KnowledgeFest Tops CES North Hall

Editorial:

While the KnowledgeFest tradeshows, sponsored by the Mobile Electronics Association (MEA), have been steadily growing, the show in Dallas this month, was noticeably larger and vibrant, with more retailers attending than in the past.

MEA claimed attendance of 1,115 retailers and 103 distributors, impressive figures for a regional show in an aftermarket with an estimated 4,500 specialist dealer outlets.

MEA issued a press release, with President Chris Cook stating, “Looking at our show floor, I was struck by the number of pure 12-volt companies exhibiting—more than the North Hall. …Dallas establishes KnowledgeFest as the premier event for our industry.”

By “North Hall,” Cook obviously refers to the North Hall of CES.  KnowledgeFest Dallas claimed 60 exhibitors this year.  Our count of aftermarket exhibitors- the type that a 12 volt retailer would want to see–was less than 30 in the North Hall at CES 2018.  There are some other lighting companies and smaller boutique audio companies spread across CES in other halls, and then other companies exhibit in unofficial hotel suites.

So we’d agree that KnowledgeFest in Dallas, by exhibitor count alone is on a par with or larger than CES for the car audio aftermarket, especially looking at just the North Hall of CES. We’d add that CES may have more automotive-related companies that could be useful to dealers, like fleet technology companies.  It’s also a great place to see the technology that will be impacting the car in the future (via new mobile phones or voice tech, or autonomous driving technology).  KnowledgeFest, on the other hand, delivers the product training so vital to the health of our industry in an age of Digital Signal Processors and other complex technology.

Cook added, “Over the last several years we’ve watched KnowledgeFest evolve to the point where, this year in Dallas, we’ve seen the mobile electronics industry make KnowledgeFest their own.”

We will say this for the show this year. The atmosphere was as serious and down to business as any major trade show. It’s become a large, bustling, professional convention of dealers who mean business with some of the training sessions drawing 150 or more attendees.

We wish to congratulate MEA on producing a first rate event, with highly motivated retailers and dedicated suppliers who led training sessions into the evening hours.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention a particular seminar, led by Eddy Kay, who had helped train many of the leading retailers in how to sell.  He returned for the first time in ten years.  We looked around and saw some of the dealers you all know, with tears running down their faces, listening to the tenants that had helped make them successful.

Here are some  facts released by the MEA late last week on KnowledgeFest Dallas mid month.

• More than 1,729 attendees, including 1,217 retailer and distributor attendees: 1,115 retailers and 103 distributors;
• 60 Exhibitors occupying 90,000 square feet of exhibit space;
• 48 Hours of educational workshops; and
• 78 Hours of manufacturer training

2019 KnowledgeFest Dates:

• Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California, February 23-25, 2019
• Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 15-17, 2019
• Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas, August 9-11, 2019