Brace yourself: Columbus is coming
Sorry for the “Game of Thrones” reference, but the season finale was just this past Sunday. However, it’s true: Columbus is coming! The American International Motorcycle Expo, also known as AIMExpo, is just three weeks away. And for the first time ever, the show will be held in Columbus, Ohio.
I, for one, am extremely excited for the show. In our fifth year running the Powersports DEALER Seminars @ AIMExpo, the PSB team is bringing some new features to the show.
The Dealer Case Studies are set for 1-2:10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22. Occurring in all four tracks — Powering Profits sponsored by Aegis Powersports, Sales & Marketing, Service & Operations and Leadership Plus — these sessions will involve the PSB editors interviewing dealers on stage. Each dealer will share his or her best practices in the hopes that the other dealers in the room can take home some actionable ideas.
After the Dealer Case Studies, we’ll launch our first-ever Dealer-to-Dealer Roundtable Discussion at 2:30 p.m. Set for 90 minutes, the discussion will allow dealers to choose tables by discussion topics. There, they’ll talk to each other about their successes and challenges related to their table’s specific topic, dealers can stay at the same table for 90 minutes or switch every 30 minutes. I’ve seen both the case studies and the roundtables at other conferences, and I think they’ll be useful for those dealers coming to AIMExpo with the hopes of leaving with tangible education.
In addition to the new features, we’re also bringing a robust lineup of traditional sessions led by established, well-respected speakers. They include consultants David Spader (Spader Business Management), Sam Dantzler (Garage Composites), Rob Greenwald (PowerSport Solution), Jeff Hieber (Spader Business Management), Steve Jones (SJ Consulting) and Gart Sutton (Gart Sutton & Associates), as well as Jim Jabaay of LotVantage, Jim Woodruff of National Powersport Auctions, Paula Crosbie of CDK Global Recreation, Jeremy Jacobs of DHG Dealerships, Mike Smith of ODES UTVS and Erik Stephens of Twisted Throttle. All of this education is brought to you by National Powersport Auctions and Yamalube.
Thursday also marks the fifth annual Power 50 dinner. There, the PSB staff will honor the top 50 dealers in North America at an invite-only event. On top of the annual Best in Class and No. 1 Dealer awards, we’ll also be naming the top 10 dealers.
With AIMExpo’s relocation to Columbus, I’m hoping the familiar faces will make it out again, and that we’ll see some new dealers as well. If you’re at the show, make sure to stop in for an education session or six and say hi to the PSB staff! See you in a few weeks!
Liz Keener is the senior editor of Powersports Business, a trade magazine for the powersports industry. She reports on the powersports industry through Powersports Business’ varied media, including in the magazine, online and via social media. She produces the magazine’s annual Market Data Book and handles a variety of assignments for the magazine and its ancillary products. Powersports Business is known for its exclusive dealer surveys, in-depth industry analysis, Power 50 dealership honors program and dealer education.
Contact: lkeener@powersportsbusiness.com
Website: www.powersportsbusiness.com
