If you’re a first-time attendee or a veteran attendee, for that matter, to this year’s Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week in Las Vegas, take some advice from veteran show walkers like Craig Van Batenburg who will make his 12th annual pilgrimage to AAIW. “Be prepared, be very prepared,” he emphasizes.

Van Batenburg knows words cannot describe the overwhelming feeling that overcomes attendees who haven’t planned well. With more than three million square feet of show space to cover between the Sands Expo Center and the Las Vegas Convention Center, shows walkers could begin to feel like they’re the hard-to-find Waldo character who is hidden among thousands of other characters in a “Where’s Waldo?” book.

Even when the show was much smaller in 1991 when Van Batenburg made his first visit, it was still a lot larger than the typical trade shows he was used to attending.

“The first time I attended this show, I remember wandering around, not knowing what aisle to go down,” says Van Batenburg, who was a shop owner at the time. “The next year, I began to plan by circling everything I wanted to see in the show brochure, and I even arrived there a few days earlier.”

Unfortunately, Van Batenburg didn’t bring a show floor map to help locate his destinations. A lot of time was wasted backtracking everything he wanted to see. Over the years Van Batenburg, who is now president of the Automotive Career Development Center in Worcester, Maine, has developed a more sophisticated system of working the show. To cut costs, he began packing a lunch instead of being lured into eating at the more pricey restaurants. He traded his suit and dress shoes for more comfortable attire, which included tennis shoes. He began bringing a roll-around suitcase to help him contain all of the show information he needed to bring back to the office. When the suitcase became too cumbersome, he traded it in for a backpack. He began to add days to his stay, so he could enjoy everything the show had to offer.

This year Van Batenburg has added a palm pilot, a book with all of the appointments he made previous to the show and lots of business cards. “I’m now allowing three days to find people I know and the subjects I’m interested in,” he adds.

Once he developed a workable plan, Van Batenburg says the show became more fun. He had time to meet celebrities at specific booths, and he wined and dined with the best of ’em at industry receptions, thanks to complimentary tickets that he was able to get through suppliers.

“Let’s face it, ours is an unglamorous business,” says Van Batenburg. “By going to AAIW, we’re adding glamour and fun to something that isn’t.”

The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), sponsored by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), returns to the Sands Expo Center, while the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show will be at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Both events run from Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Friday, Nov. 7.

Neal Zipser, MEMA’s director of communications, says the “beauty” of AAPEX is that the entire general parts aftermarket is under one roof. “At no other time of the year are as many manufacturers and their customers together in one location,” he adds. “For manufacturers, AAPEX is the most economical sales call you could possibly make. And for buyers, they can achieve all their show goals — such as education opportunities and learning about new sales programs — all at one time.”

Scott Krause, president of Car Boutique which has three stores in the Chicago area, agrees. “It is the Bible of our industry…if you’re going to stay on top of the market in any way, shape or form, someone in your company needs to attend, even if it’s just to gain the opportunity to get all of the catalogs that manufacturers will make available there. That’s one of the main reasons that we go. It’s one of the best places to get the broadest knowledge of our industry. If you can’t find it there, you’ll have a tough time finding it anywhere.”

Dick Morgan, president and CEO of Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, Inc. in San Antonio, Texas, says AAIW is the single, most important week of the year for him.

“I’m a great believer in industry consolidation in all ways to make things more efficient and economical,” says Morgan. “AAIW is like one-stop shopping....I start with the University of the Aftermarket Forum on Sunday and will be on the show floor the whole time through Thursday, with the exception of the time I spend with my one-on-one conference meetings with suppliers, which is part of the AWDA’s (Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association) Business/Education Conference.

“There are so many new things out every year, even with the vendors you do business with everyday. They’re going to show you everything to convert you over to their products, but you might see something different that they’re doing to help you be a better businessperson.”

To help promote the show, Morgan says the Alliance has its national installer council meeting and its national jobber meeting towards the end of the show.

“We really believe in the show and what it does for us,” adds Morgan.

Tom Seboldt, senior product manager for O’Reilly Auto Parts in Springfield, Mo., tries to see what new trends or SKUs are on the rise. “I usually have a new program to do with displays or marketing to cover with my major vendors,” adds Seboldt. “I try to cover it thoroughly and get a commitment at the show. And if I don’t get a commitment there, I try to get one within two weeks after the show.”

With every major aftermarket brand presented on the show floor and attendance from every type of buyer — program groups, WDs, retailers and jobbers worldwide  — William T. Glasgow Sr., president of William T. Glasgow, Inc. Show Management and AAPEX show manager, says no other event compares with the branding and buying power represented at the show. “AAPEX creates the ultimate interactive aftermarket experience from the way in which exhibitors showcase both new and existing product lines, to the way customers can touch, feel and inspect the product plus comparison shop,” he adds.

