Daytona Beach, Fla. –
The organizer of the 24
th
annual
is
preparing for a larger trade and consumer turnout here on March 13-14
and plans
to add a trade-only day to next year’s event.
Almost 50 suppliers and retailers will exhibit at the combination
soundoff, car show and bikini contest event,
up from about 30 last year, as many suppliers return after an absence of
several years, said show promoter Paul Papadeas. Returning companies
include Sony,
Directed Electronics, Polk and Harman. Other exhibitors include Orion,
Polk,
Hertz/Audison, JVC, MTX, Phoenix Gold, SoundStream and Precision Power.
Papadeas attributed growing supplier interest to an expanded Ocean
Center
arena/convention center complex, where two floors of breakouts rooms
enabled
suppliers to conduct dealer training for the first time, he explained.
“The
number of companies taking advantage of this is increasing this year,”
he told
TWICE.
Papadeas also expects total attendance to rise from last year’s
15,000 because of stronger social-network promotion and the first-time
use of
TV advertising in the four-county area to promote the event, he said.
The event
is also bringing in more celebrities, including rappers DJ Khaled,
Dorrough,
and Trina, as well as DJ Funkmaster Flex and car customizer Will Castro.
The sound systems of about 400 vehicles will be judged during
three soundoff events: the
(International
Autosound Challenge Association) North American Championships and
regional
contests held by
and
(Mobile
Electronics
Competition Association).
Next year for the event’s silver anniversary, Papadeas wants to
capitalize on the trade’s growing interest in using the consumer show as
a
venue for doing business. He will add a trade-only day on Monday, March
21, following
two weekend days of mixed consumer and trade traffic.
About 16 years ago, Florida
distributors began setting up displays to appeal to consumers and the
trade,
and then they took to the Ocean
Center’s handful of breakout
rooms to write purchase orders, Papadeas said. Southeast reps followed
to make
deals and sign up new dealers, including the many dealers who compete in
the
soundoff events’ pro category.
Last year, the Ocean Center
expanded by adding 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and 23 dedicated
breakout rooms to its 60,000-square-foot arena, and as a result, “We can
do a
bona fide trade show” for suppliers at one-fourth the price of CES,”
Papadeas
said. The venue gives suppliers the opportunity to reach out to East
Coast
dealers who aren’t attending CES, he said.
