Showing posts with label Dealer News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dealer News. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Spanish Exhibitors to Showcase Brands and Culture at AIMExpo

Spanish Exhibitors to Showcase Brands and Culture at AIMExpo





IRVINE, Calif. (October 1, 2013) – The American International Motorcycle Expo (AIMExpo) has announced that it is working with a collaboration of Spanish exhibitors to dedicate an area of the show floor highlighting the Spanish motorcycling culture. The showcase will highlight a diverse selection of six of its more-well-known companies, as well as a Spanish Lounge.

The theme of the Spanish area will be the “Power of Spain,” and will feature Spanish brands including Airsal CylindersJ.Juan Brake SystemsNG Brake DiscPuig WindshieldsTurbo Kits Exhausts, and Zeibe Moto Cleaners. Additionally, the area will include several attendee amenities including an electronic charging station, a lounge area, and a helmet cleaning service.
 

The charging station inside the Spanish Lounge is a place for attendees to relax with their mobile device or computer and is representative of the "Power of Spain" theme.


Arguably most recognizable for its flourishing scooter population, Spain has become a standard bearer for the scooter segment of the global marketplace while also providing some of the best performance and design products in the world.

“Spanish motorcycling brands have a long history in the American market and it’s a big part of why we chose to dedicate a section of the show floor to it,” said Mike Webster, President of Marketplace Events’ Trade Show Division. “Even more importantly, the influence of Spanish companies on the North American marketplace is something that we recognize and want to share with everyone who attends AIMExpo. The U.S. consumer is known for wanting the best-of-the-best and the companies we have exhibiting at the show all provide high-end, high-performance products.”

With the inclusion of the Spanish showcase, AIMExpo establishes itself as the largest gathering of European manufacturers, distributors, and associations of any powersports trade show in North America.
 
Attendees at AIMExpo will also have the opportunity to get a “Taste of Spain” with Master Slicer Francisco Carrasco, whose extensive years of training have made him an expert in the fine art of slicing Spanish ham. Carrasco will be serving free samples of his country’s iconic Iberico ham and other Spanish culinary delights at the Spanish Lounge.
 

Master Slicer Francisco Carrasco will provide perfect cuts of Iberico ham and other Spanish foods at the Spanish Lounge.

 

The inaugural AIMExpo will revolutionize the Powersports industry as North America’s first combined consumer, trade and media event. It will be held on October 16-20, 2013 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

For more information, visit the AIMExpoUSA.com web site, and keep up to date on the continued progress by visiting AIMExpo’s social media pages. “Like” the American International Motorcycle Expo on Facebook by visiting the AIMExpo page, and “Follow” on Twitter: @AIMExpo.

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About American International Motorcycle Expo
The American International Motorcycle Expo’s (www.aimexpousa.com) purpose is to serve as the catalyst to bring together industry, press, dealers and consumers in a single arena that creates a grand stage for motorcycling in the U.S. and North America, and delivers an efficient and energetic market-timed expo platform for B2B and B2C in the motorcycle industry. AIMExpo is the single most important show of its type in the North American market and will have international impact within the motorcycling community.

About AIMExpo Spanish Manufacturer’s Lounge
The AIMExpo Spanish Manufacturer’s Lounge is the first of its kind in the United States. By showcasing not only Spanish OEMs but also the broader Spanish culture, AIMExpo has become the largest gathering of European manufacturers, distributors and associations of any tradeshow in North America. AIMExpo Latin America and Spanish Brand ambassador Joel Martin, in conjunction with the AIMExpo, organized the Spanish Manufacturer’s Lounge.
 
About Marketplace Events
Marketplace Events creates vibrant expositions connecting enthusiasts with experts, products and services in dynamic face-to-face environments.  The company produces 34 consumer shows in the home and garden category – 24 in the US and 10 in Canada – as well as the American International Motorcycle Expo (AIMExpo), a new trade and consumer show for the motorcycle industry.  AIMExpo is the first event to be produced by the company’s new Trade Show Division.  The 35 combined events attract 15,000 exhibitors, 1.5 million attendees and another 1.7 million unique web visitors annually. From 15 offices, the 120-person staff produces some of the most successful and longest-running shows in North America, including market-leading home shows in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Orlando and Minneapolis–some of which have thrived in their markets for more than 75 years. (www.marketplaceevents.com)

Thursday, December 27, 2012

AIME, Dealer Expo, and the show to go to in 2013

So this is a follow up to yesterdays post regarding the 2013 shows. http://martinracingperformance.blogspot.com/2012/12/2012-was-good-year-for-scooters-in-usa.html

Seems more people read the MRP blog than I realize because on a slow news day word goes out quickly. 

The big question for small importers, distributors, and dealers is which show to go to in 2013?
Most shops can only afford one or the other. The past few years despite what SEMA, DealerExpo, or anyone else claims fewer "real" buyers went to these shows most buyers attend the open house shows because of all the freebies.

