Dallas, TX–Home Entertainment Source (HES), the AV specialty division of Brand Source, enjoyed a 75 percent increase in attendance at its annual Summit and Buy Fair March 16-19 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
In his opening statement to members, executive vice president, Jim Ristow announced that the groups CE sales were up versus the industrys growth in 2007 and that their Expert Warehouse is already trending at a 35-percent increase compared with last years first-quarter numbers. Ristow also reviewed some recent additions to the groups warehouse program offering with Toshiba and Escient being introduced to HES members for the first time.
Also announced during the summit were 2007 vendor and member awards where Samsung was named Vendor of the Year, Integra Rookie of the Year, and Chief / Sanus earned the Team Spirit award. Member-of-the-Year honors went to Pflanz Electronics out of Sioux City, Iowa.
Other announcements included the introduction of a Samsung hybrid program which allows qualified group members purchasing via the Expert Warehouse to enjoy some of the perks typically associated with factory direct programs such as longer price protection terms, and a volume rebate program.
This years three-day event also included educational seminars and keynote addresses from well-known industry leaders such as SpeakerCraft president Jeremy Burkhardt, Joaquin Rivera of Stewart Filmscreen, Bill Johannessen of Vizion Werks, and Darrel McComber of McComber & Associates.
This years summit went to the next level and was a great success for everyone involved, stated Stuart Schuster, HES group president. Both group members and suppliers commented on how positive the energy was on the show floor.”
