NTP-STAG recently reflected on the outcome of the 2020 Expo last month, sponsored by Airxcel, held at the Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel and Convention Center.
The two-day event communicated the theme of NTP-STAG’s “Our Vision for Serving the Aftermarket” with NTP-STAG team members and executives presenting their industry viewpoint.
“The EXPO provides us a tremendous opportunity to spend valuable time with our dealers,” said NTP-STAG President, Bill Rogers. “We gain their important perspective on our industry while sharing our vision on how we can assist them in growing their businesses.”
Taking center stage across the 150,000-square-foot show floor was the new products showcase, encompassing more than twice the space of the prior year, according to the distribution company. Also making its debut at The Expo was the Overland Bound area, featuring vehicles outfitted with tents and travel gear essential to this popular outdoor lifestyle trend.
“These multiple innovations presented dealers in attendance with several opportunities to expand their businesses to adjacent spaces, such as the marine industry and overlanding, while suppliers introduced more new products than ever before,” said Rogers. “For many, overlanding is exposing an entirely new segment to the experience of outdoor vehicle travel and camping as a gateway into the RV lifestyle. As these interests develop, RVs will satisfy their eventual requirements for greater comfort and convenience.”
A cornerstone of the vision presented by Rogers was the agreements NTP-STAG has established with a number of RV builders and suppliers to provide warranty fulfillment services. These agreements, now in place with Coleman, Grand Design, Jayco and Heartland RV, address the important issue of shortening Repair Event Cycle Time (RECT) with expediting parts delivery resulting in faster response times and improved customer experiences.
“Downtime has been a crucial concern throughout the industry,” said NTP-STAG Director of Category Management, Jon White. “Dealers were pleased to learn more about this collaboration and how we are working together to significantly reduce the time it takes to get parts to their dealerships to execute warranty repairs and get their customers back out on the road.”
Preceding the show opening, participants were treated to insight from a compelling RV Professional Retail Organization (PRO) Education Speaker roster that included CEO of Sardek Love International Dr. Sardek Love, economist and best-selling author Dr. Mary Kelly, and Millennial expert Gabrielle Bosché, in addition to more than 30 product showcase seminars. These business development seminar sessions covered important subjects such as “Generating Increased Sales and Repeat Customers” and “Leading for Profit Growth” along with “Generational Leadership.” The trio provided valuable insight tailored to meet the needs of the RV industry.
“This was the 10th year we have provided the industry with a compelling roster of exceptional speakers,” said Rogers. “These seminars introduce show attendees to innovative skills and business techniques while the speakers’ discussions serve as a cornerstone to the continuing education programs available online through the newly revised RVU platform.”
The show experience was also enhanced by the introduction of the new Expo mobile app, sponsored by Southwire, featuring the show agenda, RVU schedule, an interactive floorplan, live notifications, Power Hour Specials and more.
“Technology plays a significant role in how business is conducted so we are continually developing tools to increase Expo attendees’ productivity on the show floor and streamline the sales process,” said NTP-STAG Vice President of Sales, Fred Petrivelli. “We anticipate that transactions will be completely executed via electronic cart pre-loading at the Expo in the near future.”
Rogers was upbeat about the show based on attendees’ feedback.
“Our customers and suppliers had a fantastic time and were positive and complimentary,” he said. “The RV industry is strong and we’re looking forward to doing it again in 2021.”
