RESTON, Va.-NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett and comedians/jugglers the Raspyni Brothers all will help the Tire Association of North America celebrate its 80th anniversary at this year's International Tire Expo (ITE) in Las Vegas.
TANA's expo, held in conjunction with the Specialty Equipment Market Association show, will take place Oct. 30-Nov. 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Once again, TANA's headquarters hotel will be the Aladdin Resort and Casino, a 35-acre resort featuring 2,400 deluxe rooms, 200 suites, 21 restaurants, a 100,000-sq.-ft. casino and more than 130 shops. Cost of accommodations is $145 per night.
``This year's show has a terrific lineup of entertainment,'' said TANA President Nick Hodel. ``This may be the best International Tire Expo yet.''
Anyone interested in attending may receive show and hotel registration forms by calling TANA's fax-on-demand service at (888) 889-7391 and requesting documents 1081 and 1083.
Exhibit space at ITE already has sold out, and TANA expects the upcoming show to be the largest in many years.
The association has four ``special events'' scheduled for the week of ITE. They are:
* The ITE Gala Reception and 80th Anniversary Party, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 29 at the Harley Davidson Cafe. Tickets are $40. The event is sponsored by Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., GE Card Services and Tire Review.
* TANA's Annual Meeting and Hall of Fame Breakfast, to be held 7-9 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the Aladdin. Sponsored by Goodyear, the event will feature a keynote address from Mr. Jarrett, the induction of TANA's newest class of Hall of Famers and approval of the new board of directors and officers slate. Cost is $30.
* Breakfast with the President, sponsored by Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., 7-9 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 31, at the Aladdin. The breakfast will feature a presentation by Mr. Hodel and Steve Disney, the incoming president. Tickets are $30.
Cooper will give away $20,000 to a lucky attendee.
* Tire Dealer Appreciation Breakfast, 7-9 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Aladdin. Toyo Tire (USA) Corp. is sponsoring this event, which again will be highlighted by the popular Raspyni Brothers-an act also seen on the Tonight Show and David Letterman.
This year, the association is holding a ``Tires at Two'' seminar lineup, sponsored by Goodyear. Seminars will take place each day at 2 p.m. during ITE week at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Topics and speakers are:
Tuesday, Oct. 30:
* ``Panel Discussion I: Successful Tire Dealers Share Their Secrets''-Don Olson, founder of Don Olson Tire and Auto Centers, will moderate this session as some of the industry's most successful tire dealers discuss how to generate more sales and increase profits. A must-attend seminar for CEOs looking to expand or improve their profitability.
* ``Selecting Your Tire or Automotive Marketing Media''-Rene Gnam of Rene Gnam Consultation Corp. reviews the latest strategies for placing advertising in this seminar.
* ``Improving Retail Store Bottom Line Profits''-presented by Norm Gaither of Norman J. Gaither Inc., this session reviews the best methods to improve bottom-line profits by at least 5 percent.
Mr. Gaither will show how dealers can avoid price wars with the competition, improve profits with fewer sales and adjust payrolls to improve bottom line.
* ``Lawsuits: From Legitimate to Ludicrous''-Patricia Brown, Cooper's vice president of advertising and communication, will present a detailed report on what tire dealers should know about the current litigation environment in the U.S., and how tire industry professionals can help protect their businesses from frivolous lawsuits.
Wednesday, Oct. 31:
* ``Panel Discussion II: Successful Tire Dealers Share Their Secrets''-a second discussion moderated by Don Olson on how to generate more sales and increase profits.
* ``The Power of Politics: The Tire Industry's Efforts on Capitol Hill''-Becky MacDicken, TANA's director of government affairs, will review the past 15 months on Capitol Hill and how congressional actions in 2001 will affect tire dealerships. She also will discuss issues that will return next year and what TANA is doing to represent the tire dealer's interests in Washington.
* ``Creating Ads to Get New Customers for Your Tire Store''-Rene Gnam holds a tire-industry-specific session about how to ``advertise smarter'' with low-budget ads and coupons.
* ``Smart Retailing for the Tire and Auto Store''-Eddy Kay of the Eddy Kay Group will outline the ``how tos'' of increasing store profits through professional retailing techniques. The session will address questions such as competing on service as well as how to legitimately add on to the invoice.
Thursday, Nov. 1:
* ``Selling Tires: Is That All There Is?''-Steve Alexander of Automotive In-Store Marketing Inc. will discuss how tire dealers can increase profits with light truck accessories.
* ``Retailing Branding for Your Tire Showroom''-a presentation on the industry's latest techniques for ``branding'' customers by creating loyalty programs and unique shopping experiences to keep customers coming back. Bryan Dyches of Retail Resource Group will discuss this topic.
* ``A View From the Trenches: An Insider's Perspective of the Tire War Waged in the Courtroom''-this seminar, presented by attorney Christopher Bagnaschi of Yoka & Smith L.L.C., will cover theories being advanced by the plaintiff's bar including design defects, manufacturing and vehicle dynamics.