Record dealer attendance at Parts NVP in Louisville
The Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties Spring NVP Product Expo proved once again, to be the biggest Expo ever put on by LeMans Corporation.
The Expo took place Feb. 15-16 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, and not only hit its highest attendee numbers of any previous Expo, it also exceeded all other U.S. distributor shows by spanning over 88,000 square feet with more than 330 booths, including 10 new brands to the Expo. The expanded show space allowed for larger displays to showcase the newest products and accommodate the record number of attendees.
“Year two was an absolute success,” said Jeff Derge, Vice President of Sales. “Thank you to the dealers, vendors and our team for working the weekend with us. Our industry needs to provide an unmatched shopping experience. One key to that is product knowledge, and we feel it’s our responsibility to deliver a mechanism for that to occur. Last year we talked about how important product knowledge is to the shopping experience, and this year’s show saw a significant increase of attendees per dealer. It was wonderful to see the dealers finding the value and engaging more of their staff.”
The Expo weekend kicked off on Thursday with training for the Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties sales reps, which extended into Saturday and also included dealer training from Custom Dynamics, Legend Suspensions, Metzeler and S&S. Dealers also had ample time to visit exhibitors and see the newest products due to the expanded Expo hours on both Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday night, the stars came out as the Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited Sales Force was recognized for their 2019 achievements at the Night of the Stars Award Banquet.
Saturday evening brought the industry together for the iconic Meet & Greet at The Sports & Social Club in the heart of downtown Louisville’s 4th Street Live Entertainment District. Food, drinks, games, live entertainment and the Tampa Supercross viewed on over 60 TVs were the perfect way to wrap up the day. The Expo energy carried over into Sunday where trips to the Drag Specialties Ride and the Parts Unlimited Ride were awarded.
“2020 is going to be a great year if this show is any indication,” said Mike Collins, president of LeMans Corporation. “We need only to carry this enthusiasm and optimism into the rest of the year.”
