LAND ROVER SHOWCASES LATEST MODELS AT OVERLAND EXPO EAST
14 October 2016
Adventure travelers from around the world converged in Asheville, North Carolina this month for the third annual Overland Expo East.
Bob Burns, Land Rover North America Events Manager explains how the weekend proved to be a great opportunity to showcase Land Rover’s latest lineup off-road, including the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible.
LAND ROVER SHOWCASES LATEST MODELS AT OVERLAND EXPO EAST
Tell us about this year’s Overland Expo East.
Overland Expo East spanned over a course of three days, in which there were more than 140 different classes, teaching everything from winching, to 4x4 driving techniques to prepping your 4x4 for a road trip. There were lectures and seminars from people who had traveled the world on grand adventures, and vendors selling the latest 4x4 gear. Mostly, it was about off-road enthusiasts and travel junkies getting together and having fun.
Where was the event held this year?
This year, the event was held at the Biltmore Estate, which was the perfect venue with its 5,000 acres of woodland, great hospitality and numerous attractions. It is also home to one of our four Land Rover Driving Experience centers in North America, so we were able to use many of the school’s driving trails and had resources close by to build some great off-road challenges.
LAND ROVER SHOWCASES LATEST MODELS AT OVERLAND EXPO EAST
LAND ROVER SHOWCASES LATEST MODELS AT OVERLAND EXPO EAST
What was Land Rover’s involvement?
We are a special partner with the event. We’ve been involved with the hugely-successful Overland Expo West in Arizona for a number of years and Overland Expo East since its inception in 2014. This year we brought along 17 of our instructors, six of them former Camel Trophy competitors, who did more than 500 ride and drives in our Land Rover Experience vehicles and the attendees’ own 4x4s. Normally on a Land Rover ride and drive, say at an equestrian event, the drive lasts maybe 10 minutes, but for the Expo East, drivers got at least 30 minutes behind the wheel. This really was a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the breadth of capability of the latest Land Rover models to very knowledgeable potential customers.
What was the demographic of people taking part?
The event draws a very affluent crowd. They are adventurers who own a fun 4x4 - often a Land Rover - to play with at the weekend, and maybe a Range Rover or LR4 in the garage to take to the office. These are families hoping one day to drive their 4x4 across the U.S. or to a remote corner of the world. The one thing they have in common is that they know and understand our brand, and are interested in the latest models. Many people wanted to know all about the upcoming new full-size Discovery we unveiled earlier this month.
LAND ROVER SHOWCASES LATEST MODELS AT OVERLAND EXPO EAST
LAND ROVER SHOWCASES LATEST MODELS AT OVERLAND EXPO EAST
What was the highlight of the weekend?
For me, it had to be driving our new Range Rover Evoque Convertible along some challenging off-road trails. It was so much fun. Just watching people’s expressions and hearing their comments, they’d say “You’re taking that out in the mud?” To which I always replied, “That’s just what it’s designed to do.” On the trails it performed really well, top down and all. Amazing.
For information on the Overland Expo West taking place in Flagstaff, AZ next May, visit www.overlandexpo.com/west.
To learn more about the Land Rover Driving Experience at the Biltmore, visit www.landroverusa.com