Vegas, My Vegas

Just got back from the AAPEX Exhibitor Summit. What fun! If you haven’t been to that event, plan on it for next June. All you need to do is get there — the sponsors (AAIA, AASA, The Venetian/Sands Expo Center, Freeman, etc.) work hard to cover nearly everything else, including your hotel room. What you will learn is a big lesson in how to save money on your exhibit, lighting, move in, move out, decorating and all the other details of being an exhibitor at AAPEX. One event attendee shared with me that he found ways to save his company $50,000, another said she saved $20,000. Big bucks. Ignoring the blistering 110 degrees that week, the group greatly enjoyed a private cocktail party at the V bar in The Venetian, along with all the one-on-one vendor sessions and a fun and inspiring “stealing genius” exercise. I am delighted to say that the redecorating at the Sands is complete and it is terrific — light and bright and techie looking. If you are curious about the Exhibitor Summit, contact Arlene Davis at arlene.davis@aftermarket.org or 240-333-1064 to assure your company’s seat for next year. Can’t wait to see you in Vegas in November. This year’s show will be the best ever.

Pumping Up the Facts in Our Factbook

Every day we are all bombarded with facts, data, information, predictions… tons of stuff. But, most of it is totally useless unless we can sift through it, make sense of it and find ways to apply it to our daily personal or business lives.

Clearly, data is king these days for aftermarket businesses, and that’s why our association makes every effort to deliver valuable market intelligence to our members in our flagship publication – the AAIA 2014 Digital Aftermarket Factbook. The Factbook is our most popular and sought-after publication because it is the most comprehensive, in-depth resource of aftermarket industry data, analysis, trends and information there is.

The 2014 edition has taken a giant step forward, adding considerable new content. In addition to the new research material and easy access to online resources through live embedded hyperlinks, members can download Excel-based files, charts, tables and graphs to use in presentations.

For more information or to order your Factbook, click here.

Even More Bullish on Our Industry

I’m even more bullish on our industry this week than before. Why?

We just released a report, called the Channel Forecast Model, which predicts 3.4 percent annual growth through 2016 for the automotive aftermarket industry, likely to continue outpacing growth of the overall economy.

The forecast demonstrates that despite facing strong new vehicle sales, historic high gas prices and a flattening of miles driven, our industry is poised for steady growth. Among the positive market drivers is the oldest-ever average vehicle age of 11.3 years, and the overall age mix of vehicles, which continues to favor older vehicles.

Our association partnered with the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association to produce the model to create a single and unified view of industry size, growth rate and outlook. The complete Channel Forecast Model will be included in the 2014 Digital AAIA Aftermarket Factbook, to be released next week.

Spring Has Sprung at AAIA Spring Leadership Days

While spring weather may have sprung back at our headquarters in Bethesda, Md., the weather outside is frightful here in “sunny” Bonita Springs, Fla. at the 2013 AAIA Spring Leadership Days. But the upside of the stormy weather outside is that it eliminates the distraction of gazing longingly out the window at the golf course or the pool. Beginning yesterday, our nearly 400 volunteer leaders, VIPs, staff and guests got down to business, kicking off three days of more than 30 board, committee and workgroup meetings and networking events.

I am always amazed and gratified to see this impressive number of industry professionals who have taken the time away from their businesses to help direct the association’s many programs and initiatives. These are the folks who work together to provide the vision and direction of YOUR association all year long, to steer our work on behalf of the industry that plays such a vital role in keeping America on the road.

A 97-Month Car Loan?! Really?

You may have read that some banks are offering consumers as much as a 97-month car loan. Really? The idea is to stretch out the terms long enough to reduce the monthly payment. But an eight-year financing deal screams “upside down’’ again and again. Let’s admit this is a subprime car loan at the least, and a scheme close to indentured servitude at best. Wait a minute — weren’t subprime housing loans the herald of our latest recession?

There is no doubt that today’s vehicles are engineering and manufacturing wonders – more durable than ever before. There is no doubt that doubling the terms could keep customers out of competitors’ showrooms for twice as long. But eight years?! You can age scotch and bourbon that long and improve the taste, but cars are like association presidents: they don’t necessarily age gracefully. Eight years will keep consumers away from significant safety improvements, technology upgrades and mileage gains. And when these go upside down, the value of used vehicles will drop faster than a cold beer on a hot day.

Do we learn nothing from history? Especially recent history?

It’s Tool Time: National Car Care Month

While every month is car care month for me, the official National Car Care Month (NCCM) in April is the absolute best time for the industry to rally together to reach motorists with the essential message of proper vehicle maintenance and repair. This year, the Car Care Council has made participating in NCCM and the “Be Car Care Aware” campaign as simple as opening your tool box – your ONLINE tool box, that is.

The council has a new industry-specific section of its website, www.carcare.org/industry-tool-box/, called the Industry Tool Box. Designed exclusively for aftermarket industry businesses, it provides the tools, materials, resources and how-to information needed to get started in helping educate consumers about the benefits of regular vehicle maintenance, care and repair. From handing out the popular car care guide to hosting a full-scale community vehicle check-up event (click here for all the events already scheduled around the country!), there is no shortage of ways for you to get involved in the industry’s popular consumer outreach program.

The Tool Box is organized into several tool box “drawers” labeled:

•           Get Started

•           Participate in Car Care Months

•           Host an Event

•           Promotional Materials

•           Communicate with Your Customers

•           The Car Care Guide

•           Tune up Your Website

•           Car Care Video Clips

•           Latest News

•           Resources

If you use resources from all the drawers or just one, the Industry Tool Box will provide you with all the right tools for your best-ever NCCM. Join us – and your industry colleagues – in celebrating the industry’s most important month!

Sequester Arrest

Living in Washington, D.C. means that you can get caught up in government issues that affect the rest of the country not a whit. Take sequestration, for example. Regardless of what nincompoop invented it, I actually thought that maybe we should avoid it by negotiating a bit. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This city can’t even get a 10 percent spending cut right. Every business person in America has cut 10 percent from their budget, project, projections, initiative and expense account. Thoughtfully considered the consequences, evaluated the nuances and then did it. Didn’t whine, try scare tactics, ignore it or suggest others get off their ^%*%$es. Every family in America has cut 10 percent from their monthly budget on occasion without a peep. And guess what, the national and local media didn’t spend countless hours examining phony consequences. Life went on. Lesson learned. I am not smart enough to have a solution for what happens on Capitol Hill, just a few short Metro stops from where I am, but I am pretty darn sure that if all the folks there were victims of any cut — of any kind — from the amount of vodka in a cocktail to a portion of their lifetime benefits, they would get things “righter” than they have.