Brand Source Show Topping '09 Attendance

By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 3/5/2010

Anaheim, Calif. - Registration for AVB/Brand Source's upcoming Spring Summit has exceeded last year's attendance levels, the $14-billion buying group reported.

Based on registration patterns, turnout for the biannual meeting and buy fair could surpass 2009 attendance by the double digits, Brand Source said. The show, which runs in tandem with the group's Home Entertainment Source (HES) A/V specialty division meeting, will be held March 27-31 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas.

Highlights of the event will include appearances by Carter Oosterhouse, host of the HGTV cable network series "Carter Can," and rising country music artist Krista Marie.

Oosterhouse will help unveil a new HGTV Green Home mattress collection by Serta, a Brand Source exclusive. "The name of the game is foot traffic, and we have huge plans to leverage the power of the Serta, HGTV and Brand Source brands to drive traffic to our stores," said Bob Lawrence, the buying group's CEO. "Our members will benefit from a series of national print, online and television ads directing consumers to their local Brand Source store.

Marie, whose tune "Drive It Like I Stole It" was ESPN's theme song for the 2009 NHRA drag race season, will perform live for Spring Summit attendees.

In other Brand Source news, driver Ashley Force Hood's Ronald McDonald House-themed NHRA Mustang funny car will be auctioned next week at the 48^th Annual World of Wheels event in Rosemont, Ill., with all proceeds going to the charity. Hood, who is sponsored by the buying group, raced the charity Mustang in two events during the 2009 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

"I was thrilled to be able to help raise awareness and donations for the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Seattle and Sonoma," said Force Hood. "Brand Source, one of our major sponsors, is very involved with this organization and their president Bob Lawrence started talking with us about getting involved in early 2009. We got really excited about all the opportunities to help so this program came together very quickly."

AVB is a member-owned and managed merchandising group that provides buying and merchandising services for more than 4,500 retailers across the country. Its Brand Source branding program leverages the group's 7,500 storefronts into a national chain of retailers to maintain top-of-mind recognition among consumers searching for appliances, electronics and furniture.