Nationwide Show Draws 3,300

By Alan Wolf -- TWICE, 3/22/2010

LAS VEGAS — Some 3,300 dealers and manufacturers attended this month’s Nationwide Marketing Group Prime- Time! event, marking the second-largest turnout to date for the buying organization’s show.

The biannual conference and buy fair, held here Feb. 28-March 3 at the MGM Grand, also drew nearly 850 exhibitors, Nationwide said.

“We are celebrating the success of PrimeTime! in Vegas, but most importantly the success of our independent dealers who were able to overcome the challenges in retail last year,” said Robert Weisner, the group’s executive VP. “Many have told us that the new opportunities, programs and services available each PrimeTime! helped them through a very rough year.”

Benefits included instant rebates on purchases made at the show. Nationwide reported a 20 percent spike in rebate checks over last’s year’s February event in New Orleans, and noted that $12 million in PrimeTime! rebates were handed out in total in 2009.

The show, which was held under the theme “New Days, New Ways: Get Ready,” also featured a series of Prime- Time University business seminars that drew 2,000 dealers. Topics included traffic-building strategies for online sales and the importance of social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

“The retail market and consumer profile has changed dramatically over the last few years,” observed Nationwide president Ed Kelly, “and in order to remain competitive, independent retailers must adapt to these new changes by learning what works and getting rid of what doesn’t.”

Also at the show, Nationwide announced that the group had received a 2010 Excellence in Appliance Retailing Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its outstanding contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by marketing and promoting energy efficient products.

Nationwide’s next PrimeTime! event will be held Aug. 15-18 at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Md., just outside Washington. For more information, visit www.nationwidegroup. org or call (336) 722-4681.