CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TOP 50 RETAILERS AND TOP 100 INSTALLERS
Hello All,
It’s Time! This is the official notification that the 2014 Industry Awards are underway.
This blog is intended to outline the process and rules for the awards, starting from selecting the Top 100 Installers and Top 50 Retailers, all the way to selecting the final winners. Those winners will be announced and celebrated at the Mobile Electronics Retailers Association (MERA) KnowledgeFest event in Dallas, August 16-19.
For those of you who don’t know, The Industry Awards recognize the top performers in our industry. At the retail level, we identify the Top 100 Installers and Top 50 Retailers. Each of these groups narrows down to the Top 12, and finally we select winners from this group. This year, we’ve made changes to the Retailer of the Year awards. There will be one winner and one runner-up award given in two categories: single store and chain. The Installer of the Year award remains unchanged.
And there are other awards as well. The Trusted Tech award goes to the individual installation expert who is not only an excellent troubleshooter and detail-oriented worker, but has also earned the recognition and respect of their peers. The Rep of the Year and Rep Firm of the Year recognize sales representatives who go beyond the transaction to provide support and encouragement to retailers. Distributor of the Year (new for 2014) and Expediter of the Year award the top performers in these sales channels. And our Vendor of the Year awards celebrate the hard-working staffs of our suppliers and manufacturers in several different categories.
Before we delve more into the details, I want to first thank the members of the Mobile Electronics Advisory Group for their time and valued input. My goal for the group was to streamline the rules and policies of the awards so that we can present a fair and transparent process to the industry. The guidelines you see below are the result of their dedication.
Good Luck to All!
Solomon Daniels, Editor-in-Chief
2014 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards – Rules and Guidelines
Retailer Qualifications:
A publicly accessible, licensed brick-and-mortar or mobile business that has a dedicated mobile electronics department with full sales, retail and installation support. The business must have been open for a minimum of two years, regardless of location. (Home-based business must meet the same criteria and be licensed by local municipality to operate a mobile electronics retail business in its location.)
Installer Qualifications:
Installation specialists with a minimum 5 years of experience under a licensed business (company or sole proprietor) who are gainfully employed as a professional installer. Installation must be their primary duty within the business.
Vendors, Expediters, Distributors, Reps and Rep Firm Awards
Qualifications:
A vendor, manufacturer's representative, distributor or expediter that produces, sells or supports products in the mobile electroncis industry.
Vendor Awards:
Expediter of the Year
Rep of the Year
Rep Firm of the Year
Distributor of the Year
Top Vendor - Vendor – Autosound / Video
Top Vendor – Security / Convenience / Safety
Top Vendor – Power / Installation Components
Top Vendor – Processing and Integration
June 3: Voting to Select the Top 12 Begins
Individuals who vote are divided into two categories:
Consumers / Enthusiasts – people who are customers, family members, friends or competitors and are NOT employees in the mobile electronics industry in a professional capacity.
Industry professionals – people who work for an industry manufacturer, supplier, distributor, affiliate company or a retail location.
Because this is primarily an industry award, the value of an industry vote will be higher than that of a consumer vote:
Each person may select one retailer and one installer. Voters must supply contact information for verification purposes, and IP addresses are monitored to reduce the possibility of fraudulent voting. (Multiple store employees may vote from the same computer / IP address.)
June 20: LAST DAY to VOTE!
August 18: All winners announced at KnowledgeFest
Errors and omissions:
If, throughout this process, we determine that there is an error or more detail / clarification is required, we will publicly announce the adjustment via Hotwire, our email newsletter.
