1.  Who owns the South Texas RV Supersale?

The South Texas RV Supersale is owned by the Texas Recreational Vehicle Association, aka, TRVA, which is headquartered in Austin, TX.  If there is surplus after all expenses are paid, the surplus passes to the association, not the dealers or any individual promoter, like other shows.

2.  What is the TRVA?

TRVA is a nonprofit, 501(C)6, trade association for the RV industry in the State of Texas.  It is our mission to work with the State of Texas and its regulatory agencies, finance and insurance companies and other entities to help Texas franchise dealers with issues which impact the RV industry. We also work with manufacturers of RVs, both motorhomes and towable, to ensure that manufacturer - dealer relationships are on an even footing.  This benefit became apparent in 2008-2009 when the industry went through a major upheaval with a complete realignment of manufacturing ownership with the bankruptcy of many manufacturers.  Our goal is to work for the interests of the dealers and their customers.  TRVA was founded in 1974 and celebrates its 50 th anniversary in 2024. Its board of directors is composed of all the facets of the RV industry in the State of Texas.

3.  Why does it cost so much, $15.00 per adult, to attend the show?

The budget to produce this RV show is $350,000.  The participating dealers pay much of the costs and the ticket prices help offset some of the expenses and in some years when the show is well attended, generates a reasonable surplus or profit for TRVA. 

Each show is staffed with 24-hour on-site security, EMS and other background services that TRVA must absorb. Plus, unlike other venues where parking may cost $20.00 or more, parking is paid for by the exhibiting dealers in an arrangement to buy out parking with The Expo Hall at the Freeman Coliseum.

Every unit on display required a connection to electricity and our aisles are carpeted, couple that with the cost to rent the building, Market Hall, for a week and you can see where much of the cost centers are located. 

If an RV show features free parking, free entry, free food and there is only one dealer present exhibiting its units there is no competition present for a consumer to make any comparison between models, manufacturers, dealers, financing or pricing. The ‘Buyer Beware’ thought should cross any consumer’s mind when only one dealer is represented in an event promoted as an RV show. 

4.  Why doesn’t the discount coupon work on Thursday?

All adult tickets are $10 on Thursday.  The purpose is to encourage those who can attend on Thursday rather than wait until the busier days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  

The $2.00 discount coupon is valid for admission on all other days, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. 

5.  Are there other special pricing offers?

We offer special pricing every day for Senior Citizens, First Responders and Active Duty and Retired Military with a valid ID.  In addition, if you are a member of an active RV Club, such as The Escapees or FMCA, you can receive a discount ticket price every day. 

6.  Why can’t I bring my pet?

For the safety of all our patrons and attendees, only service animals are allowed. If your service animal is observed to be aggressive or unruly, staff or security will ask you to exit the show. 

7.  If I come today, can I come back tomorrow without paying again?

You can in fact come and go during the same day by getting your hand stamped and the hand stamps are changed each day.  To come back another day, if you are working with a dealer, ask the dealer for a ‘Dealer Pass’ which will grant you entry the next day or pay to attend just as you did your original day of entry.

8.  Why aren’t all the dealers here?

The show is owned by four dealers and they produce the show. There is no additional exhibit space in the Expo Hall, Expo II, or the parking lot to accommodate additional dealers.

Several of the exhibiting dealers have multiple locations in the greater San Antonio area. Even though it appears there are only four dealers the actual count is much greater. It is our goal to have on display between 200-300 different units presented by multiple dealerships which provides competition and a wide selection to be present for consumers to choose from.

9.  Why aren’t more motorhomes, more pop-ups, more teardrops, more toy haulers at the show?

Each participating dealer has a franchise with its manufacturer or manufacturers and chooses to bring a combination of units to the show.  In most cases, they bring the inventory that remains from the current year, but they also bring new units from the upcoming year.  Regardless, the dealers are very interested in selling RV’s during the show and as such usually have aggressive show pricing. Not all dealers carry motorhomes and demand for towable travel trailers far outweighs that of motorhomes. That is why there are far more trailers than motorhomes in the show. 

