Tucker Dealers at AIMExpo as MIC Showcases "Disruptive Thinking"
Tucker last held its traditional Dealer Expo at Fort Worth in January 2020. Since then, much has changed - for Tucker and for the events landscape in the motorcycle industry.
Ex-Harley man Marc McAllister came in as a new CEO at Tucker in the spring of 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was wreaking havoc and the world trying to adjust to a highly uncertain future.
That summer Tucker responded to the plans announced by AIMExpo to shorten the event to three days and make it a dealer/trade only B2B Expo in Las Vegas in January 2021 by co-joining with the MIC-owned show to stage its next Dealer Appreciation Event at AIMExpo.
When the MIC had to abandon its January 2021 show plans, and on the assumption that the pandemic would subside as we got into 2021, Tucker announced a spring road show series instead. That was slated to visit Las Vegas, Fort Worth, Charlotte, Nc. and Sparta, Ky.
That roadshow series was initially postponed by six months to be held in the fall of 2021. However, once it became apparent that the uncertainty triggered by the health crisis would sustain throughout the year, that plan became less viable as the year progressed.
When it became apparent last summer that the MIC was as fully committed to staging AIMExpo at Las Vegas in January 2022 as it was possible to be, McAllister took the decision to revert to the plan that they had originally devised.
That plan was to combine forces with the MIC and add the weight of its dealer and vendor networks to the critical mass of industry attendance at AIMExpo in January 2022 - presently the powersports only independent trade expo in the United States.
The show will run for three days from Wednesday January 19 through Friday 21st, with a Tucker powered industry party featuring indoor flat track racing in the cavernous Las Vegas exhibition complex as the highlight of the industry party.
The latest news is that Motocross race legend Ricky Carmichael (The G.O.A.T. - Greatest of All Time) will be a keynote speaker at AIMExpo 2022 on Wednesday, January 19, followed by a meet-and-greet on the show floor.
Along with the indoor racing, this is the latest in a series of buttons that the MIC is pushing to channel industry inclusiveness and pulling power into AIMExpo as it seeks to build a much needed platform from which the motorcycle and wider powersports industry can build out from solid foundations.
Carmichael is a five-time AMA Supercross Champion, ten-time AMA Motocross Champion, and holds countless records and achievements that will likely never be seen again - Carmichael will be sharing what it takes to be a champion.
"Through the years, one thing has separated successful people from the rest of the pack - mindset," Carmichael said. "A champion mindset is what drives individuals and teams to reach new heights and do what has never been done before. To push past what was previously seen as a success and achieve a new level of greatness. I can't wait to headline AIMExpo's DISRUPTIVE THINKING educational line-up and help everyone embrace their champion mindset."
"Ricky Carmichael embodied success to become the winningest professional motocross rider; some of his records may never be broken," said Andre Albert, director of marketing and events for the Motorcycle Industry Council.
"As our industry leans into expanding, Ricky's champion mindset will be instructive and inspirational, enabling all participants to walk away with strategies to help them discover their inner champion."
The range of educational and industry insight presentations and dealer education opportunities at AIMExpo will be extensive. Under the "Disruptive Thinking" theme, the program is "designed to help dealers approach business from different perspectives and bring together current industry need-to-know content on a variety of key topics" - all sessions will be free for all registered AIMExpo guests.
"Consumers' interests, the way we do business … nearly every aspect of our lives has changed in the last 18 months," said Cinnamon Kernes, vice president of market expansion at the MIC. "This AIMExpo will give dealers and the broader powersports industry access to information, insights and connections to enable them to return to their businesses and implement real, positive change."
AIMExpo will open with the first in-person MIC Communications Symposium since 2019. The session "Last Year Was Great; This Year Could Be LEGENDARY," will bring together "industry thought-leaders sharing powerful, pragmatic and contemporary insights to fuel dealer success. The panel will share learnings, metrics and research from some of North America's most progressive dealers."
