FOCUS – Dealer Expo 2005, Part 1
It’s time for the big event, the one you’ve been waiting for all year, the Dealer Expo, Feb. 19-21 at the Indianapolis Convention Center complex.
The Expo features more than 900 exhibitors set up in more than 500,000 sq. ft of space. Last year, nearly 20,000 attendees walked the floor, and this year’s crowd is expected to exceed that number.
If you’re planning to attend, make your preparations now. That means getting a dinner reservation for Saturday night — an absolute must — and getting your legs and feet in shape. Show organizers say the average attendee walks nearly seven miles each day at the show.
The 37th annual Dealer Expo will be set up much the same as last year, with exhibitors overflowing the Convention Center and RCA Dome into the Westin Hotel, conveniently connected by skyway. The Expo’s Big Twin East “show within a show” will be housed in the RCA Dome again this year, but products won’t be exclusive to V-twins as they were last year. There will be a new food service area in the Dome, as well, this year.
Also new this year will be an extensive seminar schedule and more Asian machine manufacturers.
The Dealer Expo traces its roots back to 1966, when Dealernews magazine launched the first trade show for the motorcycle industry at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, Calif. In 1969, they launched a second show in Washington, D.C. The following year, they moved this show to Columbus, Ohio and launched a third show in Houston. By 1971, the Dealer Expo had become one show located in Cincinnati. It stayed there for 26 years before moving to Indianapolis in 1998.
This Focus Section includes an interview with Show Manager Tracy Harris and important information to make your trip to Indianapolis pleasant and profitable.
This section also offers you a look at the first 25 of the Powersports Business Nifty Fifty products for 2005 — 50 new products and services that are strong candidates to improve the profitability of your dealership. The next 25 will be shown in the February 14 issue of Powersports Business.
During your visit, stop and see us at Booth #1613.