Attendance Rebounds: E+/A.E.R.A.C. Show Brings Rebuilders Out By Traci Matt It was Niagara Falls, Canada…in early spring. ..in an ice hockey arena. But there was no lack of warmth and enthusiasm for the electrical rebuilding industry at “Rebuilding 2000,” the joint E+ and Auto Electric Rebuilders As- sociation of Canada (A.E.R.A.C.) Trade Shows, held May 5 through 7. “Tt’s been a long time since it was so upbeat. I had a great time,” said Saralee Kaplan of Barney Kaplan Sur- plus, a regular at trade shows. “It was very, very good. I even got two guys together—one wanted to sell and one wanted to buy.” Barney Kaplan agreed, “It was well-attended and fairly upbeat. It was a better turnout than I was expecting.” Attendance was indeed “outstand- ing” according to Polly Ferree, co-pro- moter of the show and editor of the Electrical Rebuilder’s Exchange, who said approximately 550 rebuilders came from all over North America. “It was crowded,” she said. “but everybody had a smile on their face and the tone was just wonderful. It was pleasant and there was such a spirit of cooperation. Everything was balanced just right—even the weather was per- fect.” Ferree said she took it as a good sign when her design for a show logo turned out so well this year, with the Canadian and U.S. flags as the “Re- building 2000” background. But the key to success was the show format, formulated at the August 1999 plan- ning meeting in Chicago. “The setup was perfect. Rebuilders could participate in a one, two or three day event,” she said. Sabrina Owens of R & R Regula- tors, South Bend, IN, who attended the planning meeting, said the one-day exhibition really worked well. “It was probably the best E+ Show I’ve ever been to. It was a re- ally great turnout, and the one-day show was better,” she said. She com- mented that having the seminars ona different day worked well, and that maybe even the training stations should be put on when the show floor isn’t open. Owens said the atmosphere of the show was “less competitive” than in the past and she found people much more open to share information. Her only complaint was confusion about the exchange rate and the differences in Canadian versus U.S. pricing. She said getting through customs was no prob- lem due to the comprehensive infor- mation provided to vendors by the A.E.R.A.C. Carole Wickman of Wickman Automotive in Chicago Heights, IL, enjoyed the one-day exhibition format. “One day is sufficient because it’s small enough you can see everything. I like it better than the big show because it’s all electrical rebuilders. We also like the classes that teach you either what you know or what you don’t know,” she said. “We enjoy the comfortable setting. People go to learn and see new things, but they also go to relax and visit.” The Wickmans, along with 150 others, started the weekend off witha tour of the Dixie Electric, Ltd. plant located in the metropolitan Toronto area. According to Jeff Reynolds, site manager for Dixie and president of the A.E.R.A.C., the high turnout pre- sented some logistical challenges on the tour but they were “glad people en- MAY, 2000 joyed it.” Reynolds said he thought the show was excellent, although he was afraid there might be more Canadians than U.S. rebuilders attending, or visa versa. “Whenever you do something like this it’s sort ofa toss in the air. But I thought there was a balance and the joining of the two groups together seemed to stimulate a lot of interest. I was particularly impressed with the high attendance at the Sunday semi- nars. It shocked me, but it was very nice to see,” Reynolds said. Robert McLaren of Genco Auto Electric in Islandia, NY, brought eight people with him to the show, and par- ticularly wanted them to see Dixie’s Concord facility. “T love Dixie. Dixie’s my hero,” said McLaren. “I wanted my people to see Dixie and to see what could be done. It’s just a huge operation.” McLaren said the show was fairly well attended, but that even more rebuilders should make an effort to tum out for events like this. “T don’t understand why the small rebuilders aren’t coming out. I like how they (the sponsors) made everything so economical. There’s really no rea- son the small rebuilder can’t attend. You always pick something up,” he said. Friday’s events culminated with the A.E.R.A.C. meeting, which was open to U.S. rebuilders as well. Guest speaker Joe Davis of WAI in Royersford, PA used his signature slide-show format to present tips on parts selection and unit sales. Davis also directed Saturday’s standing- room only training station on stator testing. During the meeting, Reynolds rec- ognized John Jervelund of Brantford Page 1 of 3