EXPO IN REVIEW: A Statistical and Pictorial Review of Expo 2008

© 2008 Door & Access Systems
Publish Date: Summer 2008
Author: Tom Wadsworth
Pages 50-53


EXPO IN REVIEW
A Statistical and Pictorial Review of Expo 2008
Las Vegas, Nev.
April 23-26, 2008

STREAMING IN: Dozens of the 4,817 attendees ascend to Expo’s location on the second floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Exhibit Attendance Dealers Exhibitors Total
2008 Las Vegas 3,830 987 4,817
2007 Orlando 3,221 1,080 4,301
2006 Las Vegas 3,381 1,636 5,017
2005 Nashville 3,228 916 4,144
2004 Las Vegas 3,677 1,334 5,011
2003 San Antonio 2,611 738 3,349
2002 Nashville 3,337 652 3,989

(Source: IDA)

ECONOMY BLUNTS VEGAS APPEAL: Expo 2008 attracted the largest group of dealers in history. Exhibitor personnel, however, dropped by 40 percent since the last Vegas Expo. According to an exclusive DAS survey, 35 percent of non-attending dealers cited slower business as one of their reasons for not attending.

HIGH PERFORMANCE: The Hörmann Flexon booth made the top five of all manufacturers’ booths mentioned in the 2008 DAS Hottest New Products survey.

Residential Doors Displayed / 2007 / 2008 / % Diff.
Steel Doors / 61 / 91 / +49%
Wood Doors / 17 / 38 / +124%
Aluminum Doors / 15 / 32 / +113%
Other Doors / 20 / 21 / +5%
Total Doors Displayed / 113 / 182 / +61%
Noteworthy Categories / 2007 / 2008 / % Diff.
All Carriage House Doors / 77 / 112 / +45%
Non/Carriage House Doors / 36 / 70 / +94%
Steel Carriage House Doors / 40 / 59 / +48%
Wood Carriage House Doors / 15 / 35 / +133%
Aluminum/and/Glass Doors / 4 / 13 / +225%
MAXIMUM ALUMINUM: Displays of aluminum residential garage doors increased dramatically (+113%) between Expo 2007 and Expo 2008. Displays of aluminum-and-glass doors more than tripled.

COUNTER GRILLE: Lawrence Roll-Up Doors displayed a new counter grille.

POPULAR IN EUROPE: This Sommer garage door opener, not available in the United States, is mounted in its own track above the horizontal track. Sommer says this opener is its most popular model in Europe.

NEW FIRE DOOR: Wayne-Dalton launched a new rolling steel fire door, the FireStar 700 series. The door can be drop-tested and reset by anyone.

STIRRING PRESENTATION: James Bradley, the author of the best-selling book “Flags of Our Fathers,” offered the keynote address at Expo’s opening session on April 25. Bradley told the story of the soldiers in the iconic 1945 photo from Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Bradley’s father, John, was in the photo.

Expo Workshop Attendance
2008 Las Vegas - 3,188
2007 Orlando - 1,957
2006 Las Vegas - 2,800
2005 Nashville - 3,105
2004 Las Vegas - 3,081
2003 San Antonio - 2,249
2002 Nashville - 2,382
WORKSHOP ATTENDANCE SETS RECORD: Attendance at Expo’s 36 workshops (3,188) set an all-time record. According to a DAS survey, 31 percent of Expo attendees did not attend any workshop, but the typical workshop attendee spent nine hours in seminars.

TOP WORKSHOP: Business humorist and motivational speaker T. Scott Gross attracted 404 people to his April 24 workshop on “Positively Outrageous Service.” Spillover crowds listened to the audio of his presentation in an adjacent room.

ENJOYING THE HUMORIST: The packed crowd reacts to one of Scott Gross’s many quips. Front row: George Chandler, Garry and Debbie Stewart, and Dan Murdock.

TOP 12 WORKSHOPS
Workshop - Speaker - Attendance
1. Positively Outrageous Service - T. Scott Gross - 404
2. IDEA: Be More Profitable Now! (3 sessions) - IDEA Leaders - 232
3. Marketing and the New Media - Bill Weber - 214
4. Garage Door Markets: The Next 5 Years - John Zoller David Bowen - 200
5. Wind, Pyramids, Obelisks and Beer - Maureen Clemmons - 168
6. Selling By Design - Pat Lohse Cathy Wempe - 162
7. When Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong - Randy Moore - 156
8. Selling Quality at Every Level - Todd Thomas - 133
9. Ten Statements to Increase Sales Effectiveness - Tom Wadsworth - 126
10. Five Things I Can Do on Monday - Randy Moore - 125
11. The Hidden Costs of Poor Labor Productivity - Bruce McConnell - 123
12. How to Mix Blood and Business - Ronald Reese - 112

PONDERING NEW IDEAS: Michelle Smith of Precision Door Service of Charlotte, N.C., listens closely to Randy Moore’s April 23 workshop on “Mythbusters: When Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong.”

BEYOND YELLOW PAGES: Bill Weber of AE Door & Window in Cincinnati offers insights on “Marketing and the New Media,” April 24. The session attracted 214 attendees, Expo’s third most popular seminar.

IDEA LEADERS SHARE IDEAS: In a seminar offered three times, three IDEA leaders presented ways to “Be More Profitable Now!” Attendees received a new publication by IDEA, “Marketing the Professional Door Company.”