Attendees of Nationwide Marketing Group’s 61st PrimeTime event in Nashville, TN took advantage of the education, networking, deals, and giveback opportunities that PrimeTime provides and continued to learn how being “Customer Obsessed” can help independent retailers enhance their customer experiences.
“Just like the musical diversity in the city of Nashville, we have designed the brand partnerships and service offerings we provide our members to be varied and diverse,” said Tom Hickman, Nationwide Marketing Group’s CEO. “We don’t go all-in with a single provider when other great solutions exist. We don’t want to limit the choices. Instead, our goal is to support our members and their business in the ways that make sense to them, cutting through the clutter and bringing the best of the best.” Nationwide currently offers more than 1,200 programs in a variety of categories to help its members succeed.
A major highlight of this PrimeTime was the moving and inspirational keynote from retired Lt. Col. Scott Mann, who brought a wave of emotions to the packed audience detailing his work with Operation Pineapple Express, an effort to rescue a former Afghan comrade during the chaos of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Lt. Col. Mann drew parallels between his military experiences as a U.S. Army Green Beret and the hurdles confronted by independent retailers and captivated attendees by showcasing his ability to build trust and solve complex problems in high-pressure situations. Focusing on leading with purpose, he highlighted how independent retailers are the backbone of the country and challenged the members to find their Pineapple Express.
PrimeTime in Nashville was also host to a new opportunity in Nationwide’s efforts to always give back. The CashBack GiveBack allowed members to donate a portion of their CashBack funds to one of four charities, No Child Hungry, Smile Together, Autism Speaks and the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. Nationwide matched all member donations, directing its funds to support No Child Hungry’s efforts to feed those impacted by the wildfires in Maui, which has affected several Nationwide members.
During the Expo, dealers in attendance also had the opportunity to win over $100,000 in prizes, including the furniture and bedding categories’ collective $61,000 giveaway to celebrate the 61st PrimeTime. Bruce and Joann Lebeda of Audio-Video Plus in Schulenburg, Texas, were the grand prize winners, walking away with $25,000.
PrimeTime once again featured numerous opportunities for Nationwide members to secure exclusive deals and CashBack opportunities on products and services from vendor partners who were in attendance. Members packed the PrimeTime Palooza room on Monday evening to take advantage of limited-time, limited-quantity offers during the 90-minute buying frenzy. And those deals spilled over into the next two days of the PrimeTime Expo, which featured more than 150 vendor partners – including 12 outdoor living partners in the PrimeTime Backyard – spread across over 250,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Additionally, there were state-of-the-business updates from industry executives in both the home appliance and furniture and bedding categories as well as a full slate of Nationwide Learning Academy (NLA) educational sessions with over 70 courses focused on four tracks – Growth, People, Driving Traffic and Product Training. Member-to-member roundtables and a best of the NLA featured the four highest-rated NLA courses of all time.
“Our members continue to take full advantage of the exclusive in-person educational opportunities available to them at PrimeTime,” said Shawn Ashby, director of training and education for Nationwide. “The new tracks and member roundtables highlighted everything from new AI opportunities to product training as we continue to bring the best education and training courses for our members at PrimeTime.”
Nationwide will now set its sights on Las Vegas, returning for the first time since 2019 to the Venetian | Palazzo & Sands Expo for the 62nd edition of PrimeTime, March 10-13, 2024. Visit https://nmg.swoogo.com/nationwideprimetimelasvegas for more information.
See also: Nationwide Marketing Group Reestablishes Partnership With LG Electronics
