According to one of those social media quizzes that gets passed along from your high school buddy who you haven’t talked to since graduation but who invites you to play every game and test online, I’m an optimist. I was surprised because I’m not used to thinking that I’m one of those people. And I think that the industry is not used to being optimistic either. But according to our sources, there’s reason to believe optimism is in the air.
While people have been paying a lot of attention to what’s going on in Washington D.C. lately, there’s another U.S. city that is getting the attention of the motorcycle industry – Columbus, Ohio. It’s been well covered that AIMExpo is relocating here for 2017, but it has not been without a fair share of opinions both for and against the decision to leave Orlando.
Our Anonymous Dealer argues that Orlando was the right time and right place. And whether or not you believe that to be true, AIMExpo’s VP and General Manager Larry Little offers a counterpoint in his column, “Why Not Columbus?” Little lays out the case for the move to Central Ohio, where 41 percent of U.S. dealers are located within a 500-mile radius.
One thing that Little did not point out was the fact that Columbus is also the home to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and its Hall of Fame Museum. The museum and corporate headquarters are located less than 15 miles from the convention center. With the power of the AMA to bring in motorcycle enthusiasts to AIMExpo, Columbus looks like an even better choice.
Although, we can’t argue with the fact Orlando was appealing for sunshine and palm trees, and for the first four years of AIMExpo, it was the perfect location. But after talking to many of you in the industry about the move, there seems to be an optimism in the air for trying something different and to stir things up a little bit. If you’ve already attended the show in Orlando, we think it’s worth giving it a second chance in Columbus to bring us all together.
When it comes to business building, our annual Powersports Industry Profile provides you with a snapshot of how you compare to your peers in the industry. The survey noted that tradeshows such as AIMExpo have increased in influence on where you get your business and management knowledge.
Trade magazines have also increased in importance according to your responses. This year, 80 percent of our respondents reported getting valuable business information from magazines such as MPN. For that, we are honored and will strive to bring you the best business intelligence we can to help you make decisions that improve your bottom line.
