Why do people go to AAPEX?

There are many answers: to sell, to buy, to see what’s new, to see old friends and meet new people.

Some people go because it’s in Las Vegas, and some would like to avoid it for the same reason. Some go just to get away from the same old grind. Some companies will generate a major part of their year’s business at this show, and some years any given company will simply go in self-defense, almost breaking their advertising budget just to be seen at this industry’s most important event of the year. After all, the automotive aftermarket generates over 200 billion dollars of business, and ya can’t win if ya don’t play.

But above all, a trade show puts everyone on a level playing field. Whether a distributor visits a client or a buyer visits a distributor’s website, someone is a guest and someone is the host. At AAPEX, everyone is a visitor, and everyone can find something to talk about that’s not business related, even if it’s just the shared misery of sore feet. Neutral ground can lubricate social interaction almost as effectively as the food and drink flowing through each evening’s corporate receptions.

Why do people go to AAPEX? Because even if the business it generates doesn’t always meet expectations, no one loses.