Good show advice

Jim Fine, president/CEO of Acme Auto in West Hartford, Conn. won’t be able to attend this year’s show due to time constraints, but he does offer one of the most important bits of advice — “Do your homework.

“Identify with your people the key points you want to strive for before going to the show,” says Fine. “Identify the products your company may want to look at and discuss issues like how well your manufacturer is performing beforehand.”

Zipser says success at AAPEX depends on preparation prior to the show, execution during the show and follow-up after the show. “Before the show, we encourage our members to develop goals for the show,” says Zipser. “Once that is done, select the best people for the show.”

He says any attendee should make a list of booths they plan to visit — whether it’s a competing company or a potential international business partner for the exhibitors or prospective suppliers for the buyer.

“The best piece of advice is to go to www.aapexshow.com prior to the show and review the event schedule and floor plan,” adds Zipser.

Arlene Davis, CMP, AAIA’s director of trade shows and customer service says exhibitors can create their company listings and export products online (via the AAPEX website), which makes this information available to buyers instantaneously.

Scheduling appointments with vendors prior to the show is essential, but their booth may not be the right venue.

“Every time I made a booth appointment, I couldn’t make it,” says Krause. “Even if you have an appointment, the vendor is often looking over your shoulder to see who else is in the booth. I always try to get one-on-one contact by getting them to go out to dinner.”

Check with show officials or your association to see what areas are conducive to private meetings. For example, AWDA will hold its Business/Education Conference at the Venetian. The meeting will include opportunities for private 40-minute, one-on-one meetings between warehouse distributors and suppliers. Like the other associations involved in AAIW, MEMA will have a couple meeting rooms available at their exhibit on the show floor for impromptu member-customer meetings. Also, MEMA’s Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) will offer its Business Center (rooms 104-105 in the Sands). SEMA also is offering conference rooms at SEMA’s Center for International Commerce (Room S299 on the upper floor between the convention center’s Center Hall and the new South Hall) for the thousands of attendees from more than 100 countries.

O’Reilly’s Seboldt says with major issues, he tries to schedule 30-minute meetings with a decision maker. “On a new program I am going over, I usually let the vendors know I will be by, but it isn’t a set time.”

As a first-time show attendee, John Bydlon, a professional installer for almost 30 years who works at Auto Electric Co. in Robbinsdale, Minn., knows exactly what he wants to see. “Because it’s my first time at the show, I would like to see everything they will have there,” says Bydlon. “However, I know this is not possible, so I will primarily focus on diagnostic equipment useful to me, as well as the diagnosis and equipment of automobiles.”

If he has time, Bydlon wants to attend one of the many seminars. “Although some information may not pertain to my business, as an automotive professional I feel it is important to know what is going on in other areas of the industry.”

Like Bydlon, Krause says attendees must have a plan of what segment of the market he or she is most interested in.

“For example, if you want to see all of SEMA, you need a floor plan, so you can prioritize what’s important, from A to Z,” says Krause. “Since the SEMA show has been separated by product categories, it allows the buyers to visit one product category in one venue, instead of walking up and down the aisles.”

This year’s SEMA show will have 12 sections dedicated to a particular product area such as the Tire Expo or the Restyling & Accessories Center. Three new sections — Car Care & Accessories, Tools & Equipment and Business Services — were added this year and will be adjacent to each other.

The latest automotive trends and technology are featured in SEMA’s New Products Showcase.

“Our new product section with more than 1,000 products should be one of the first places to go,” says Rosemarie Kitchen, SEMA’s director of consumer/ public relations.

SEMA’s New Products Showcase will be located in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Each of the new product entries will have a take-with data sheet for buyers and media with a photograph of the product, its description and the booth number where it is also on display.

Every automotive association involved with AAIW has tons of information on their websites that will help their members get the most out of AAIW. These associations have done an excellent job in providing up-to-date show information, online registration and a multitude of marketing tips.

Through its online webinar program at www.sema.org, SEMA offers its members a web-based conference on a variety of industry topics, including “Trade Show Strategies for Exhibitors.” They also offer an online datebook to help users plan create an itinerary.

“Most people will say they didn’t see everything they wanted to see, and to me, that’s just poor planning,”says Robert Sundwick, professor and chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Management department at the Florida campus of Northwood University “If you’re a participant, pick up a brochure early, create a plan, start walking up and down the show aisles, ask yourself what you want and don’t want to see, and don’t slow down with people you’re not interested in.”

