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A new show plus a repeat equals success for Parts

Regional Showcases bring strong outlook for 2015

Outside AmericasMart in Atlanta, Ga., the weather was rainy and gloomy on Feb. 22, but inside, dealers and vendors were abuzz about the upcoming riding season. Feb. 21-22 marked the second weekend in a row of Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties Regional Showcases, which began Feb. 14-15 in Arlington, Texas.

Each showcase joined about 150 vendors with dealers and Parts and Drag reps and regional managers. And each location provided the Wisconsin-based distributor with the crowds it sought.

“The shows were fantastic. Arlington, being the first year, was fun and exciting for everybody. It was an opportunity to reach out to the dealers that the vendors don’t normally get to interact with, and good for our reps to be able to share that time with the vendors and their local dealers,” Jeff Derge, vice president of sales for Parts/Drag parent LeMans Corp., told Powersports Business. “And Atlanta, for being a second-year show, was phenomenal. Attendance was great; vendors were very happy.”DSA_1384

Regional Showcases still doing well

The Parts/Drag Regional Showcases are celebrating their third year in 2015, and the company believes the shows are working well for reps, vendors and dealers alike.

“We’re very happy — I emphasize very — with the results of the shows,” Parts Unlimited national sales manager Lou Lopez said. “There’s kind of been a transition in the industry, and we’re thrilled with the results, and we want to continue to build on that.”

The plan this year was to host three shows — the new one in Arlington, a repeat in Atlanta and a third in the Northeast. However, financial difficulties of the proposed Northeast host venue left just the two shows on the schedule. Reps were then split into two groups, with each asked to encourage their dealers to attend the show closest to them.

Going into the Texas show, parent company LeMans Corp. knew the journey would be a trek for some, but they were surprised and pleased at how many dealers attended. One rep, who covers an area 800-900 miles from Arlington, brought a dozen dealers, and that rep wasn’t the only standout.

“We were impressed overall with the amount of reps that had dealers come and attend the show with them from all over the western part of the United States,” Lopez said.

Parts and Drag continue to host their Super Showcases, bringing a few dozen vendors to Supercross races throughout the U.S., but the Regional Showcases allow more dealers to interact with about three times as many vendors, who are able to bring more product to the regional events. The Showcases also brought a combined 15-18 new vendors that had never attended a Parts/Drag Showcase.

“The nice part about the regional shows is the amount of vendors that the dealers can reach and the high quality of vendors that we have at our shows,” Derge said. “Our regular Super Showcase series that revolves around the Supercross series is a great small format, but this brings the top vendors in the industry to the local dealers.”

Lopez added that the Regional Showcases are designed to bring the experience of the distributor’s annual large National Vendor Presentation (NVP), held in August in Madison, Wis., to more places.

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“When we’re at a Super Showcase, we’re having 40 vendors, and here in Atlanta, we’ll have 150-plus vendors, so it’s just kind of a different level of exposure,” he said.

Revved up for 2015

As dealers crowded the Atlanta Regional Showcase, vendors were quick to point out their happiness with the number of attendees and the attitude they displayed. And they weren’t the only ones feeling hopeful.

“In talking to a lot of local reps and the regional managers, there seems to be more enthusiasm this year, that ’15 is going to be a stronger year than ’14. I think the last couple years that most people just sort of felt like they didn’t have that enthusiasm. Not that they were negative, but … I’m hearing more enthusiasm. People came here to buy,” Lopez reported.

Drumming up excitement were new products focused on new OEM models and products using smartphone and tablet technology.

“All of the vendors seem to have a lot more to offer this year. Most of the product lines are exciting. There’s a lot of new product out throughout parts of the market, whether it’s performance-based or technology-based,” Derge said.

Parts Unlimited’s house brands are among those that have continued to innovate, Lopez reported. He pointed out that Moose, Icon, Thor and Z1R have been standouts as of late, as have been vendor brands such as Alpinestars, Saddlemen and Memphis Shades.

“It’s just a lot of really strong movement in those brands. People seem to be assimilating themselves with those brands more frequently because they’re solid brands with competitive pricing and great products,” he said.

Derge added, “Drag Specialties has been doing great coming out with OEM replacement products. Icon, with the new Raiden line, that’s super exciting. That was very well received at the show last weekend and this weekend, so everybody’s hard at work.”

LeMans as a company has also been on the throttle, as it seeks to become a better partner with its reps and dealers.

“We just keep investing in the company, whether it’s here stateside, in Canada, in Europe. Our infrastructure, we just continue to pull together,” Lopez reported. “Our new Parts Search Alpha has been an absolute home run. We’re trying to be able to get more information to the dealers quicker and to our reps quicker.”

As the showcase season wraps up, the good news is motorcycle season is just getting started, and after two solid weekends of talking shop, Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties employees and reps, their vendors and dealers all seem ready for sales to follow.

“Everybody’s very enthused. Talking to our dealers, they’re all preparing for a busy season. Door swings are up at the stores, and we expect to have a good year,” Derge said.

Lopez added, “You just want to say thank you to the vendors and to the dealers for coming. I feel like we can provide a good experience on both sides and to our reps and our regional managers for getting them here because that’s really the key to the whole industry — getting us together and sharing ideas and learning new products and taking that back into the stores, so the consumers are excited.”

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