KnowledgeFest Indy Brings the Experience East

Another Record-Setting Event

NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – March 29, 2018 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) announced attendance for its March 16-18 KnowledgeFest® event in Indianapolis, Indiana. Following a successful first-time event in Long Beach, California earlier in March, KnowledgeFest Indy, now in its fourth year, was another record-setting event with year-over-year growth for all KnowledgeFest events continuing in 2018.

Held in the Indiana Convention Center, KnowledgeFest Indy 2018 attracted more than 950 attendees, including more than 630 dealers, a thirty percent increase over 2017. KnowledgeFest Indy is the only industry event dedicated to the mobile electronics specialist, the installing dealer. And, KnowledgeFest is the only mobile electronics tradeshow east of the Mississippi; attracting dealers from more than ten surrounding states, as well as the east coast, “near east” cities like Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo and Rochester, and Canadian cities like Toronto and Ottawa.

Forty-five exhibitors packed a sold-out trade show floor. KnowledgeFest is unique in that it combines a tradeshow floor with educational programming and training for dealers. Indy featured sixty hours of manufacturer training and thirty hours of educational sessions focused on management, sales and installation. Billed as “Spring Training”, KnowledgeFest Indy is scheduled to allow dealers to get training on new products just coming to market and to kick-off the spring season.

“Indianapolis has become a great venue for us, our attendees and exhibitors. We continue to attract manufacturers from the specialty sector of our industry who don’t exhibit at other trade shows and who want to get their products and new technologies in front of our audience of mobile specialists, the installing dealers,” said Chris Cook, MEA president. “The opportunity for manufacturers to train dealers adds value to manufacturers and the dealers overall KnowledgeFest experience. Having Davis Distribution’s presence in Indy has helped drive attendance from nearby markets, and I thank them. As a Massachusetts-based business, we continue to focus on driving attendance from the northeast, New York City and Philadelphia. These dealers aren’t going to Vegas, so we need to communicate that KnowledgeFest Indy is accessible to them, inexpensive to attend, and a high-value experience.”  

KnowledgeFest is three regional events covering the eastern (Indianapolis), central (Dallas) and western (Long Beach) US and Canada. The next 2018 KnowledgeFest takes place in Dallas from August 17-19. For more information go to www.knowledgefest.org.

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®, events in Long Beach, Indianapolis and Dallas 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.

KnowledgeFest Set to Achieve

Theme for 2018-2019 trade shows and conferences announced

NORTH ANDOVER, MASS., June 11, 2018 — The Mobile Electronics Association™ (MEA) announced “Achieve” as the theme for its 2018-2019 KnowledgeFest™, a series of three trade shows and conferences. KnowledgeFest is the premier education and networking event for the mobile electronics industry. Each year a theme is selected to represent the events and to support both the attendee and exhibitor in their quest for learning. "Achieve" will be depicted on all show signs and artwork; signifying a call for industry professionals—whether installers, sales, or owners—to take their expertise, drive and professionalism to a higher level.

“After carefully evaluating the changing trends that directly affect the mobile electronics community, we chose ‘Achieve,’” said Chris Cook, MEA president. “That one word defines it: ‘To successfully bring about or reach a desired objective, level, or result by effort, skill and courage.’ What must you learn to be proficient in your profession? If you are ready to achieve success and want to make sure you have done everything in your power to ensure it, take the next step and register for an upcoming KnowledgeFest.”

The first KnowledgeFest of the of the 2018-2019 series takes place August 17-19 in Dallas at the Dallas Convention Center and Omni Dallas Hotel. 2019 events include Long Beach February 22-24 and Indianapolis March 16-18.

This year’s KnowledgeFest Dallas is growing with more manufacturer trainings and more exhibitors, including new exhibitors from growth categories such as power sports, connected car, and driver assistance and safety. The expanded show floor gives attendees the opportunity to see and hear new product and consider new business opportunities.

Registration for KnowledgeFest Dallas 2018 is open to all mobile electronics retail industry professionals and technicians. Attendees will be able to select and reserve space in education and training courses in the coming days. For more information and to register online, please visit knowledgefest.org.

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™, events in Long Beach, Indianapolis and Dallas 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.

4-9-2017 -- 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

Mobile Electronics Association Reports KnowledgeFest® Long Beach a Success

Year-Over-Year Growth Continues

NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – March 2, 2018 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) reported the launch of its weekend KnowledgeFest® event in Long Beach, California was a success. Long Beach is now the third event in its KnowledgeFest series. The other two 2018 events are in Indianapolis (March 16-18) and Dallas (August 17-19).

This first-time event held in the Long Beach Convention Center attracted more than 1,100 attendees, including more than 760 dealers from California, the surrounding states, and Canada, as well as attendees from five other countries. Forty-five exhibitors covered more than 45,000 square feet of sold-out exhibit space.

