Parts/Drag NVP bids farewell to Madison 

In August, I was fortunate enough to attend the Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties North American NVP for the first time, but it was the final time in Madison, Wisconsin. LeMans corp. brought their respective sales teams and dealers back together in Madison for one last hurrah in the college town as the show moves to a new and bigger location next year. 

Paul Langley, LeMans Corp. chairman and CEO, declared the 2023 Madison North American NVP “a huge success,” with dealers, reps, and vendors giving him positive feedback throughout the show. It was a full house, according to Langley – maybe too full – so the show will move to the newly renovated convention center in downtown Milwaukee in 2024. 

The NVP, short for National Vendor Presentation, kicked off on Thursday, August 17, with training for the Parts Unlimited, Drag Specialties, and Parts Canada sales teams. Parts Canada brought their sales team, and some reps from Parts Europe were on hand to participate in training sessions, which extended into Friday. 

Saturday and Sunday were for dealers, with several new brands and products being unveiled and ample opportunities to connect with the brand representatives. LeMans made sure that dealers who attended the NVP received discounts and additional incentives to make it worth the trip. And by most accounts, it was a worthwhile event. 

Like the spring NVP in Louisville, e-bikes were featured prominently, with new models being rolled out from Intense (a new cargo-type bike), and another e-bike brand called iGO was introduced to Parts dealers. We stopped by many booths to see what’s new and introduce ourselves. While it was my first time at the summer NVP, it almost felt like the old V-Twin Show in Cincinnati. 

Saturday evening, everyone got together on the rooftop of Monona Terrace for the annual bike show and meet and greet. Following the meet and greet, attendees headed downtown to watch the Boonie Bike Bonanza, an entertaining event that Icon put on. 

James Danyluk, president of Parts Canada, said: “The 2023 Madison NVP, in my view, was a complete success. All the Canadian dealers I talked with said it was a fantastic show and well worth coming. It’s a fitting way to close out the Madison venue.”

Milwaukee will be an excellent backdrop for the next North American NVP. According to show organizers, it will bring more than triple the floor space, allowing for more vendors and larger exhibits. We were told this change of venue will also bring many new twists. 

Langley says they ran out of room in Madison, even though the dealers and sales reps all loved the atmosphere of the town and the familiarity of attending year after year. He says the winter show in Louisville, Kentucky, has a much bigger footprint. “We have more vendors and more space there… But Madison was limited. Next year, we move to Milwaukee, where we’ll have a bigger footprint in the revamped convention center.” 

Out with the old 

In the spring, Langley told dealers in Louisville that getting inventory was a top priority. Those investments included spending on warehouses as well as technology updates. He told attendees the company planned to update its old mainframe computing system to a more modern one to improve operational efficiency. The old system was limited, so it was time for a change. 

However, according to Langley, the new system has experienced some glitches and hiccups. Several vendors we spoke with during the expo brought up the issue in our conversations. And Langley also addressed it in our interview. 

“We needed to switch off the mainframe to move to a new system. We did that on April 27, converted over the weekend, and were shipping the first day, but we’ve had quite a few problems,” Langley explains. “There were frustrated dealers maybe having an extra surcharge. We’ve had to fix all that. And we’ve had some challenges with the connectivity to purchasing. I expected some grumblings from vendors and dealers at this show, but everybody has been very positive; they understand that we’re resolving issues with it to be as consistent as we have been for the last 30-40 years. So it’s a positive show.” 

Aside from the computer issue, Langley says they have concerns about the economy but are confident plenty of business will be done in the last part of the year. And for the most part, he says their dealers are optimistic, too. 

Parts Canada 

Parts Canada brought in a big contingent this year as they return to business there. “Parts Canada has done very well. It’s expanded one of the warehouses this year, and basically, it’s a good investment to bring some of the leaders and the sales team down and expose them to all the vendors.” 

With two Parts Canada warehouses, the one in London, Ontario, is fairly large and automated, Langley says, but the western DC needed to be updated. Parts Canada had a small warehouse and headquarters in Calgary, but it was downtown and close to the airport. However, Langley said the plan was to expand into a bigger warehouse on land Fred Fox bought years ago. 

“Fred [Fox] bought some land to the north of Calgary, where some of the big Amazon warehouses are now. The idea was that the public transportation infrastructure would have been stretched out by now, but it hasn’t yet. We’ve kept the land to build our new building eventually.” 

Parts recently opened a new warehouse in western Canada, but not where they initially expected. “The new warehouse was important for James [Danyluk] because he has a good long-tenured workforce. He didn’t want them to have to transport their workers far out. But he can stock all part numbers in both warehouses with the new building. We have favorable delivery costs in Canada now, and the market is doing pretty well, but inflation is a factor.” 

On to Milwaukee 

While many dealers and sales reps have cherished the Madison expo for years, Langley says, “We have simply outgrown all available floor space and downtown hotel room capacity,” he notes. “Therefore, we are excited to announce that the 2024 North American NVP will move to the newly renovated Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the preferable dates of Sep. 7-8, 2024.”