thursday 16 October.

What This Actually Means

The NEC is booking recognisable mainstream talent — not just caravan industry personalities. That's a deliberate strategy to pull in three distinct audience segments:

1. First-time buyers who watch Ben Fogle's wilderness programming but have never set foot in a dealership

2. Casual campervan enthusiasts who follow Susan Calman's TV travel series

3. Existing owners who might upgrade if the right model catches their attention

The Inspiration Theatre lineup includes cooking demonstrations from TV chef Kwoklyn Wan and Andrew Dickens, plus travel talks covering France, Morocco, Norway, and Scotland. This content mix targets aspirational buyers — people researching their first leisure vehicle purchase.

The Consumer Angle

Ben Fogle and Susan Calman pull crowds. Those crowds will include people who have never bought a caravan or motorhome. They're researching. They're comparing. They're not impulse buyers.

These buyers arrive with shortlists formed from online research. Your dealership's digital presence determines whether you're on that shortlist before they reach Birmingham.

If your website still hides specifications in PDFs and makes buyers hunt for pricing signals, you've lost the sale before the show starts.

Why Dealers Should Pay Attention

Shows like this generate leads, but the quality of those leads depends entirely on what happens after initial contact.

The NEC expects strong consumer turnout based on entertainment draw. Dealers exhibiting need conversion strategies ready before the show opens. Your stand needs to answer three questions for every visitor:

• What can I actually afford?

• Which layout works for how I'll use it?

• What happens after I buy?

If your team treats the NEC as a brochure distribution exercise, you're wasting floor space.

What You Should Do Now

Exhibiting at the NEC? Confirm your team understands the difference between entertaining a crowd and closing a deal. Train staff to qualify buyers quickly and capture follow-up information that actually converts.

Not exhibiting? Use the show dates to your advantage. Run targeted campaigns in your region while competitors are occupied at the NEC. October 14-19 creates a window when buyer attention shifts to new model year launches.

The NEC show will generate consumer interest. What happens to that interest after October 19 determines who wins the sales.