Jan. 12, 2010, PALM SPRINGS, CALIF.—As it reverts back to holding NACE Expo at a different location and time than SEMA, ASA will invest about $1 million more in the event, according to ASA President Ron Pyle.
The money, which comes directly from ASA, will go toward contract negotiations with future possible venues, upgrading various parts of the show's production, cancellation fees for moving this year's show to Orlando, Fla. from Las Vegas, hiring additional staff, and partnering with other industry associations and organizations. It typically costs $1.5 million to $2 million to produce one NACE show, depending on the location and venue, Pyle said.
"Obviously what we're hoping is to get a return on our investment," Pyle said in an interview Wednesday at the National Auto Body Council meeting in Palm Springs, Calif., where he announced the additional investment. "We would not be at all happy if we didn't see an opportunity to [earn the investment back]."
Pyle made the announcement as he urged the NABC to hold their fall board meeting at NACE, rather than at SEMA in Las Vegas in November. NABC voted to follow the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) to whichever of the two events it decides to hold its fall meeting at. The CIC will vote later this week on whether to have its fall meeting at NACE or SEMA.
Pyle told the NABC that he fully expects NACE to attract more attendees to Orlando this fall than it did in 2010, when attendance was down 27 percent. That was the first year since 2003 that NACE held its show separately from SEMA.
"There's a lot of pent-up demand to move the show out of Las Vegas," Pyle said.
Moving the show from Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, where NACE was contracted to hold its 2011 show, could cost up to $800,000 in cancellation fees, Pyle said, adding that if Mandalay Bay can get replacements for NACE, the cancellation fees will be much less.
"It's not likely that we'll have to pay all of that," Pyle said.
