Milwaukee — ProSource, the integration and A/V specialty division of the BrandSource buying group, reported record attendance at its recent Power Dealer meeting here.
The Power Dealer program is limited to integrators doing a minimum of $3 million in annual revenue, and the three-day gathering drew nearly 50 members. They were joined by more than 30 vendors, making it the largest Power Dealer meeting since the program began two years ago, reflecting strong growth for the group, ProSource said.
“We are very excited that our Power Dealer program has become so vibrant,” noted ProSource membership director Sherry Dantonio. “For the last couple of years we have been encouraging our members to apply for Power Dealer status, and the program is really starting to gain steam.”
Dantonio said the meetings provide networking, social, business and educational opportunities for ProSource vendors and members, and Control4’s Bryan Koutsky, custom retail and buying groups director, concurred.
“It is Control4’s experience that this format is really successful,” Koutsky said. “Participation gives the ProSource vendor the ability to capture a large audience of top integrators in the industry [and] allows executives from the vendor to get live feedback in one setting over three days, versus flying to each dealer individually. It also allows the dealer to share their experience with the leadership group of the vendor community. Both parties are there to learn from each other to grow our mutual business together.”
He added that Control4 developed “seven solid leads” at the Milwaukee meeting “that we should be able to close over the next 60 days.”
The itinerary included a series of one-on-one vendor meetings; roundtable discussions on best practices, including how to compete with national automation companies, recruit young talent and manage communication on a project; and a presentation by guest speaker Joe Higgins on developing a “high performance company culture.”
There was also ample playtime, including a kick-off event at the Milwaukee Ale House, and a tailgate party and Milwaukee Brewers baseball game at Miller Park.
Founded in 2011, ProSource is a cooperative, member-owned, not-for-profit buying group that includes members of the former Home Entertainment Source (HES) and Progressive Retailers Organization (PRO Group). With more than 500 dealers and custom integrators, and retail sales of more than $3.1 billion, ProSource claims status as the largest specialty and CE merchandising group in the country. For more information, contact Dantonio at (714) 422-0747 or visit ProSourceInfo.com.