Exhibitors beware

Krause says the problem with some show booths is that they spend too much time selling the sizzle and not the steak.

“You have manufacturers who have designed their booths to be like a beautiful shopping store,” says Krause. “I’m only interested in the product, and if that product is conducive to what I need. I don’t care if one booth is more glamorous than the other. Not everybody needs the sizzle.”

Sundwick, who worked on the manufacturer side of the industry for 20 years and as a distributor for almost 10 years, says a booth should look like an ad in a magazine.

“Your people may not understand the costs involved with putting up a booth,” says Sundwick. “That’s why it’s important to choose people who will do a great job managing it. Remember it’s a presentation that lasts four days and it represents the value of your company.”

Sundwick says there are several housekeeping issues related to booth maintenance that must be discussed prior to the show.

“Make sure there aren’t food and drinks cluttering the booth and that the racks are kept filled with marketing or company material,” says Sundwick. “Make sure your people are smiling and are dressed appropriately. When I had a booth, I made my employees stand in the aisles of the booth, and they didn’t stand around talking to each other. They were sensitive to the dollars being spent, and they knew they had to put their best foot forward.”

Zipser says there also should be one technical person on hand to answer product-specific or servicing questions. “We strongly encourage the senior executives of our member companies to be on-hand to meet their customers,” he says.

Glasgow says exhibitors need to draw attendees to their booths by creating excitement about their new products.

“Do press releases in advance of the show, buy advertising in the industry press, participate in promotional opportunities at the show like the pocket guide, the show daily and CD-ROM,” adds Glasgow. “Make your booth stand out.”

When it comes to booth management, Zipser says there are a couple of mistakes that he often sees like staffers spending all of their time with people they always see and not taking the time to meet with customers they rarely or never see.

“Also, it’s important for an exhibitor staffer to qualify the visitor to know how to best handle that person,” adds Zipser. “After engaging the visitor, find out what the goals of the visitor are and handle accordingly.”

Zipser says MEMA recommends that exhibitors communicate to their customers and prospective customers prior to the show.

“This pre-communication, whether it’s direct mail, e-mail or a phone call, can make the difference if that customer stops by your exhibit or schedules a meeting with you,” explains Zipser. “Because there are so many companies fighting for a customer’s time, you have to be timely and strategic in your communications.”

Zipser says one tip for direct mail pieces is to have a “call to action” on the pieces such as “bring this card to our booth for a free gift.”

And the more targeted or personalized the communication, the more success you will have,” he adds.

That’s a wrap

All of the preparation in the world won’t mean a thing without effective follow-up after the show. As soon as Krause gets back in the office, he and other employees begin to separate the new products they want to discuss, replace old catalogs with new ones and make an inventory of business cards belonging to product sales managers.

“We start making contacts right away if we are interested in a particular product,” adds Krause.

If there were marketing programs or display presentations that inspired you, Fine says start talking about them with your employees.

“You can get some good ideas as to how the manufacturers go to market and borrow some of those ideas that would be good for your company,” he adds.

AAIA’s Davis says with all of the technology and communication devices that are in use today, follow-up can happen prior to leaving the show.

“For example, AAIA uses their website on the show floor,” says Davis. “We place orders, create new members, write to Congress — all from the booth. The orders are processed back at the office, as well as the new members.”

Zipser believes poor follow-up is the biggest mistake made. When returning from the show, Zipser says the staff should meet and recap all AAPEX activities to determine the overall value.

“Things measured should include customer contacts, leads generated, new ideas, competitors’ activity and new channels or markets opened,” adds Zipser. “We strongly encourage exhibitors to follow up with those customers they said they would follow-up with, and to send leads to the appropriate sales staff or manufacturer representatives.”

Glasgow says exhibitors and buyers are surveyed immediately following the show, and this year for the first time, an exit survey will be conducted among buyers.

“This data is compiled and analyzed to determine what’s working, what’s not and what needs we can meet to improve our level of service to exhibitors and their customers attending the show,” adds Glasgow.

In addition, a Strategic Planning Committee has been formed and will begin to strategize for 2004 and beyond.

“When we tell prospective exhibitors there is no better place to bring your product to market, we need to know we’ve done everything we can to deliver the audience and the level of services that are key to their successful show participation,” adds Glasgow.

Through timely follow-up and coordinated recapping of the show, Zipser says attendees can determine how well the show worked for them.

“I believe, however, that making AAPEX successful is truly a year-round project,” explains Zipser. “AAPEX is the Super Bowl that culminates the sales year and allows some fourth quarter sales generated, while also jump-starting sales for the upcoming year.”