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Seattle, WA, February 19th, 2018 – AudioControl (audiocontrol.com), makers of innovative high-performance audio solutions for the residential, commercial and automotive markets has announced their training schedule for the 2018 Spring KnowledgeFest to be held February 23-25 in Long Beach, CA.
AudioControl will be showcasing the brand’s newest products focused on OEM integration, including a new array of amplifiers and processors. AudioControl’s Chris Bennett, National Director of Mobile, will be helping KnowledgeFest attendees fully understand the benefits and opportunities associated with these products as they apply to both sales and installation teams.
ACM Amplifiers
When it comes to amplification, all of the new AudioControl products deliver unmatched features and performance. The recently unveiled ACM amplifiers deliver superb sound quality for any system design, yet amazingly are only 1 ½ -inches in height and compact overall footprint measuring 8-inches by 3-inches. ACM Series amps can be mounted with controls oriented up or down, and reversible cover plates allow flexible mounting options when paired with AudioControl DM series DSP processors or when using multiple ACM Series amplifiers in confined spaces. All ACM models have been engineered to deliver critical features such as separate HI and LO level inputs, giving installers the option to use any aftermarket head unit or their customer’s factory installed system without the need for additional adapters. Each ACM amplifier is 2-Ohm stable and features AudioControl’s patented AccuBASS® circuitry, a 12dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley Crossover and AudioControl’s GTO signal sensing circuitry for the utmost in system flexibility and ease of installation. Based on this outstanding feature array and superior performance, the AudioControl ACM lineup delivers audio entertainment euphoria even in the most confined automotive setting.
DM-RTA
Please join AudioControl to learn all about these latest product offerings as well as exciting advances such as the upcoming DM-RTA. The DM-RTA is an all-in-one calibration tool that can provide everything an installer needs to test an audio signal in any environment. If you are a technician in the mobile audio industry, don’t miss this chance to learn about the DM-RTA, AudioControl’s latest achievement that puts four vital test tools at your fingertips within a single unit!
KNOWLEDGEFEST TRAINING SCHEDULE
Saturday, February 24
Time: 4:45 pm - 5:45 pm
Meeting Room: Seaside 5B
Sunday, February 25
Time: 10:15 am - 11:15 am
Meeting Room: Seaside 5B
Don’t Miss Out
KnowledgeFest is Your Place to Learn and Connect with the Mobile Electronics Community
"These education events are designed provide you with the latest information to help you advance the professionalism and profitability of your business."
If you missed attending CES 2018 then take heart in knowing that you have another chance to discover your favorite brands at KnowledgeFest West in Long Beach, California, KnowledgeFest East in Indianapolis, Indiana and KnowledgeFest Dallas in Dallas, Texas. KnowledgeFest is the only industry event dedicated to the mobile electronics specialist, the installing dealer. These events combine a trade show floor with educational workshops and manufacturer trainings for added value to you, the attendee.
The next event is just around the corner in Long Beach California, February 23-25, 2018. This city is a great destination for West Coast dealers, especially those in the Southern California market. The Long Beach Convention Center is a downtown venue with lots of nearby hotels and restaurants. And February is a great time for manufacturers to showcase their new products and provide the best information and education to sell and install them.
The KnowledgeFest experience is designed to provide you with the information you need to provide that experience. Here's how:
Education
Learning from the best in our industry provides an unequalled educational experience that now occurs three times a year. Make plans to experience the next event in your area. These events combine educational workshops and manufacturer trainings with a trade show floor. No other event provides the quality and hours of training targeted to mobile specialists. These education events are designed provide you with the latest information to help you advance the professionalism and profitability of your business. Employees of MEA member companies attend all KnowledgeFest events free of charge.
The three-day event is packed with more than 40 hours of top-notch educational workshops, great networking opportunities, over 50 hours of manufacturer training sessions, and an exhibit floor on which new products and categories are available to discover. Educational workshops and manufacturer trainings will empower you to deliver exceptional customer experiences and grow your business.
Information
Mobile Electronics Association publishes Mobile Electronics® magazine, the best read for business, sales and installation. Mobile Electronics magazine, our Hotwire e-newsletter and various websites keep you in the know and ready for action. MEA member companies and their employees receive free magazines, e-newsletter subscriptions and access to MEA digital media. Social media sites like the Mobile Electronics Facebook page also offer ways to connect with the industry.
Empowerment
Mobile Electronics Association is the only industry group dedicated to the 12-volt specialist. Our primary focus is help you build your business. The MEA community is comprised of retailers, manufacturers, sales reps, distributors and service providers. The Mobile Electronics Association is committed to growing the mobile electronics industry and ensuring a future for mobile specialists. You can support that through your membership. Become a part of our community. Be empowered. Let your voice be heard and ensure your interests are represented.
Learn by Profession
The education at KnowledgeFest is comprised of three tracks that focus on each area of expertise. For the installer, there is the Technician and Fabricator track. This track provides a balance of the top techniques for making physical modifications to the vehicle as well technical expertise for key topics like remote start and audio upgrades. The Sales and Marketing track will appeal to owners, managers, sales professionals and those responsible for marketing. You will learn tried-and-true processes taught by retailers who use these techniques effectively in their own businesses.