I already stated avoid SEMA if you're a small Powersports Dealership. 
The return on investment as a small shop is negative on that one, it's great as a fan and if you're in the Automotive sector, but they just use motorcycle and scooter distributors for extra cash, there is little or no effort whatsoever on their part to really bring that crowd in. I have about 100 emails worth of exchanges between committees, organizers, and the people at SEMA who never got their act together since the last time we exhibited there. All in essence a reflection of the chaos that engulfed the Powersports Industry in 2008-2011. 

Now 2013 is upon us. I get calls from dealers asking which show they should attend and I give them the same answer. I have no idea. I don't even know. Obviously as an industry person I will attend the shows, but as an exhibitor where is the ROI? The only main exhibitor is Tucker at Dealer Expo since Parts Unlimited pulled out, it might as well be called the Indianapolis Tucker Show / Chinese Expo. This isn't exactly what you want in a show and Dealer Expo despite several emails from the new guy in charge last year hasn't followed up with me on what changes they were going to make. 

No update on the EV test rides, no update on the Scoot Magazine talk I suggested, no update on helping bring a consortium of scooter companies. Nothing. I gave Kerry Graeber a full half hour of suggestions and there was no follow up to my knowledge. They love the low end Chinese scooter exhibitors because they don't ask for anything, but if you want to build a real sense of community you need to motivate people to go back after ten years of dwindling returns on Indianapolis.

There is a real chance here for either Advanstar to make a real effort and show they actually listened or AIME to step up and show they are a player. Both have kind of stopped pushing at this point. You can't just have a scooter roundtable in 2010 make some traction have people exhibited about doing it again and cancel it the next. Then in 2011 not even co-ordinate with the US top scooter dealers, the top editors, or even the top scooter guys in the country.

For 2012 Dealer Expo was going to have actual EV test rides and then cancelled it last minute. How do you actually bring media attention to the show if you drop everything that made it interesting for the scooter people. Having Chinese OEMs there doesn't make it interesting I can go to Canton or Taitra for that. We are down to the wire for Dealer Expo and Advanstar just completely forgot about all the stuff they called me on February 2012 to discuss wanting to know how to make the show better, and why I thought the 2012 show was such a failure. To this day they haven't called Josh Rogers @Scoot to hire him, or any of the other techs I suggested to teach the basic repair classes for new stores and new entrepreneurs looking to open a shop.

Both sets of show promoters are showing an incredible lack of urgency and a basic failure to communicate! These smaller importers were their most lucrative segment the past few years and Dealer Expo has dropped the ball on them year on year. Advanstar did announce they will be skipping the fall 2013 show they previously announced and postponing the 2014 show until October so there will be a 19 month gap between Dealer Expos, which might be enough of a window of opportunity for AIME to get their promotion together. Being the AIME is in Orlando Florida home of a fast growing scooter scene this would be the ideal location to invite year round riders, exhibitors, and scooter professionals. 

Months ago I emailed them the names and contacts for the top scooter mechanics, custom shops, the editors of Scoot Magazine Josh and April etc... none have been contacted by AIME. It's easy to look at the big names and figure they have money and will bring dealers, but Kawasaki already had their Orlando Dealer meeting last year and so did Suzuki so you would have to move mountains to have them exhibit there and back out of the International Motorcycle Shows. Same goes for Honda or Yamaha.


So what is the incentive here for the smaller guys to spend money?

If anything AIME has the advantage here being the new guys in town. They need to make the sure more like INTERMOT which was a success this year. 

Part of that was the EV industry and becoming the main launching point for new Scooters outside of Italy.

Include the Electric Vehicle industry. Test rides. Even if its not making money it brings media attention and so does the scooter scene. Amerivespa brings out the newspapers and local media so why not help organize a Vespa ride to Disney or a classic big exhibit in the middle of the show. Many of these things don't really make any money, but they do bring out a sense of community and attract more attendees. They also bring out exhibitors because there are over 30 Chinese Scooter importers left and only a handful of big motorcycle brands. So you need the scooter guys to fill the hall so it doesn't look like Dealer Expo 2012 again.

Food for thought.

I hope in the next 30 days one of these groups steps up to the plate. Scoot Magazine, the top former techs for Piaggio, Genuine, Yamaha all these scooter guys are available to teach classes and help organize there's a lot of good talent out there. You still have time to make something special happen.







Wednesday, March 28, 2012

US Scooter Industry still in need of consolidation

I haven't written too many articles lately and the truth is there are few places left to submit them to. We are down to three real magazines in the business Dealer News, Powersports Business, and Motorcycle Product News. Besides the occasional yearly article on gas prices and how the industry is doing great, there is no in depth reporting or coverage. More than once I'm the guy that told a dealer their supplier closed.

Wait what happened to CPI? Exactly.

Still it's an industry that is constantly evolving. We've had several spikes of high interest from investors, angel investors, and people wanting to get in on the action.

I salute the girls at GoGo for what they did on Shark Tank and it brought the spotlight back to this industry. Still there is a huge need for more consolidation.

Too many Chinese companies doing the exact same thing. Too many US importers doing the exact same thing.

Email me your thoughts, facebook us. More to follow.