Anticipating 2004 in Las Vegas

NACE organizers are clearly looking forward to the 2004 show in Las Vegas, which they hope will result in a rebound in the numbers of show exhibitors and attendees, which have slumped in recent years, as have trade shows in other industries.

"Since Automotive Industry Week began some years ago, there probably hasn't been a year go by where someone hasn't said, 'Why doesn't NACE co-locate with Automotive Week?'" Poss said. "There was a stumbling block with that concept for a long time: You've got to have a place. There was no place. With the opening of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center this past January, that no longer is the case."

That huge new convention space - one of the five largest in the country - offers a location for the NACE trade show and educational programs, while the Las Vegas Convention Center and other local venues are home to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show and the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX). The other shows will run November 2-5, 2004, while NACE will run November 3-6. CARS, the Congress of Automotive Repair, an ASA-sponsored event for the mechanical industry, will also continue to be held that week.

Plenty of available rooms

A major plus for NACE at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center is that it doesn't feel like the traditional, huge and cold convention facility. In fact, walking to the trade show area from the hotel/casino, you don't even realize that you've left the hotel. It's only steps from the trade show area to numerous eateries - fast food to gourmet - and retail shops.

NACE will have high-end rooms available at Mandalay Bay and lower-priced rooms at near-by hotels owned by the same parent company. Attendees will be able to use NACE shuttle buses or a tram system to reach the convention center from those hotels. (Shuttle buses will also run from NACE to the SEMA and AAPEX shows.) Room rates are expected to range from $100 up to $275 for one of Mandalay Bay's soon-to-be-completed 2-room suites, which will include a DVD player, 1-1/2-baths and three flat screen televisions.

Poss said holding all the shows in one week should increase international attendance because those coming from overseas can get one visa in order to come one week to attend all the shows. He said some companies will have to staff booths at more than one show, but that overall response from vendors has been very positive.

"We felt he decision to move to Las Vegas holds many advantages for exhibitors and attendees alike," said Larry Carter, president of Car-O-Liner Company and chairman of the 2003 NACE Exhibitor Advisory Council. Carter said he did not know what the rates for exhibition space would be at Mandalay Bay, but he expected they might be higher than at present.

Paint manufacturers may return

The paint manufacturers, five of which have declined to buy exhibit space at NACE in 2002 and 2003, also are pleased with the move, according to Poss.

"DuPont is enthusiastically supporting ASA's decision to permanently move the NACE show to Las Vegas," commented Rich Morecz, marketing manager for DuPont Performance Coatings, in a press release.

Poss said he believes the move will benefit not only NACE, but SEMA and AAPEX as well.

"All three events will be better attended as we move forward," Poss said. "If you're involved in the automotive industry, it will be hard not to be here in Las Vegas during the week that AAPEX, SEMA and then NACE take place."

John Yoswick is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing about the automotive industry since 1988.