Citing an increase in both sales and overall foot traffic, exhibitors note quality as well as quantity of buyers in attendance at the 2013 Show, which concludes its three-day run on December 14.
Day two is traditionally the biggest sales day of the three-day PRI Trade Show, and that continued in this year’s return to Indianapolis, where sales were robust at the Indiana Convention Center.
Attendees arrived early on Friday morning and came looking to buy.
“It’s been going really well,” said Brian Schnee of Eagle Motorsports, which builds dirt winged sprint cars, dirt midgets and micros. “We’ve seen a lot of folks we haven’t seen in years. There have been a lot of buyers, and I’ve sold probably a dozen cars here since yesterday. This has really been a good deal in coming to Indianapolis."
Numerous exhibitors were equally ecstatic with the day’s results.
“This is definitely the biggest PRI Show we’ve been involved with for a number of years,” offered Kevin Rumley of CV Everything Racing. “Traffic has been huge. It comes in waves. We’ve had 70 percent buyers today. It’s been a quality day.”
Similar refrains were heard throughout the exhibition hall, particularly on the Show’s Machinery Row.
“The show has done very well for us,” Carl Chastain of DynoJet Research. “We’re surprised that we’ve been this busy. We’ve had a lot of foot traffic. We’re featuring our chassis dynamometers. We’ve been able to sell a number of pieces of equipment, and we’ve already paid for the show before noon on Friday. We’ve found buyers. Florida was nice, but we’ve got a lot of people who are looking to build race cars here in Indy.”
Brisk sales meant consumers were just as happy with the technology and product they found on the Show floor.
“The show is a tad overwhelming—it’s really big,” shared Dirt Late Model racer Brady Smith, from Wisconsin. “It’s really great to have everyone in one spot and be able to take care of business. We’re working on things we need to buy, as well as checking out the latest and greatest newest products.
The opening two days have exceeded the high expectations for this year’s Show.
“It was a really good day for the PRI Trade Show and the racing industry as a whole,” said John Kilroy, PRI Trade Show producer. “We've got an extraordinary array of exhibitors that hasn't been experienced all in one place, all at one time in years, and the serious buyers have turned out because of it. There’s business being conducted throughout the Convention Center.
The 26th Annual PRI Trade Show features the latest products and technology from over 1200 manufacturers of racing and high-performance automotive components, as well as precision machining equipment. The show is expected to bring well over 45,000 racing professionals from across the US and 72 countries to the Racing Capital of the World. For more on the 2013 Trade Show, visit PRI's online photo gallery.