Also, for the entrepreneur there is the Owner and Manager track. This year the focus will be on essential practices that every CEO should live by. Topics will include: a day in the life of a CEO and learning the best way to calculate your true hourly rate. In addition to these business building topics, a special keynote address will help you define what success in your business and life should look like.
Peer Advice, Meet the Makers
KnowledgeFest provides the best networking opportunity in our industry! Talk one-on-one with people with whom you do business (or should be). Participate in your choice of 50-plus product training sessions to get real insight on product characteristics and selling strategies to make you the expert in your market.
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a relative newcomer to mobile electronics, KnowledgeFest has something for you. Learn from the experiences of others in our industry who have dealt with both failure and success. Many social activities after hours add fun to the mix.
I challenge you to join us this February in Long Beach for our first KnowledgeFest on the West Coast.
On behalf of myself, and of the entire Mobile Electronics Association team, we thank you for being part of the only industry event dedicated to the Mobile Electronics Specialist, the installing dealer!
Read the story in Mobile Electronics magazine HERE.
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – March 11, 2019 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) today announced KnowledgeFest™, in its second year at the Long Beach Convention Center, marked another success:
- Attendance grew to more than 1500 attendees, including more than 900 retailer and 100 distributer attendees;
- The number of exhibitors increased to 53; occupying more than 70,000 square feet of exhibit space;
- 30 Hours of educational workshops; and
- A record-setting 68 hours of manufacturer trainings.
“Attendance-wise, this year in Long Beach our audience of mobile specialists was on par with last August’s KnowledgeFest Dallas, which is our long-standing flagship event now in its tenth year,” stated Chris Cook, MEA president. “This year’s increase in the number of exhibitors maxed-out the Long Beach show floor in its present configuration. We have room to expand for next year, and we’re planning some interesting new things to take advantage of that space.”
This weekend, March 15-17, KnowledgeFest sets its sights on Indianapolis. The Friday through Sunday event at the Indiana Convention Center brings its industry-recognized educational and training program and trade show floor to the Indy marketplace.
“2019 marks our fifth year in Indy. Yet, some in our industry still sell the Indy market short,” according to Cook. “KnowledgeFest Indy continues to grow with year-over-year growth. Attendee pre-registration is up more than 30 percent this year. Indy covers the market east of the Mississippi: the east coast and near east—cities, such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland. It's dealers from these markets who don’t show up for CES but are coming to Indy. There are manufacturers who recognize the value. After several expansions, our 2019 show floor is sold out.”
Kicking-off Indy, after a full day of educational sessions and manufacturer trainings, the show floor opens Friday at 4 PM for “Beer & Business”. This business-first event provides dealers and vendors with a relaxed setting to meet, see first-hand new products and do some business.
KnowledgeFest 2019 concludes with its Dallas event: August 9-11 at the Dallas Convention Center.
2020 KnowledgeFest Dates:
- Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California, February 7-9, 2020
- Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 27-29, 2020
- NEW for 2020! Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, May 15-17, 2020
- Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas, August 21-23, 2020
About KnowledgeFest
KnowledgeFest is now coast to coast. Its four regional trade-only events cover the eastern, southeastern, central and western US and Canada. KnowledgeFest combines a tradeshow floor with educational programming and training for dealers. KnowledgeFests are the only industry events dedicated to the mobile specialist, the installing dealer. For more information and to register to attend, go to www.knowledgefest.org. For exhibitor sales, contact Kerry Moyer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.." style="color: #000000;">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
About the Mobile Electronics Association
Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) is a trade association comprised of installing dealers and product vendors dedicated to serving the needs of the mobile electronics specialist industry. MEA owns and produces KnowledgeFest®, regional trade-only industry events that combine educational programming and vendor training with a trade show floor. MEA owns and publishes the monthly Mobile Electronics® magazine, which is the industry’s #1 resource, as well as other digital media, including websites and the industry’s e-newsletter Hotwire. MEA provides software and data-driven services to vendors and retailers.
4-10-2017 -- During the town hall presentation at KnowledgeFest Spring Training in Indianapolis, Ind., Mobile Electronics Association President Chris Cook announced the upcoming dates for the next three KnowledgeFest events, including the first ever California KnowledgeFest event in Feb. 2018.
"We are on a mission to educate, inform and empower the industry... Our next event is going to be in Dallas. It's coming up August 12th through 14th," Cook said. "Our new event is going to be in Long Beach, [Calif.] February 23rd through 25th for all of our West coast friends."
Next year's spring training event will take place March 17 through 19 in the Indianapolis, returning the event to a weekend after taking place at the beginning of the week this year. This year's KnowledgeFest in Dallas will be held at the Dallas Convention Center due to it outgrowing the previous venue. The Omni Hotel will serve as the main hotel for the event and a surprise location has been chosen for the industry awards.
