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T H E O N LY M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E W O R L D W I D E V- T W I N PA R T S , A C C E S S O RY A N D P E R F O R M A N C E I N D U S T RY
Early signs that the V-Twin
Expo may be set for visitor
growth in February 2014
think we may be going to see
some growth for the 2014
show" - that was the view of
V-Twin Expo Show Producer Jim
Betlach when AMD spoke with
him exclusively in November and
judging by the evidence he's
pointing to he may well be right.
"Not so much in terms of exhibitor
numbers or overall exhibit space, but it
is looking very promising in terms of
dealer attendance" Betlach said.
"Advance dealer registrations are
ahead upwards of 45% on a week-forweek basis compared to this time last
year in the run up to the 2013 Expo,
and that is likely due to a whole range
of factors.
"We’ve focused our marketing on
driving dealer attendance first,
followed closely by building overall
awareness. In an effort to attract more
dealers from across the US and
abroad, we invested significant dollars
in direct mail, social media and
traditional marketing. Additionally, to
sweeten the pot, we created a few
'Early Bird' registration promotions
I
“
that include prizes from our show
sponsors/partners plus local Cincinnati
hotels and restaurants. Based on the
first two weeks of these new
promotions, the added excitement
involving prizes appears to be helping
drive registrations. Of course, the early
‘advance dealer
registrations
definitely are up on
this time last year’
registration push is not the only
rationale behind my prediction of
increased attendance. Other key
factors play a role too, like when we
shifted the show down to two days
instead of three. That decision resulted
in a lot of positive feedback from
dealers and exhibitors alike. Not to
mention moving show dates off of
Super Bowl weekend. All of these
strategic changes are proving to
positively impact the show as we enter
our 14th year.
Ever the diplomat, Betlach
Uwe Sickert of MotorVisionen decided to build Rumble after a previous bike
won him a RevTech motor at a European show, and then used it to take a top
ten place at the World Championship of Custom Bike Building
demurred from also pointing to
another factor that must be working to
the V-Twin Expo's advantage, and that
is that the show now has the Midwest
and February free and clear all to itself
in domestic US trade show terms.
Although the relative performance
of V-Twin Expo compared to the 'Indy'
Dealer Expo goes to show the
difference in the needs of the aircooled v-twin/custom and
liquid-cooled/'metric' markets in the
United States, there is no question that
for some dealers, those with viable
dual-market business opportunities
and those looking to add new
opportunities to their offer, having the
two shows in close proximity in venue
and date terms has always resulted in
reduced attendance for both.
Now however, with the
announcement of the move for the
“Indy” Dealer Expo to Chicago in
December 2014, the V-Twin Expo is
poised to pick-up more dealers. "Well,
yes, you are right, we are indeed
getting that feedback" Betlach said
Continued on back page >>>
DEC 2013
ISSUE #173
NEWS
H-D goes liquid cooled for 2014
with range of 'Baby Rods'
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