Twenty-five Years and Growing Stronger
North Andover, MA – August 15, 2019 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) hosted its largest KnowledgeFest to date in Dallas this past weekend. Marking its 25th anniversary, the trade show and conference broke records for attendance and exhibit space.
Held at the Dallas Convention Center, August 9-11, the event hosted more than 2,000 attendees, 73 exhibitors with over 50 show vehicles and covered 110,000 sq. feet of exhibit space. Over 120 hours of vendor training and educational workshops took place over the three day event.
“Being in Dallas was a great way to celebrate KnowledgeFest’s 25th anniversary,” said Chris Cook, president of MEA. “Looking at the numbers, we were excited going in, but the turn-out was beyond our expectations. We are already at work to keep that momentum going for 2020 when KnowledgeFest goes coast-to-coast with the addition of our fourth event in Orlando. Mobile specialists—both retailers and manufacturers—have recognized that KnowledgeFest is the only event meeting their interests; delivering education and manufacturer training and the opportunity to see the newest products.”
The Saturday morning keynote with Bob Phibbs, sponsored by Rockford Fosgate, opened to a standing-room only crowd. Phibbs, known as the Retail Doctor, gave an engaging and interactive presentation showing traditional brick-and-mortar retailers how to compete with online competition and bring more customers into their stores.
The first Women of Mobile Electronics networking lunch also took place during KnowledgeFest Dallas with more than 40 women attending. The lunch was hosted by MEA’s CFO, Ellen DeLuca, and included a panel presentation moderatored by Tech Up for Women founder, Dawn Pratt, with panelists Theresa Anthony from Rockford Fosgate, Rachel Clark from K40 and Elizabeth Parks from Parks Associates.
The event closed Sunday evening with the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards banquet hosted by Mobile Electronics® magazine. Top awards went to Tim Baillie - Installer of the Year, Sound FX - Retailer of the Year (single store), VOXX - Vendor of the Year and DOW - Distributor of the Year. The full list of winners can be found at ME-Mag.com.
MEA thanks its partners and sponsors for their help in supporting the event and the 12-volt industry.
Upcoming KnowledgeFest events:
- February 7-9, 2020 - Long Beach, CA
- March 27-29, 2020 - Indianapolis, IN
- ·May 15-17, 2020 - Orlando, FL
- August 21-23, 2020, Dallas, TX
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. Learn more at mobile-electronics.com.
Media Contact:
Jenni Moyer
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