KnowledgeFest Long Beach featured more than 30 hours of educational programming for retailers covering installation, management and sales topics. Manufacturer trainings totaled 60 hours. Programming was packed and, for several sessions, standing room only.

“MEA was pleased and excited to bring KnowledgeFest to dealers not only in Southern California, but the entire west coast,” said Chris Cook, MEA president. “In making this decision to bring our unique KnowledgeFest programming to the region, we got buy-in from the major manufacturers headquartered in SoCal and we carefully evaluated locations and venues. We are grateful to all the manufacturers in the specialist channel who supported the event by exhibiting and to the dealers who turned out to experience our unique offering. We’ll be back in the Long Beach Convention Center’s Hall C next year on February 22-24.”

KnowledgeFest is three regional events covering the eastern, 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 go to www.knowledgefest.org.

2018/19 KnowledgeFest Dates:

• Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 16-18, 2018
• Dallas Convention Center, Dallas, Texas, August 17-19, 2018
• Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California, February 22-24, 2019

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®, events in Long Beach, Indianapolis and Dallas 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.

Industry trends and strategies for growth considered.

North Andover, MA – May 23, 2019 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) hosted a leadership conference last week in Orlando to discuss its newest KnowledgeFest event planned for May 15-17, 2020 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. Companies represented included MEA Partners: Alpine, Cerwin Vega, DS18, InstallerNet, JL Audio, JVC, Kenwood, Focal, Rostra, Sony, VAIS Technology, VOXX, all of which will be exhibiting at the Orlando event. Seventy-five percent of the exhibit space is pre-sold. Leadership discussed growth trends and opportunities for KnowledgeFest, met with Visit Orlando and received tours of the host hotel, the Rosen Centre, and the convention center exhibit hall.

The group acknowledged that KnowledgeFest plays an important role in educating retailers and provides value for all their employees through its workshops and manufacturer-sponsored training. Now with the new KnowledgeFest Orlando event drawing attendance from the east coast, exhibiting manufacturers can support training for retailers nationwide.

KnowledgeFest is the only industry event devoted exclusively to the mobile specialist, the installing dealer. The addition of a fourth event in Orlando brings KnowledgeFest to a coast-to-coast nationwide audience. Combining an exhibit floor with dealer education and manufacturer training, KnowledgeFest delivers a tremendous value for the entire industry.

Other topics that were discussed at the conference included strategies to grow MEA’s retailer membership, mobile industry trends and challenges facing today’s mobile electronics specialists. "We had many of the top leaders from our industry in the room,” said MEA President, Chris Cook. “We appreciate the many actionable ideas they contributed to help us grow membership and improve the quality of service delivered to consumers.”

Upcoming KnowledgeFest events:

• August 9-11, 2019 - Dallas, TX
• February 7-9, 2020 - Long Beach, CA
• March 27-29, 2020 - Indianapolis, IN
• May 15-17, 2020 - Orlando, FL

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.

Mobile Electronics Magazine Top 10 Most Read Stories of the Decade

Click on the Title below to review Top Stories

2020 – Strategy & Tactics for March 2020 - Rules of the Game

2019 – ME-Mag January Issue Feature: What’s Happening: MECP in the Year Ahead

2018 – What's Happening - The DSP Trend and How it’s Changing the Industry

2017 – December Issue Feature: The Support Team - The Chosen Ones

2016 – VOXX Electronics Announces the Launch of Facebook Group ‘VOXX TECH’!

2015 – Three Reasons Why it’s Time for an Apple Car

2014 – Q&A with Andy Wehmeyer of Audiofrog

2013 – Digital Dashboard Drives Detroit Debuts 

2012 – Mild Remote Start Season Worrisome for East Coast Retailers

2011 – Keynote Addresses from OnStar and Aha by Harman at KnowledgeFest 2011 – Content no longer available on ME-Mag.com - Reference from CE Outlook

2010 – MERA (now MEA) to Relaunch KnowledgeFest in Dallas, TX - Content no longer available on ME-Mag.com - Reference from CE Outlook 

Mobile Electronics Magazine Top 10 Most Read Stories of 2020

Click on the Title to review Top Stories

#1. Strategy & Tactics for March 2020 - Rules of the Game

#2. Difference Makers for February March 2020 - Deep in the Heartland

#3. March Issue Feature: Real World Retail - Ocala Car Audio

#4. Magazine Feature - KarTele Mobile Electronics in Real World Retail

#5. Strategy & Tactics: Identifying and Overcoming Negative Habits and Behaviors

#6. Magazine Feature - LIS Audio in Real World Retail

#7. Listen to Learning from Leaders with Alex Camara, CEO of AudioControl

#8. What's Happening - The Industry Responds to COVID-19 - April Issue Feature

#9. ME-Mag Editors Forum: Open for Business

#10. Magazine Feature: What's Happening - Summer Sales Skyrocket in the Wake of COVID-19