Increased Floor Traffic, Record Seminar Attendance Highlight Successful NORTHEAST™ 2012
With a nearly 20-percent jump in show attendance as well as an unprecedented number of seminar attendees, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) is reporting that the NORTHEAST™ 2012 Automotive Services Show (held March 9, 10 and 11 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center of Secaucus, NJ) is the association’s most successful event to date.
“In a word? Delighted!” exclaims AASP/NJ President Jeff McDowell when asked his thoughts on NORTHEAST™ 2012. “We have already received a ton of positive feedback from show attendees and vendors. The preliminary numbers we’ve gotten have surpassed our expectations and all indicators point to this show being our best yet.”
Exhibitors at NORTHEAST™ 2012 share McDowell’s attitude. “We had an outstanding weekend at the show,” says Glenn MacDermott, parts director of Wayne Mazda&Hyundai/Performance Ford-Lincoln. “This was our second time at NORTHEAST™, and we will absolutely return next year. For us, there’s no better place than the NORTHEAST™ show to network and boost our business with both current and prospective customers. The vibe on the floor was extremely positive from our customers as well as fellow vendors we spoke with. NORTHEAST™ was a great event all around.”
One of the hallmarks of NORTHEAST™, the annual AASP/NJ and SCRS-hosted East Coast Resolution Forum & Leadership Meeting, once again saw a substantial turnout of associations from across the country looking to share ideas and industry information. “This is always a great event, and 2012 was no exception,” notes SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg. “The Forum provides a tremendous opportunity for us to pull together key leaders in the collision industry, here in the northeast area of the country, and talk about issues that really matter to our members. The event – and NORTHEAST™ as a whole – enables us to share information and ultimately make this business better, both now and in the future.”
In addition to a packed show floor, NORTHEAST™ 2012 also saw a spike in seminar attendance this year, with many courses standing room only. One of the presentations, “Hybrid Aftermarket Service,” provided attendees with a certificate good toward NJ Auto Body License renewal. Nick Halliday, sales manager for Nucar Wholesale Parts Distributors, was on hand to facilitate the seminar along with Jim Mickle of General Motors. “We were very happy to exhibit at NORTHEAST™ as well as provide an educational opportunity for the show,” he explains. “The high number of attendees at the hybrid training presentation was very encouraging, and enabled us to meet some new customers while offering what we feel is crucial repair information. We are proud to be a part of NORTHEAST™, and we look forward to continuing that relationship into the future.”
Peter Teixiera of longtime exhibiting company Valspar adds, “2012 was the best experience we’ve had at a NORTHEAST™ show so far. We had a ton of traffic throughout the weekend and got to talk with customers and potential clients from the area. In fact, I’m going to be pretty busy these next few weeks following up with all the leads we generated! We’re very happy about this year’s show, and are already excited about next year’s event.”
NORTHEAST™ 2013 is scheduled for March 8, 9, 10, 2013. For more information on the NORTHEAST™ Automotive Services Show and to view footage of this year’s event (coming soon), please visit www.aaspnjnortheast.com.
