Daytona Beach, Fla. – SBN Expo Group has scheduled its 29th annual Spring Break Expo for March 20-24, 2015, and promised to turn it into more of a trade show, though consumers will still be invited.
SBN is “moving to make it more of an industry trade show,” said SBN founder, autosound retailer and IASCA president Paul Papadeas.
SBN is making the move “along with the support of industry proponents [and] those who get it,” he said. “We will not dismiss consumers, but we are investigating the right formula based on our long-term experiences.”
The show has already begun to move in that direction, with distributor Audio America offering show specials to dealers at this year’s event. In addition, distributor Dow Electronics held training sessions for dealers and prospective dealers. Dow represents Sony, Kenwood and Arc Audio.
“We see Spring Break Nationals becoming more and more dealer –focused, and Dow is proud to be part of that metamorphosis,” said Dow sales VP Dave Elkin. “Our intent is to help grow dealer attendance by providing valuable training and bringing our key vendors to SBN. Dealers are looking for opportunities to learn more and earn more.”
At last month’s 28th annual Expo, more than 61 car electronics brands were represented by manufacturers, distributors and dealers. Thousands of spectators and hundreds of dealers attended the event, which included sound-off competitions organized by the IASCA Worldwide, dB Drag Racing and MECA organizations, said Papadeas.
