The 2015 NAPA Expo was held last week at the Mandalay Bay Resort Casino in Las Vegas. The opening session kicked off May 5 in the Mandalay Arena with an address by NAPA President Dan Askey, followed by the opening night of the trade show exhibits.
Paul Donahue, President of Genuine Parts Company, NAPA’s parent company, welcomed attendees to the May 6 General Session. He thanked the 18,000 auto care center, parts store and district managers for making the Expo the largest single company automotive aftermarket event in the world. The last NAPA Expo was held ten years ago.
NAPA members from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand were represented.
Donahue thanked the over 400 suppliers at the Expo for the many prizes available for winning including 21 ATV, five automobiles, 12 light trucks, 12 motorcycles and eight vacation trips. Motorsport celebrities in attendance at the Expo included Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Chase Elliot, Dale Earnhardt Jr and John Force. Askey announced that NAPA will sponsor the NASCAR #24 car for Hendrick Motorports driven by Chase Elliott thru the 2018 season.
At the general session, three NAPA Autocare Center owners discussed the multigenerational legacy of their operations and their "NAPA roots" which are being passed to the next generation of their families.
Following the trade show on May 7, a concert from country music stars Billy Currington and Trace Adkins featuring singer Pat Monahan of the band Train was held.
Marcus Lutrell, former Navy Seal of "Lone Survivor" fame opened the general session on May 8. During the Expo that day, a giveaway of new Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro was held.
Additional seminars featured best practice examples of Sales & Marketing, Profit & Productivity, Social Media Recruiting and Top 10 Reasons for attending one of the NAPA Seminars.
