Seven independent manufacturer’s rep firms and four distributors in northern California will host the fourth annual CI EXPO on October 24 in Berkeley, CA, at the Doubletree Berkeley Marina Hotel.
The event will feature 75 manufacturers on display along with live demonstrations and product training.
The CI EXPO focuses on a combination of education, demonstration and cutting-edge products from manufacturers. In addition to hands-on displays, the CI EXPO is an educational event with four General Session Seminars that detail industry trends such as networking and Apple integration, as well as business topics including recurring revenue and best business practices. Additionally, there will be 15 different manufacturer-training sessions on a variety of subjects so attendees can pick those which are important to them and their individual businesses.
By teaming up with reps and distributors in the local Bay Area marketplace, the CI EXPO brings vendors into the territory and allows them to showcase new products and new technologies where they are geographically accessible. The event will have dedicated display vignettes for all the vendors as well as several live demonstration areas both inside and outside the venue. The dealers in attendance will also have several opportunities for one-on-one interaction with factory personnel. Lunch and snacks will be served and dealers will have the chance to win multiple door prizes provided by the manufacturers.
The first CI EXPO event was a collaborative effort between three firms: Redwood Marketing, Jan Tulloch Company and the Steven Lester Company. This year the Expo is expanding to include seven rep firms, four distributors and over 75 manufacturers. ANSR, Novidor and Firestone, Sierra Select, and Zone Pacific Sales will join the three original firms along with distributors Electronic Stockroom, Sierra Select Distributing, Profit Line Distributing and Custom AV Solutions.
Here are some of the presentations that are geared toward helping dealers grow and prosper by adopting and adapting to new technologies:
• Selling High Performance in a Luxury Market, Sam Cavitt
• Maximizing your High Definition Projection Image, Joe Kane
• Networking Best Practices, Nick Phillips
• Shading and Lighting Control, Lutron
• HDMI Integrator Essentials, Eric Bodley
In addition to the general sessions, there are 15 manufacturer training classes. A few manufacturer sessions as well as three of the general sessions will earn CEDIA Continuing Education Credits. For event details and to register go to: redwoodav.com and click on “events.”
