The industry's two largest dealer associations-the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association and the American Retreaders' Association-met to consider how they might cooperate or combine member services and activities in order to increase efficiency. Discussions between the two dealer associations took place Nov. 7 in Chicago where their representatives discussed the possibility of a combined trade show along with other topics, such as cooperative efforts at training and certification, insurance and retreading standards. The two groups planned to meet again early in 1995.
The possibility of a jointly sponsored trade show was a topic of particular interest to suppliers, who had complained to both associations about the cost of exhibiting at two individual trade shows each year.
In addition, the two associations face increased competitive pressure from the huge Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) exhibition held each Fall.
In 1994, the big AAIW Las Vegas event drew nearly 60,000 showgoers and featured the exhibits of a number of tire makers, including Goodyear, General Tire, Michelin North America, Pirelli Armstrong Tire Corp., Yokohama Tire Corp. and Toyo Tire (U.S.A.).
None of these tire companies had exhibited at the NTDRA's Dallas trade show two months earlier.
The organizers of next year's AAIW event hope to attract even greater numbers of exhibitors from the tire manufacturing and service equipment fields as well as showgoing tire dealers.
Meanwhile, the NTDRA began ``the most extensive planning project'' in the group's 74-year history last year-charting the group's course for beyond the year 2000.