Since this piece was written for the November edition of AMD Magazine, AIMExpo has released its final 2016 show communique and said that the fourth annual show, and the last to be held at Orlando, Florida, attracted “a record number of consumer attendees.
“North America’s premier powersports trade show welcomed a combined 18,399 total attendees over the course of the four-day expo, highlighted by 12,029 consumer enthusiasts [said to be +74 percent on 2015] who filled the aisles and booths of the 451 exhibiting companies and numerous show features over the weekend.”
Global and North American debuts from OEM participants included new models from Honda, KTM, Suzuki and Yamaha, combined with introductions from a wide array of gear and aftermarket companies.
They went on to say that “AIMExpo 2016 experienced the effects of Mother Nature just prior to the start of the event when Hurricane Matthew traveled up the southeastern coast of Florida, leaving destruction in its wake. While Central Florida was fortunate enough to avoid direct impact from the storm, many registered exhibitors, dealers, media and international visitors were adversely affected by Matthew and were unable to attend.
“Even with the weather-related challenges, 2,459 dealer attendees were recorded over the four days of AIMExpo 2016, representing 1,116 dealerships from 49 states and Puerto Rico. In addition to visits conducted during trade-only days, a large number of dealers visited the show over the weekend, including approximately 400 retailers picking up dealer/buyer credentials during the event’s consumer days.
“Attendance by dealers taking advantage of the complementary Powersports DEALER Seminars @ AIMExpo filled 1087 seats, earning critical and valuable knowledge on how to enhance the profitability and operation of their businesses from influencers representing the powersports industry, and beyond.
“AIMExpo’s global impact continued to resonate as well, with a total of 44 countries represented across all attendees. Counting international visitors and dealers/buyers, 6,370 trade attendees were on hand for B2B and I2I (Industry to Industry) business and networking during the four days of AIMExpo, including 3,029 exhibitor attendees and 630 industry personnel members. They were joined by 252 members of the media, who documented all the new model and product introductions for millions of enthusiasts around the world.
“Collectively, the 18,000-plus attendees at AIMExpo 2016 contributed to more than 32 million social media impressions via Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube. This growth of more than 10 million impressions year-to-year demonstrates AIMExpo attendees are more engaged than ever during their experience at the event, eagerly sharing their stories while interacting with other attendees and exhibitors.
“As the sun goes down on AIMExpo in Orlando, the stage is set for the industry’s highly anticipated move to Columbus, Ohio, next September. With its close proximity to the densest population of dealerships in the country, a state-of-the-art host facility at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and a city center that welcomes and will become all things powersports, the desirable location in America’s heartland is poised to boost AIMExpo attendee numbers across the board during its landmark fifth year. With an average early-fall temperature of 65 degrees in the month of September, Columbus will be buzzing throughout the four-day celebration, scheduled for September 21-24, 2017.”
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