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• -- August 26-28, 2022 - Dallas, TX
• -- February 5-7, 2023 – Las Vegas, NV
• -- May 5-7, 2023 – Orlando, FL
• -- June 23-25, 2023 – Indianapolis, IN
• -- August 2023 – Dallas, TX

NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – March 21, 2019 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) today announced last weekend’s KnowledgeFest™ Indianapolis event had a strong showing from both retailers and manufacturers.

In its fifth year, the 2019 event held at the downtown Indiana Convention Center boasted a sold-out show floor with 50 exhibitors and 60,000 square feet of exhibit space. There was a strong showing of new exhibitors from new companies. New product categories offered new business opportunities for retailers, while the wide-open market with Indianapolis at its center presented exhibiting manufacturers with an opportunity for business development. Most key companies from the 12-volt specialty industry had a presence.

“We had great turn-out from dealers for Friday’s ‘Beer & Business” kick-off,” said Chris Cook, MEA president. “Exhibitors reported strong traffic over all three days of the event. Even before the close, many expressed they were extremely satisfied with the event. After onsite space selection, we left Indy with strong booth sales for next March’s Indy KnowledgeFest. We’re coming back! My message to 12-volt manufacturers is this: ‘If you weren’t in Indy this year, be there next year! Don’t write-off this market.”

With 20% year-over-year growth in Indy over the past five years, MEA reported attendance totaling more than 1000 with more than 775 retailer and distributor attendees.

“MEA thanks Davis Distribution for its awesome support of our Indy event,” said Cook. “Working with their manufacturer partners, all did an exceptional job helping to drive retailer attendance and 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.

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.

Mobile Electronics March Issue, 3-1-2016 -- Everything starts small. Children grow into adults. Small seeds blossom into giant redwood trees. And small businesses that wish to learn and improve come together to form internationally recognized trade shows. SEMA, for example, started in 1963 with a group of small automotive manufacturers who supplied performance equipment for early hot rods. After 40 years, it became what it is: an industry giant, featuring thousands of companies and hundreds of show cars, all having joined over time, despite several name changes and makeovers to the event over the years.

KnowledgeFest, now in its 23rd year, has grown and changed in similar ways with a name change (formerly referred to by many retailers as MERA), growing attendance from both manufacturers and retailers, adding activities (like the Industry Awards) and changing venues over the years. Now, held in Dallas at a luxurious hotel and including more seminars and events than ever before, it's outgrown being just an annual event.

After last year's highly successful first-time effort, KnowledgeFest Spring Training is back to offer an alternative for some and an expansion for others looking to improve their businesses. Located at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, this year's show will emphasize more focused seminars and product trainings from the biggest names in 12-volt. The event has more exhibitors, requiring an addition of 7,500 square feet of exhibit space to make room for those new companies. First time manufacturer exhibitors for the event will include JL Audio, Sony, AudioControl, AAMP Global and Accele.

“We are extremely pleased to have these new exhibitors join us at KnowledgeFest Spring Training 2016. Most of them have been supporting our Dallas event for several years,” said Chris Cook, Mobile Electronics Group President in a recent press release. “Their support recognizes this event as the best opportunity to provide quality sales and installation training during the launch of their new products and services introduced earlier this year at CES."

Over 50 brands are scheduled to be featured within 42,000 square feet of exhibit space and 10 meeting rooms at the event. Given the timeliness of the event coinciding with new product releases, dealers can expect trainings on the ins and outs of the newest products from top manufacturers.

Continue the rest of the story HERE.

The entire family of Maxxsonics audio brands will be in attendance at booth #1107 for KnowledgeFest Las Vegas 2024

Libertyville, IL – Maxxsonics is excited to be in attendance at KnowledgeFest Las Vegas 2024 this year. The event takes place from February 2nd through the 4th at the Paris Hotel & Convention Center in Las Vegas Nevada. Taking audio to new heights across MB Quart, Hifonics, Crunch, and Autotek, the entire family of Maxxsonics audio brands will be in attendance at KnowledgeFest 2024.

Founded in 1994 by a group of specialty retailers and reps in the Midwest, KnowledgeFest brings together knowledge and experiences from participants within the Mobile Electronics industry. KnowledgeFest includes over 27 educational workshops, 70 manufacturer trainings, incredible networking opportunities, and a trade show featuring manufacturer and benefit-provider exhibits. Maxxsonics will be ready to talk one-on-one with dealers, specialty manufacturers, and others in attendance spreading insight and knowledge on the audio horizons of MB Quart, Hifonics, Crunch, and Autotek.

We hope you can be a part of KnowledgeFest 2024 and join us in taking our knowledge and mobile electronic insights to the next level!

Follow the link to learn more details and complete event information on KnowledgeFest 2024. https://www.knowledgefest.org/

Follow the link to register as an attendee.

https://www.knowledgefest.org/register

Established in 2001 and headquartered in Libertyville, IL, Maxxsonics is a global leader in the Mobile, Marine, and Powersports audio industries. Innovating products that bring out the best in audio and sound, Maxxsonics specializes in designing and manufacturing amplifiers, speakers, subwoofers, and accessories branded; Hifonics, MB Quart, Crunch, and Autotek. Additionally - Maxxsonics is the premier OEM audio supplier of audio solutions/systems for Kawasaki off-road vehicles, Polaris® off-road vehicles, and CFMOTO. Founded by a handful of consumer electronics and automotive security veterans – Maxxsonics products are now heard and experienced around the world.

