After going to the RV show in Hershey for several years, we decided that we’d try Tampa since we were in the area and we were still fighting the weather. I’m not sure that this is bigger than Hershey but it is does cover much more area. We didn’t like the RV layout as much as Hershey. They seemed to be sorted by manufacturer in some cases and by dealer in other cases. It made for an interesting time finding what we were looking for when we’d see the same things in more than one place. The supplier arenas were much better organized than Hershey and it felt like there were more vendors.
All in all, I’d say the shows were about even. If you’re in the vicinity, either show will give you a great opportunity to shop around that you just can’t get any other way.
Two related minor points were somewhat annoying. First, since we were in an RV we were charged double for parking but we were directed to an overflow lot with hundreds of cars and RVs mixed in from small vans to Class As. If you are going to charge one group double the rate that you charge another group, you at least need to make an effort toward showing some added value for that extra money. Second, the show is held at the Florida State Fairgrounds and internal roads were gravel and sometimes dirt and mud, very gooey, slippery mud. I guess the monster tow truck that was parked right at the entrance to the show should have been enough of a warning but it wasn’t.