Holly Hill, FL - February 9, 2018 – Metra Electronics®, the leading manufacturer of aftermarket automotive solutions, will be at KnowledgeFest in Long Beach, CA from February 23 to 25, 2018 at booth 424 in the Long Beach Convention Center. With the release of more than 200 new products at SEMA and CES combined, Metra Electronics and Axxess have innovative solutions designed to cover an even wider range of vehicle technologies and applications. Metra is hosting a vendor training session to introduce these new products and show installers how they can use these solutions to their advantage.
Metra Electronics and Axxess New Product Training
Metra’s vendor training will take place on Friday, 2/23/18 from 3:00pm - 4:00pm in the Seaside Room and again on Saturday, 2/24/18 from 5:30pm - 6:30pm with Stephanie Carver. Training topics include the new Axxess ADDCAM solution for aftermarket camera integration with the OEM radio and its vehicle-specific plug-n-play harnesses. For applications with an existing backup camera that are adding front and side cameras to the OEM radio, the AX-ADDCAM camera switching interface will provide up to three additional camera inputs to the factory radio and still retain the factory camera. AX-ADDCAM interface technology allows the cameras to function automatically for parking assistance, when commands are available on the CANBUS. In this instance, no human interaction is required to display the camera feeds, unless desired to do so. If the factory system does not already include a rearview camera, the AX-ADDCAM interface can also be used to add up to four CAN activated camera inputs to the factory radio.
This session will also cover the new Axxess radio replacement interfaces with MOST25 amplifier retention. These new interfaces provide accessory 12-volt power and NAV outputs, retain steering wheel controls, retain the OEM amplifier and will retain chimes, when present. They utilize Axxess’ revolutionary ASWC-1 technology along with a fiber optic interface that allows coverage into the MOST 25 vehicle applications. The MOST25 radio replacement interfaces utilize the backup camera input of the aftermarket radio to display personalization menus and, if equipped, the sonar sensors.
The new Axxess AX-DSP plug-n-play packages and T-harnesses introduced at CES 2018 will also be covered in the training. AX-DSP packages now cover select applications with SPDIF or MOST50 digitally amplified systems and include the patent-pending Digital Signal Processor (AX-DSP) by Axxess, a vehicle-specific T-harness and amplifier bypass harness. The number of T-harnesses available for the AX-DSP have also doubled, as this new product has helped fill a gap in the market. The AX-DSP, which began shipping in the summer of 2017, already works with a wide range of vehicle applications, including non-amplified vehicles that do not have chimes. For amplified vehicles or vehicles with chimes, see the AX-DSP application chart for more information. The AX-DSP is a cost effective solution for customers who want to retain their factory radio and improve their vehicle sound quality, while still retaining systems like SYNC® or OnStar®. This digital signal processor sets itself apart with on-board digital amplifier turn-on capability, chime retention with volume control, and fully adjustable 31 band graphic EQ with time delay. All features and adjustments are controlled via Bluetooth® to the Axxess smartphone application, available for iOS and Android devices.
Metra’s latest TurboTactile dash kits with integrated electronics that debuted at CES 2018 will also be covered in the training. The TurboTactile dash kits feature factory style hard buttons, etched graphics, LCD knobs, and integrated electronics that retain most vehicle customization features.
Attendees will also learn about Metra’s popular TubroTouch dash kits with an integrated 4.3” touchscreen and user interface that retains and controls most of the climate and vehicle customization functions that are normally lost when removing the factory radio. The TurboTouch smart interface technology automatically detects the vehicle’s features. Steering wheel functionality is retained and the patent-pending touchscreen design also retains the factory safety features, including backup camera.
Register Now for KnowledgeFest
To learn more about these products, please register to attend KnowledgeFest and sign up for the Metra and Axxess new product training at: http://knowledgefest.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=113&Itemid=332
Non-member pricing is $249 for the first registration, and each additional registrant is free. Metra customers can contact their sales representative for a VIP code for free registration to this event.
About Metra Electronics
At Metra, 12 volt installation and integration is our passion. We strive to continuously offer the highest quality products to meet the fluctuating technological challenges of the automotive world. We actively listen to our customers’ requests and invest resources into developing the highest quality dash kit and harness solutions. We make more dash kits for the most vehicle applications than anyone else in the world. That’s why we’ve been known as “The Installer’s Choice®” for over 70 years. Our brands include: Axxess®, T-Spec®, The Install Bay®, Heise LED Lighting Systems®, iBeam Vehicle Safety Systems®, Shuriken High Performance Batteries®, Raptor®, Ballistic® and AmmoTenna®. Metra’s expertise in connectivity solutions is also applied to their division of premium home theater and surveillance products, Metra Home Theater Group®.
For ordering information and pricing, visit Metra Electronics online at MetraOnline.com or call 800.221-0932. For Metra Home Theater Group ordering information and pricing, visit MetraHomeTheater.com or call 866.839.9187.
# # #
For more information regarding the content of this press release, please contact:
Name: Metra Sales Team
Phone: 800.221.0932
Websites: MetraOnline.com
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