Celebrating AAPEX and the future of the aftermarket

I once made a comment to a colleague while setting up our exhibit at AAPEX that “industry week” invoked feelings reminiscent of Christmas for me. My colleague looked at me with disbelief and urged me to seek counseling. What event other than a holiday allows you to see your extended family (and meet new additions), have conversations and laughter about common issues, and permits you the opportunity to put some new gifts under the tree?

AAPEX is much more than buying and selling. It’s more than networking and industry education. All of these activities go on, certainly – but AAPEX is the annual celebration of the automotive aftermarket. Aftermarket professionals from around the world gather not just to buy, sell, network and learn – we meet to celebrate our industry’s progress and our optimism for its future. We gather to make our industry, our companies and ourselves better.

As the co-owner of AAPEX, AASA is dedicated to continuing to enhance the event’s return on investment for its supplier members. We represent your interests in the planning and production of each year’s event and firmly believe in this year’s motto, “You will grow your business.” AAPEX is often the most expensive line item in a company’s marketing budget and in order to make the most of your time at the show you have to view the event as an investment, not an obligation.

With this philosophy in mind, we have developed several tools to help “Grow Your Business” beginning with the third annual pre-AAPEX vendor summit that kicked off the exhibitor education program in June.

AAPEX Vendor Summit: New Ideas for Exhibiting

AASA members were among the exhibitors participating in the AAPEX Exhibitor Summit held June 4-5 in Las Vegas preparing for the 2013 event and learning ways to minimize expenses and develop creative strategies to attract buyers to their booths.

More than 150 one-on-one meetings were held between exhibitors and AAPEX vendors/partners to take advantage of early bird discounts, arrange orders and plans to minimize costs, maximize marketing and promotional activities. Vendors included: Freeman (decorator/booths), Venetian (hospitality venues), CompuSystems (registration, lead retrieval), a2Z (website widgets, online exhibitor accounts, mobile app), Travel Planners (hotel rooms), WT Glasgow (event management, booth locations, sponsorships), Babcox (Event Guide, “AAPEX Express” daily news) and Sands Expo Center (catering, A/V).

Steve Miller, noted marketing and trade show expert, conducted “Stealing Genius,” an activity that enabled participants to benchmark other businesses on the Las Vegas strip to “steal” unique and creative ideas for attracting their respective target customers. Ideas collected were applied to how exhibitors can utilize pre-show efforts and on-site activities to attract buyers. They also learned strategic approaches to securing the attention of buyers to encourage them to stop by a booth, engage with booth staff, request quotes, etc.

The pre-planning and pre-event strategies offered at the Exhibitor Summit have proven results. Attendees at the 2012 Summit reported a higher ROI at AAPEX and that they reached more of their overall AAPEX objectives.

‘Wednesdays with Steve’ Webinars Were a Hit!

AAPEX wrapped up its “Wednesdays with Steve” Exhibitor Webinar series on Aug. 14 with more than 100 exhibitor attendees at its final webinar, “People Do the Selling.” AASA and AAIA offered the three free AAPEX Exhibitor webinars to help exhibitors grow their business at AAPEX.

Steve Miller, renowned trade show marketing expert, led the three webinars: “Is Buying a Booth Enough?” on July 10, “Aggressive Pre-Show Wins Every Time” on July 24 and “People Do the Selling” on Aug. 14. All three webinars are available for viewing at Miller’s website www.theadventure.com/aapex2013 and are highly recommended for veteran and novice vendors alike.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the webinars’ content:

•       Is Buying a Booth Enough? Exhibiting at AAPEX is not enough – you need a fully-integrated marketing plan to stand above the crowd. This webinar gives you ideas for AAPEX that will capture attention, increase your visibility and drive prospects and customers to your booth.

•       Aggressive Pre-Show Wins Every Time. During AAPEX, buyers only have about 9 1/2 total hours on the show floor to find the handful of companies they want to meet. The best way to help ensure buyers visit your booth is to use aggressive pre-show promotion and communications. This webinar shows how you can gain the competitive advantage over other exhibitors.

•       People Do the Selling. Your booth staff are the No. 1 most critical factor in whether you have a successful AAPEX or not. In this final AAPEX Webinar, Miller shares some simple techniques to motivate your staff and improve your results dramatically.

What's New At AAPEX 2013?

Many new features have been added for the 2013 event to enhance the event experience for exhibitors and buyers – here are just a few:

Tell the Aftermarket Story: A collection of iconic cars and a multimedia presentation of the history and heritage of the aftermarket connect AAPEX attendees with the vehicles and the industry that drives America.

Full Service Stations: Replicas of full service gas stations – the “fillin’ stations” of the past – located in the Level 1 and Level 2 lobbies will enable attendees to access information on anything AAPEX related – booths, exhibitors, lanyards, Event Guides, pocket maps, restaurant directories, seminar locations and much more. Click here to view the artist’s rendering of the “Full Service Stations” and the promotional opportunities they offer.

Remodeled Sands Expo Center: The Sands facility has been completely remodeled, and attendees will enjoy a much more open, well-lit and welcoming space. See some of the photos of the newly remodeled Sands here.

New Exhibit Space: The Hall D Extension has been extended. Due to an increase in booth sales over 2012, the entire Venetian Ballroom will be used for exhibits, food trucks with expanded service, Product Showcase, New Packaging Showcase, an expanded Know Your Parts exhibit and much more.

Sponsorships: The remodeled Sands Expo Center has created new opportunities to expose your brands to the 36,000+ buyers who will attend AAPEX. Click here for details.

So as we approach this “industry celebration " we urge you to view AAPEX not as a show but rather an opportunity to learn something new, to try something new, and to put something new in your exhibit for the industry and your customers to enjoy for years to come.

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