Despite difficult economic conditions, attendee turnout at The Great West Truck Show was excellent, says Mike Reilly, president and chief executive officer of Randall-Reilly, the show’s owner. “To have a show hold up under such dramatic economic pressure and have such good attendance was better than anyone expected,” Reilly says.
Show management reported that overall visitor registrations totaled 16,524, down 11.7 percent from 2008; however, the show saw gains in key “qualified” attendee categories. Of the qualified registered attendees, the executive management/owner category increased 11.8 percent, and private fleet attendance increased 3 percent.
“Although the show was smaller than in 2008, the quality and quantity of attendees, in such challenging times, was unprecedented,” says Alan K. Sims, vice president and executive director. “We were pleased with the quality of attendees, but were even more pleased with exhibitor’s reactions.”
“I thought it was the most productive show, in terms of the number of quality of contacts, of any show I’ve personally attended to date,” says Lane Bartram, marketing manager with Arrow Truck Sales. Bud Weisbart, vice president with A&R Tarpaulins, says the quality of attendance was one of the best ever. “We actually made contacts on the show floor that are resulting in sales,” Weisbart says.
Next year’s Great West Truck Show will be held June 17-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. “We must attribute our continued success to the help of our exhibitors in promoting the event and our unparalleled promotional capabilities, which include industry-leading magazines, a database company, a radio network, a telemarketing company and other strong marketing partners,” Sims says. “We also receive great support from the California Trucking Association, Nevada Motor Transport Association, Arizona Trucking Association and other key partners.”
Randall-Reilly also produces the Great American Trucking Show, held annually in Dallas. GATS has been recognized by Tradeshow Week, a leading industry publication, as one of the “Fastest 50,” the fastest-growing events in the United States and Canada, as well as one of the “Tradeshow 200” events, which represent the 200 largest events in the United States and Canada.