10. What is the franchise system or how does it determine what is displayed in the show?

In Texas, RVs are motor vehicles like the autos which Ford, Chevrolet or Honda franchises to dealers to sell at their locations. When you visit a Honda dealership that dealership is franchised or licensed by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to sell all Honda products. 

In the franchise RV business, unlike the auto franchise business, dealers are not franchised to sell everything Forest River or Thor or Winnebago manufacturers. Instead, RV dealers are franchised by the model or line-makes to only sell certain models produced by those manufacturers. 

In the Supershow, a representative dealer may sell a Forest River model but not be franchised to sell another similar model, so don’t expect to visit the show and find everything a particular manufacturer may produce. A show featuring all the models would require at least an exhibit area of 1,000,000 sq ft of exhibit space and have the support of all dealers and manufacturers which is not feasible using Dallas Market Hall. 

11. Why can’t I purchase a Motorhome on Sunday?

The State of Texas has a statute which is commonly referred to as The Blue Law.  It specifically prohibits the sale of any motor-vehicle for seven consecutive days.  This applies to cars, trucks and motorhomes. Dealers can display motorhomes in an approved show such as the Supershow on Sunday, but they are not allowed to discuss pricing or financing or enter any portion of a contract on Sunday. 

You can still purchase a towable RV on Sunday as The Blue Law does not affect towable sales on seven consecutive days. 

12.  Does The Expo Hall at the Freeman Coliseum have ADA accommodations?

The venue is ADA compliant, and the show aisles are set up to accommodate those who may be mobility impaired.  Please be advised, RVs are typically built without this
accommodation so the person with the impairment will most likely not be able to enter
the units on display.

Ask the exhibiting dealer if a unit can be ordered with ADA accommodations and many
can be built to those specifications.

The Information Desk has wheelchairs and a mobility scooter which can be used by
attendees on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is no charge for using these, but we
do hold your driver license until the item is returned. 

13.  Is there a place where I can see what RVs are there prior to coming to the show?

Not specifically. You can go to each dealer link on this website and see and view all the manufacturers they represent and the units that they have on hand.  We recommend calling a dealer prior to or during the show to determine if they have what you are looking for specifically.  

On this website you will find a list of what our dealers plan to bring and display at the show. Remember, dealers must make on the spot decisions about what to bring depending upon availability and demand so changes on this list may be made. 

During the show, you will be provided with a guide listing all the dealers, their locations and the units on display.  This of course is subject to last-minute changes and is intended to serve only as a guide.  If a dealer sells a specific unit prior to the show, it most likely will not be in the show.

14. Why aren’t all the models I want to see, i.e., Class-A motorhomes, in one location?

The Supersale features different dealers who bring to the show the units they anticipate consumers will want to see or purchase. Our exhibiting dealers rent the space from TRVA and then assemble their units within that space. If units were centralized by model the dealers would need to have sales personnel spread across the building and dealers just do not have the sales personnel to cover such a widespread area. 

Consumers should consult the show program for specific models and where those are located. The information desk is staffed by TRVA personnel and can assist in locating units by model, manufacturer or dealer..

15. Where are the seminars and when are they presented?

Seminars are in the room next to the information desk inside the larger Expo Hall and there are signs in the building which indicate the titles of the presentations and their dates and times. Also consult the show program for seminar details.

16. Why are there less vendors than in prior years, specifically fewer vendors selling RV accessories?

TRVA attempts to recruit many different vendors for the show, however, the pandemic caused many of these companies to go out of business or stop doing shows. Some say they don’t need shows to sell their products or services but believe us we do try to find RV centric vendors for the show. 

Several dealers do bring representatives and products from their parts departments and set up displays within their exhibit areas. Ask dealers if they have items which you are specifically interested in seeing or discussing. 

17. I had an unrecognized charge between September 12-15, 2024, which reads “TRVA on my credit card or bank statement…” what is that for?

If you attended the Southwest RV Supershow and paid for your entry by credit card you will have a charge which reads “…TRVA…” and you may not recognize the charge but it is for the RV show in September 2024. 

18. Who do I call if you have any questions?

TRVA Information Desk for general show information: Gracie (512) 840-9000

Media Inquiries: Wayne (214) 824-4100