After a well-received but loosely attended first year, KnowledgeFest Spring Training has become a rousing success in its second, shattering its previous attendance and adding more vendors to help train dealers on new products for the coming selling seasons.  

5-1-2016, Mobile Electronics, May 2016 Issue -- Sometimes in life, you need a trial run. You get an idea, try it out and learn from it to improve for next time. Such was the case for KnowledgeFest Spring Training when it was first introduced to the 12-volt industry in April 2015. Since then, the show-runners at Mobile Electronics Group have listened to their audience and made adjustments to craft an experience worthy of the precedent that its namesake event set in Dallas.

In its first year, the event drew around 350 attendees and had a turn-out that was below expectations for its Mobile Electronics show, where industry manufacturers set up booths to mingle with current and future dealers. This year, the three-day event which took place April eighth to April 10 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., drew over 750 retailers and 40 manufacturers. In comparison, KnowledgeFest in Dallas has drawn around 1,000 retailers on average each year.

The event featured three elements for retailers to take part in: educational seminars, taught by various experts in and around the industry, manufacturer trainings and the Mobile Electronics Show, where manufacturers set up booths to showcase the latest products and mingle with attendees. The latter represents what the event has become since its inception—an opportunity for networking between everyone in the industry, to share ideas and help progress the industry as a whole.

"We are extremely pleased with the turnout of the event," said Chris Cook, Mobile Electronics Group president. "We had a steady presence of retailers during exhibit floor hours and workshop attendance was strong. Exhibitors we've spoken to are pleased with the traffic they received, both in their booths and their individual product training workshops. In fact, onsite we received strong commitments from exhibitors to come back to Indy next year."

The seminars and trainings were housed in eight meeting rooms that rotated throughout the show. Attendees received peer-based instruction, tips and advice through 18 workshops segmented for owners and managers, sales professionals and installation technicians.

Exhibitors hosted 40 workshops to focus on brand-specific instruction, with most opening their workshops to prospective and current authorized retailers. On the last day of the event, the exhibit floor hours were moved to the morning and educational workshops finished off the day, resulting in more face time between manufacturers and attendees. 

Check out the rest of the story by Clicking HERE

Introspection Leads the Way

Those who took home awards agreed that giving back to the community, offering encouragement to others and learning to be self-aware are essential aspects to fostering growth in the industry.

Words by Rosa Sophia

As everyone gathered in the banquet hall for the industry awards announcements, many attendees who were up for awards shared in both excitement and nervousness. A number of the winners who were called up on stage later said they felt as if they’d fumbled—such was the feeling of overwhelm. Ethan Blau of Sound Wave Customs in Virginia Beach, Va. expressed a similar sentiment.

Later, after the awards had been given out and this year’s winners had time to absorb the reality of it, Blau commented on his hopes for the future. “We try to help and give back,” he said of him and his team. “I want to keep going that route and hopefully inspire others. Maybe push people past their limits and help them beyond their fears.”

This year, Sound Wave Customs was awarded Retailer of the Year for a single store. It hasn’t completely sunk in for Blau—not yet. “It’s still so new,” he added.

Making Connections at KnowledgeFest

At one of the most successful KnowledgeFest events to date, attendees shared how much they’d learned from workshops, manufacturer trainings and by talking to reps and networking on the show floor. By the time the awards event came around on Sunday evening, a lot of new connections had already been made.

Solomon Daniels, editor-in-chief of Mobile Electronics magazine, went up on stage and reminded everyone in attendance, “You have homework. That’s the attitude you have to take away from KnowledgeFest.”

After gathering a plethora of information at the show, Daniels stated... Read the rest of the story HERE.

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. 

4-9-2017 -- MEA (Mobile Electronics Association) has partnered with HR Consulting firm, The SAMMAX GROUP to bring retailers the perfect tool to help them when hiring new employees.

By utilizing employment assessments to test past Mobile Electronics Industry Award winners and other top performers in our industry, SAMMAX has created a baseline for store managers, installers and salespeople that measures traits such as organization, flexibility, imagination, assertiveness, recognition and competitiveness, just to name a few. These traits often define a person’s behavior towards doing a job and are considered important in determining success in any organization, according to SAMMAX. The tool can also be used to evaluate current employees and indentify areas of opportunty to gain greater productivity. "When making a hiring decision, it is of great importance to find the right person. This new tool will provide the information needed to make the right decision the first time." said Chris Cook, president of Mobile Electronics.

Sergio De Oliveira of SAMMAX will present a seminar on Monday, 4/10/2017, discussing the assessments in the context of how they can impact car audio retail managers, installers and sales staff. The details are as follows:

THE HIRING PROCESS: NEW TOOLS TO MAKE BETTER HIRING DECISIONS