PSB Institute schedule, speakers set for AIMExpo
Along with our event sponsors ADP Lightspeed and Sta-Bil, the Powersports Business Institute @ AIMExpo is proud to unveil the lineup of presentations and speakers for the Oct. 16-17 event at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
We’re back for the second year in a row as an AIMExpo partner, and thanks to feedback from dealers who attended the Powersports Business Institute @ AIMExpo last year, we’re taking a step forward with this year’s lineup. We’ll be offering 32 training sessions over four tracks: the Digital Solutions Track, sponsored by Dominion Powersports Solutions; the Powering Profits Track, sponsored by McGraw Powersports Group; the Sales & Marketing Track; and the Service & Operations Track.
But don’t wait until Thursday, Oct. 16, to get your AIMExpo week started. Consider this your invitation to join us at the new Kickoff Networking Reception, sponsored by GE Capital, on Wednesday, Oct. 15. The reception will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. on the pool balcony of the Rosen Centre Hotel adjacent to the OCCC. Industry members are welcome to enjoy beer, wine and appetizers as we celebrate the second annual PSB Institute @ AIMExpo.
Training seminars, free to dealers who have registered to attend AIMExpo, begin Thursday, Oct. 16, at 11 a.m. All seminars are 75 minutes and will conclude on Thursday with the 4 p.m. sessions.
On Friday, Oct. 17, sessions will start at 9:30 a.m. and continue through the last session at 3 p.m.
Find the entire speaker lineup by day, time, speaker and class description on Page 26. We’re looking forward to connecting with you once again in Orlando, and helping you take away profit-building ideas from our seminars.
Another gem in your hands
The F&I Focus section provides some intriguing data points thanks to our partners at ADP Lightspeed. You’ll want to include that on your must-read list for this issue — or the guys down the street will, and then you’ll be playing catch up the rest of the year!
Managing editor Liz Keener came through once again with some stories that will also be worth saving time for, in particular her F&I story on how a dealership exceeds the $1 million mark in profits alone in that department.
It’s always good to see some fresh faces on the pages of PSB, and we were glad to turn to Steve Dodds II, a trainer and moderator for Gart Sutton and Associates. Gart has told me time and again about Steve’s ability to turn F&I departments into something special, and his column, along with regular contributor Brian Gallmeier, make the F&I Focus section a hit.
On the topic of F&I, Tony Tarell from Kryptonite shares some ways dealers are using GPS to ramp up their revenues in that department.
On the road again
Somehow Liz and I managed to hold down the content blitz known as PSB, even with some heavy travel schedules. A return trip to San Diego for NPA’s auction and 24th anniversary BBQ led me back to the road alongside sales guru Mark Rosacker, and Liz was the guest of Divas SnowGear at an awfully impressive Facebook event in Chicago. Along those lines, be sure to Like us on Facebook the next time you’re online. You’ll see some photo outtakes from our journeys, as well as timely and pertinent information that will make you a more educated industry member. If you ever get to San Diego and need to kill a few hours prior to a powersports auction preview, there’s no better place than La Jolla. Mark and I happened upon Torrey Pines, site of the U.S. Open in 2021, and were greeted with an off-chance opportunity to hold the trophy that is presented annually to the winner of that championship.
It was great to catch up with guys like Sam Yourd from GE Capital and Alex Lezama and Brett Boyer from NADA Guides. I feel smarter about the pre-owned industry every time I have a conversation with them. As NPA’s Al Sands said during the auction itself, “I’m glad to see you two talking!”
David Wiles, principal of Southbay Motorsports/North County Bay, also treated Mark and I to a visit of his beauty of a dealership in Chula Vista. I first met David on the CFMOTO trip to China earlier this year, and his dealership was over the top with hospitality. And, true to form of most individuals in this industry, he went out of his way to accommodate us. I mean, first he follows us to drop off the rental car, then takes us to the most incredible view at C Level across from the airport. If you can’t get to La Jolla, C Level is a close second. The airports and flights are all part of a hard day’s work, too, so don’t forget about those!
Liz and I also had one of the coolest days in the biz as we trekked to Wyoming, Minn., to test the new Slingshot. It’s crazy fun and exhilarating and all those other marketing terms they use to describe it. What wasn’t so much fun was keeping it under wraps until it was revealed to dealers more than a month later.
Liz was back at it as this issue went to press, uncovering all kinds of stuff you’ll read about in upcoming issues at the Tucker Rocky Dealer Show in Texas.
Throw in a perfect Saturday at the AMA Spring Creek National in Millville, Minn., and it was an ideal start to the powersports summer.
Survey says…
The results of our quarterly Dealer Survey with RBC Capital Markets analyst Joe Spak are revealed in our cover story. All in all, the retail trends continue slightly upward. Increased inventories in a few segments seem to be noticeable, but not alarming. And our dealer comments are always an interesting read. My OEM friends assure me of that!
If you or someone at your dealership wants to take a deep dive into the surveys, be sure to complete the Q3 survey in a few months. Joe sends a PDF to all dealers who complete the survey. PSB
Dave McMahon is editor in chief of Powersports
Business. Contact him at 763/383-4411 or
dmcmahon@powersportsbusiness.com.
