That Time Again

TIA Packs a Lot of Program Into Slimmer, Trimmer ITE/SEMA Show

Change, as anyone will tell you, is inevitable. And so it is with the International Tire Expo, which moved to a new hall in the massive Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) last year, and features a slimmed down program in 2003.

This year’s ITE/SEMA Show is scheduled for Nov. 4-7, though some key TIA events will be held on Monday, Nov. 3.

The South Hall of the LVCC remains the home of the ITE’s Trade Show, the North American tire industry’s largest such gathering. A record-setting 5,504 buyers attended ITE last year and saw Tom Raben, president of Raben Tire Co. in Evansville, Ind., installed as TIA’s second president. This year, Larry Morgan of Morgan Tire & Auto in Clearwater, Fla., takes the reins as president.

As it has for the last three years, the Aladdin Resort & Casino will be the headquarters hotel for ITE, hosting nearly all non-trade show events, including TIA’s lone morning event – Breakfast With the President on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

As of two years ago, TIA annually staged three separate breakfast events, including the Tire Dealer Appreciation Breakfast and a separate Hall of Fame Breakfast and Annual Meeting. The lack of major sponsor support caused the Tire Dealer Appreciate event to disappear last year, and the Hall of Fame induction has been combined with the Breakfast With the President program this year.

The TIA annual meeting, meanwhile, is being held separately on Monday, Nov. 3 at 11:30 a.m. ITE’s opening event – the Gala Reception ®“ will be held that day at the Harley Davidson Café.

There is still plenty of time to register for this year’s ITE/SEMA Show. You can register for the ITE, make hotel reservations, and buy special event tickets online by visiting TIA’s Web site at www.tireindustry.org. Or call SEMA at 702/450-7662, ext. 109.

Here is a look at the day-by-day schedule for the 2003 ITE/SEMA Show:

SUNDAY, NOV. 2

2:30-4:30 p.m.

®′ TIA Executive Committee Meeting at the Aladdin Resort & Casino

All Day

®′ Booth Set-up at LVCC South Hall

MONDAY, NOV. 3

All Day

®′ Booth Set-up at LVCC

8-8:30 a.m.

®′ Continental Breakfast at Aladdin

8:30-11:30 a.m.

®′ TIA Board of Directors Meeting at Aladdin

11:30 a.m.

®′ TIA Annual Meeting at Aladdin

1-5 p.m.

®′ TRMG Meeting at LVCC

4:30-5:30 p.m.

®′ Private Brand Tire Group at Aladdin

6:30-9:30 p.m.

®′ Gala Reception at Harley Davidson Café (sponsored by ASA Tire Systems, GE Retail Sales Finance and Toyo Tire USA)

TUESDAY, NOV. 4

7-9 a.m.

®′ Breakfast with the President featuring Hall of Fame Awards at Aladdin (sponsored by Cooper Tire & Rubber)

9 a.m.-5 p.m.

®′ ITE Trade Show at LVCC

9:15 a.m.-4 p.m.

®′ TIA Executive Meeting at Aladdin

Noon-1:30 p.m.

®′ Past Presidents Luncheon at Las Vegas Country Club (by invitation only)

®′ TIA Executive Appreciation Lunch at Aladdin

2-3:30 p.m.

®′ Tires at Two Seminars at LVCC

* Successful Tire Dealers Share Their Secrets. Moderator: Don Olsen. Some of the industry’s most successful tire dealers discuss how to generate more sales and increase profits. A must for CEO’s looking to expand or improve profitability. (Distinct Programs Nov. 4-5)

* Competitive Analysis. Presenter: Brian Berry, Berry Management Group. Improve market effectiveness by gaining the tools to accurately assess where your company stands vs. competition. Learn key strategies to target the best markets for products and services, and sharpen the competitive edge.

* Maximizing Your Market. Presenter: Brian Packer, QDS Solutions. A look at some of the best ways to increase a dealer’s service, wheel and accessories business. Learn key strategies that will enable a dealer to grow these business segments.

* Masters of Legendary Service. Presenter: Tom Shay, Profits Plus Seminars. What triggers a salesperson’s interest in the wants and needs of customers? Share the strategies and techniques of "legendary" service.

* Increase Your Sales and Profits Through Credit Card Marketing. Presenter: Kurt Miller, GE Sales & Finance. CarCareOne is a credit card marketing program designed exclusively for today’s tire dealer, and helps dealers compete with national chains, increase sales and profits, and generate repeat business by advertising and selling promotional credit.

3-5 p.m.

®′ RIGAC Meeting at LVCC

5-6:30 p.m.

®′ TRIB Meeting at LVCC

5:30 p.m.

®′ TIA Reception for Larry Morgan at Bellagio

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 5

9 a.m.-5 p.m.

®′ ITE Trade Show at LVCC

2-3:30 p.m.

®′ Tires at Two Seminars at LVCC

* Successful Tire Dealers Share Their Secrets. Moderator: Don Olsen.

* Developing Effective Pricing Strategies. Presenter: Brian Berry, Berry Management Group. The wrong pricing strategy can spell disaster and open the doors to competitors. This session outlines eight core pricing techniques, when to use them, when to raise prices, and when to hold the line.

* The Government and the Tire Industry: A Tumultuous Relationship. Presenter: Becky MacDicken, TIA. This seminar will provide an update on the TREAD Act and other regulatory issues that impact the tire industry.

* How to Improve Customer Loyalty. Presenter: Brian Packer, QDS Solutions. Learn how to exceed customer expectations and keep them coming back time after time. This seminar is designed to provide the strategies that will give customers the service they expect.

* Survival in the 21st Century: Increasing Cash Profits. Presenter: Chris Fredericks, Automotive Training Institute. Focus on how to significantly improve business, and how to work "on" your business rather than "in" it (scheduled from 2-5 p.m.).

THURSDAY, NOV. 6

9 a.m.-5 p.m.

®′ ITE Trade Show at LVCC

10-11:30 a.m.

®′ Supplier Advisory Board Meeting at LVCC

11 a.m.

®′ TIA Press Conference at LVCC

2-3:30 p.m.

®′ Tires at Two Seminars at LVCC

* Accelerating Depreciation and Saving Taxes. Presenter: Jeff Hiatt, Performance Business Solutions. Tax law changes impact equipment depreciation. Learn how to leverage the new law, and how the use of the "cost segregation study" may be a benefit.

* The Government and the Tire Industry: A Tumultuous Relationship. Presenter: Becky MacDicken, TIA. Repeat of Nov. 5 program.

* Protecting Your Assets. Presenter: Brian Packer, QDS Solutions. Do you know how to protect assets in these volatile economic times? Gain the know-how to protect valuable assets.

* Increase Your Sales and Profits Through Credit Card Marketing. Presenter: Kurt Miller, GE Sales & Finance. Repeat of Nov. 4 program.

* Survival in the 21st Century: Increasing Cash Profits. Repeat of Nov. 5 program (scheduled for 2-5 p.m.).