AAPEX Assigns Space to 2,200 Exhibitors for 2011 Event

Both the number of companies participating in the recent space draw and the amount of booths they reserved exceeded totals from the 2010 AAPEX by approximately 8 percent and 11 percent respectively. The demand for approximately 500 more booths than last year required adding booths to the Upper and Lobby levels of the Sands Expo Center. Of the 500 additional booths, 250 booths represented high seniority exhibitors requesting more space than in 2010.

The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) assigned space to 2,200 exhibitors during the official Space Draw for the 2011 event. AAPEX will be held Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas.

“Feedback from our members, the full service automotive aftermarket suppliers, has been positive about the AAPEX 2011 space drawing process,” noted Steve Handschuh, president and COO of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), one of the co-owners of AAPEX. “As some of the largest exhibitors at the annual event, AASA members also are very pleased at the increase in the number of buyers registering for AAPEX this year. We currently have 8,982 registered buyers, compared to 5,824 at the same time last year, an increase of 54 percent – and we’re still four months out from the event,” he added.

“There is no doubt about it: this year’s AAPEX will be a blockbuster,” said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, AAPEX’s other owner. “We are especially gratified that the entire industry is planning on coming together for the Show. Exhibitors are taking out more space. Exhibitors who were not at the show last year have returned. And, guaranteeing the Show’s success, key buyers are registering earlier than ever to meet with suppliers at AAPEX. In fact, a full 60% more auto parts retailers have already registered for the show than at this time last year; 52% more independent repair garage owners, and an impressive 75% more auto parts warehouse distributors have registered already,” she exclaimed.

W.T. Glasgow Inc., the AAPEX show manager, facilitated the annual AAPEX Space Drawing that took 12 days to complete and ended June 23.

About AAPEX
AAPEX is the world’s largest business-to-business event for the automotive aftermarket industry.
AAPEX is jointly sponsored by the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). For more information, visit www.aapexshow.com or e-mail: [email protected].

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

Read Full Article