10 years of hits and misses at AIMExpo
While 2024 marked the 10th edition of the annual powersports industry event, AIMExpo, which is quite a feat in itself, there have been several changes over the years. This year was my first Expo since 2019, which was the last show held in Columbus, Ohio, before moving to Las Vegas for a more permanent stay.
AIMExpo tested the waters in Las Vegas in 2018, but it was a stop-gap year with plans to go back to Ohio (ala Chrissie Hynde/Pretenders). Then came Covid, and we all know what happened after that. During the pandemic, the show would go on a hiatus for two years and reemerge as a trade-only event in Las Vegas in early 2022.
As far as Expos go, the 1851 World’s Fair in Paris was the first known “expo” event, where visitors could find products and innovations showcasing France’s industrial progress alongside exhibitions of wonders from around the globe. President William McKinley once said, “Expositions are the timekeepers of progress. They record the world’s advancement and open mighty storehouses of information.” This sentiment remains today in many modern tradeshows, which are part exposition and part trade fair akin to the trading events during the Middle Ages, as merchants flooded towns and villages to sell their goods. But powersports is a far cry from livestock and pottery.
I’ve always been a big supporter of AIMExpo. I came into the industry just in time for the last Dealer Expo in Indianapolis when Larry Little and Mike Webster held meetings to plan the future of the next big industry show. I bought into their vision at the time.
Is it fair to even compare Dealer Expo to AIMExpo? No, probably not. Dealer Expo rode the peak of the powersports industry in the late ’90s and early 2000s and went away after it began sliding and needed resuscitation. AIMExpo promised a new way of doing business with exhibitors and included a consumer component (for a while). The plan was to model the event after EICMA, which is immensely popular in motorcycle-crazed Italy and is the defacto center of the universe for most things moto-related globally (especially in Europe), but it’s not the U.S. market. We do a lot more off-road riding and dedicate a significant segment for ATVs and UTVs, a segment that rivals motorcycles today. We don’t do much commuting (even though we should), and the scooter segment is a tiny niche market. So it makes sense that we have our own Expo. But I think the reality is setting in after ten years – the show is the size it will be and not much more. And that’s okay.
By most accounts, the 2024 AIMExpo was a success, with a few blips along the way. According to show organizers, 1,908 dealers showed up at some point during the event, representing 903 dealerships. That’s a 14% increase over last year and arguably one of the better turnouts since before the pandemic. But we can’t help but point out that the halls were mostly filled with blue badges talking with other blue badges (exhibitors).
The coveted red badge (dealers) was like seeing a bald eagle in the wild – at certain times. Not to say that these numbers are inaccurate, we just didn’t see crowds of dealers. It was more like a smattering or a gaggle of dealers wandering through in a sea of blue.
But in our conversations with other exhibitors, most seemed very happy with the people they had in their booths and their discussions with dealers and potential buyers. One exhibitor I’ve known for many years and who usually criticizes these events said it was the best AIMExpo so far. That was eye-opening because he generally finds something to complain about.
We saw several dealers from our Accelerate conference walking around the show and others who stopped by the booth, but we were also concerned with the lack of red badges on our aisle, even though we had decent foot traffic in our little tucked out-of-the-way booth in the 5000 row. Our location reminded me of when I worked a booth at SEMA next to a column that blocked half the row – out of sight, out of mind.
Our neighbors to the left came in thinking they would sign up dealers, only to leave the show disappointed. Was it the booth location? Presentation? Lack of dealers or just apathy toward their Chinese knock-off products? My gut says it was a little “all of the above” syndrome for them. However, our neighbors on the other side seemed to have a great show with decent traffic on the corner of the aisle. While they had more signage and banners sticking out than a used car lot on a Saturday, they were more than pleased with the kind of engagement they received.
With 20 OEMs represented on the show floor, much of the available space was dedicated to them, and we saw some brands we’d never seen before, which was a welcome addition. However, between the giant Turn 14 Distribution booth, Parts Unlimited and Rocky MTN ATV/MC booths, many of the more independent aftermarket brands were drowned out or not there at all. Traffic at a 10 x 10 booth depended on the location of said booth. I saw several exhibitors with relatively empty booths and reps with their heads in their phones. I’m not saying those are related, but it doesn’t help lure dealers in when you don’t look interested in talking to anyone.
We also had good conversations with dealers and exhibitors this year, and many were genuinely amped about the recovery of the event. However, others were not so thrilled with the turnout. It just goes to show you can’t please everyone. The show has been resilient, and I have no doubt it will continue for at least another decade (hopefully more).
10 years of AIMExpo by the numbers:
2013 AIMExpo – the first show in Orlando
- Exhibiting Companies: 392 Total Attendance: 13,219
- Consumer Attendance: 7,781
- Dealer/Industry Professionals: 2,417
- Exhibitor Attendance: 2,798
- Countries Represented: 49
- Credentialed Media Professionals: 223
- PSB Institute Participants: 870
In 2014, the show had a noticeable increase in attendees and exhibitors inside Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, with more than 3,000 dealers/industry professionals.
- 501: Exhibiting companies
- 18,145: Total attendance
- 11,123: Consumer attendance
- 3,068: Dealer/industry professionals
- 3,713: Exhibitor and staff
- 241: Credentialed media professionals
- 51: Countries represented
- 842: PSB Institute Participants
2015 saw the show grow under MIC ownership as it had 560 exhibitors and 3,300 dealers and industry pros for the trade days in Orlando.
In 2016, the show reached a crescendo in Orlando with more than 12,000 attendees, but the exhibitor badges outnumbered the dealer badges by 3,029 to 2,459 during the trade-only days. Even with the weather-related challenges that year, trade day attendees represented 1,116 dealerships from 49 states and Puerto Rico.
In 2017 AIMExpo moved to Columbus, Ohio, with 490 exhibitors (vs. 451 in 2016) and a record nine OEMs offering demo rides at AIMExpo Outdoors. A busy first day of dealers on the show floor showed promise for the event’s move to Ohio’s central location. The second day did not follow on from the first, and dealer traffic was much lighter. Overall, 2,090 dealer attendees from 1,034 dealerships attended over the show’s four days, a decrease from the previous year when it was in Orlando.
In 2018, Over 2,500 dealers made the trip to Las Vegas for AIMExpo in 2018, with representation from all 50 states and more than 50 different countries. And 505 exhibiting companies filled the show floor to capacity and took advantage of the inaugural Dealer Summit.
In 2019, The last AIMExpo in Columbus had 370 exhibitors and 2,314 dealers/buyers, according to show management. But the show also included 744 industry professionals, which used to be lumped together with dealers.
In 2020 and 2021, AIMExpo was cancelled.
In 2023, after a hiatus due to COVID-19, AIMExpo returned to Las Vegas for the first trade-only event in its history. With the country barely out of pandemic protocols, the show had 179 exhibitors and 1,371 dealers from 704 unique retailers.
In 2024, with another year to hype the new trade-only format in Las Vegas, 2023 saw a significant increase in exhibitors and dealers compared to the previous year. There were 1,908 dealers representing 903 dealerships (a 14% increase over ‘23).
