LeMans Corp. has impressive turnout for first NVP in Milwaukee

This story originally appeared in the November edition of Powersports Business.

The 2024 North American NVP Product Expo at the newly expanded Baird Center on September 7−8 exceeded expectations and broke new ground with its extensive floor plan. With an impressive turnout of vendors and attendees, the expo highlighted the latest powersports innovations, solidifying its place as a must-attend event for dealers and industry insiders.

“It’s nice and spacious, and you’re never going to be in a situation where you can’t stop and see the booths you want to see. So I think that most people would say it is positive,” comments Paul Langley, chairman of LeMans Corp., on the move to Milwaukee.

The expanded venue offered an updated, more spacious layout, accommodating a record number of new and returning vendors. Attendees were treated to an impressive array of products, innovative technology, and hands-on demos, including an exciting lineup of electric bike (e-bike) highlights. Capping off the excitement was an e-bike credit giveaway, adding a valuable incentive for dealers looking to invest in this growing segment.

A highlight of the weekend was the Saturday night Bike Show and meet-and-greet at The Mecca Sports Bar, located in Milwaukee’s vibrant Deer District. With enthusiasts gathering from across the region, the event featured a thrilling stunt show sponsored by ICON.

Some people had flashbacks to the show in Cincinnati when they first walked into the convention center in Milwaukee, a town that revels in motorcycle culture and history.

It was the initial “wow” factor that gave some attendees goosebumps to the glory days of the NVP. And with all of the doom and gloom being discussed, the show was like a shot in the arm for the industry.

Madison was a great venue for many years and served LeMans Corp. well over its time near the company’s headquarters in Janesville, but the parts distribution giant had outgrown the space, so that was a sign to move on to something new.

“I would consider this first inaugural show to be a success,” says Langley. “I think most people, when we send the survey out in a couple of weeks, will give it pretty high marks.”

By our unofficial estimates, it looked like about 300−350 exhibitors, which is already more than what Madison could handle, according to Langley. “The main thing with Madison was that vendors couldn’t have as much space as they wanted. And then there were many vendors that we couldn’t invite. So that’s why we wanted to switch.”

While it’s nice to have more space and a nice footprint, we also noticed a lot of booth density, meaning there wasn’t much wasted space for extra-large booths. Many booths were smaller in size, predominantly 10-foot-by-10-foot or 10−foot-by−20−foot, and there was still plenty of room to grow.

Another reason for NVP moving to Milwaukee is that it is easier access for dealers. “The thing about Midwest is that we’ve got dealers from Peoria, Illinois, which is a three-and-a-half-hour drive, and we’ve got dealers that drove eight or nine hours,” Langley shares. “They’ll come up, and if they get it all done in one day, they’ll fly or drive home. If they need both days, they’ll go home in the evening or stay till morning. There’s more flexibility and more connectivity by air in Milwaukee than Madison.”

Langley says that the goal, and Fred Fox’s vision, is to maintain business relationships through the good times and more challenging ones. “As a company, we’re trying to manage for all times and maintain who we are. We could save a lot of money if we cut the sales force, but that’s not who we are. We have sales reps. Some of our competitors don’t, but we are committed to a sales force that goes out and visits and takes care of the dealers. We don’t have to do these shows. Again, in the short term, if we want to save some money, we could stop doing these shows, but the long term is building and helping those relationships with our dealers. We’re trying to continue on as Fred would, which is a long-term view, investing in the future.”

Fred’s vision and Langley’s ability to carry it out to the letter has paid off in these crazy times. And while the OEs are having a difficult time right now with excess inventory and soft demand, the distribution giant just keeps going and going.

One of the standout booths at the show was MIC. AIMExpo show organizers were there to not only stay on the radar for dealers but to discuss a potential tie-in with LeMans Corp. in the future.

“Look, honestly, this is our show. We do it our way. We do it the way we want to do it. We invite the vendors we want to invite. We invite our dealers,” Langley explains. “But we are an MIC member company as well, and we are in support of a potential national show that’s successful. Everyone can have an opinion about it, but mine is [a national show] should be in the Midwest to be successful. But we are supporting AIMExpo as we have for the past two years. We have a space with meeting rooms and no products. And I believe for the upcoming show, we’re going to have a little bit of an expansion.”

We are looking forward to following up with Langley and his team should there be more news on the AIMExpo/MIC front, and Langley told us that the summer NVP is in Milwaukee for the long term. But the spring show in Louisville could move to a combined event with the MIC at some point in the future. In the meantime, the Louisville NVP Product Expo is set to take place on January 25−26, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky for its annual spring event.