AAPEX 2014 Celebrity Lineup Includes Race Car Drivers, TV Personalities

Nov. 5, 2014 – Several well-known race car drivers, popular TV personalities and noted celebrities are scheduled to be in exhibitors’ booths during the 2014 Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), which started Tuesday, Nov. 4 and runs through Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

Race car drivers making appearances at AAPEX include Landon Cassill, Justin Boston, Michael Waltrip, Richard Petty, Shea Holbrook, Ken Schrader, Danica Patrick, Trevor Bayne and former NASCAR driver Bill Venturini.

Jeremy McGrath, seven-time AMA Supercross Champion, and Dennis Anderson, Monster Jam Driver, also are scheduled to be at AAPEX, as are TV personalities Bogi Lateiner, All Girls Garage; Willie Robertson, Duck Dynasty; Sam Memmolo and Dave Bowman, Velocity’s Motorhead Garage; and Richard Rawling, Fast N/Loud, Discovery Channel.

For an updated schedule of Celebrity Appearances, visit the AAPEX website, www.aapexshow.com.  

Interactive Session at AAPEX to Explore Vehicle of the Future

Nov. 4, 2014 – Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) attendees are invited to participate in an interactive session exploring the vehicle of the future in Delphi Automotive’s booth #5026, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., PST.

During the session, Delphi will meet with showgoers to capture what they think the vehicle of the future would look like. An artist will then take the interviews and draw their vision in real time at the Delphi booth to visually illustrate the stories. Watch this Delphi video to see how it was recently done and then see it live at today’s interactive session at AAPEX.

AAPEX is being held Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

AAPEX is expected to feature more than 2,400 exhibitors, 5,000 booths, nearly 50 AAPEXedu sessions and 39,000 targeted buyers. More than 130,000 automotive aftermarket professionals from nearly 125 countries are projected to be in Las Vegas during AAPEX.

About Delphi
Delphi Automotive PLC a leading global supplier of technologies for the automotive and commercial vehicle markets. Headquartered in Gillingham, England, Delphi operates major technical centers, manufacturing sites and customer support services in 32 countries, with regional headquarters in Bascharage, Luxembourg; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Shanghai, China and Troy, Michigan. U.S. Delphi delivers innovation for the real world with technologies that make cars and trucks safer as well as more powerful, efficient and connected. Visit www.delphi.com/am

AAPEX Reports Increase in Number of Independent Repair Garages Registered for 2014 AAIW

Oct. 22, 2014 – As of Oct. 11, the number of independent repair garage owners and managers registered for the 2014 Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) – made up of the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) and the SEMA Show – was up nearly 9 percent compared to 2013, underscoring the value it provides to thousands of service professionals. AAPEX is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas, Nev., with AAPEXedu sessions starting on Monday, Nov. 3.

AAPEX co-owners – the Auto Care Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), the light vehicle aftermarket division of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) – attribute the growth in part to the all-new Service Professionals Program set to debut at the 2014 AAPEX. The free program, sponsored by MAHLE Service Solutions, will provide customized AAPEXedu sessions to address service professionals biggest pain points, a Recruiting and Retaining Conference, facilitated roundtable discussions, in-booth auto parts and tool and equipment demonstrations exclusively for service professionals, a new General Session featuring keynote speaker Steve Forbes and the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) Fall 2014 General Meeting. The AVI Training Conference also is part of the Service Professionals Program, however, separate registration and a fee are required to participate in the conference.

AAPEX also reports that many AAPEXedu sessions for service professionals are near capacity. Based on registrations thus far, the sessions noticeably hitting the mark with service professionals include: “The Secrets of Social Media Marketing Success,” “How to Build an Online Marketing Machine,” “Brand Building for Your Future,” “Ready, Blame, Fire! Myths and Misses in Marketing,” “Motivating the Millennials” and “The 2015 Aftermarket Outlook.”

AAPEXedu Sessions to Help Distributors Stay Competitive and Retain Employees

Oct. 27, 2014 – The 2014 AAPEXedu will feature five sessions on warehouse distributor (WD) management to help attendees enhance their traditional sales with telematics, stay competitive in e-tailing and grow their businesses. Several additional AAPEXedu sessions will focus on “Talent is Your Greatest Asset” to show attendees how to retain and motivate employees and create a culture of recognition in the workplace.

AAPEXedu sessions are free and start on Monday, Nov. 3, a day before the official start of the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX). AAPEX is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

The following sessions are designed specifically for WDs:

•  Import Parts Explosion: Are You Taking Your Share?
• Creating a World Class Service Organization
• Distribution in the Age of E-Tailing
• The Telematics Business Model for Warehouse Distributors
• State of the Art Diagnoses for WDs and Manufacturers

Sessions that focus on retaining talent include:

• Beyond the Paycheck: Creating a Culture of Recognition in Your Workplace
• Motivating Millennials: Understanding, Attracting, Motivating and Keeping the Youngest Generation Entering the Workplace
• Performance Excellence: The Employee Factor
• Mastering Personal and Business Networking
• How to be a Culturally-Ready and Culturally-Friendly Employer: Insights into Your Diverse Workforce 
• Coaching the Sale: How to Become the Greatest Sales Manager in the World

The 2014 AAPEXedu will offer 49 sessions, including three new, customized conferences: the Service Professionals Program, sponsored by MAHLE Service Solutions, which will take place throughout AAPEX, the Recruiting and Retaining Program on Nov. 3, and the REMANedu Conference on Nov. 3.

Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, will round out the AAPEXedu program with a keynote address, “The Next Four Years: Navigating the Economy for Business Growth and Success,” during the new, free General Session on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

AAPEX Debuts “Ask Joe” Videos

Oct. 20, 2014 – The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) has debuted a series of “Ask Joe” videos to help attendees prepare for AAPEX and grow their business while at the event. AAPEX is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas, Nev., with AAPEXedu sessions starting on Monday, Nov. 3.


The new videos are: “We’ve Got an App for That!” to encourage attendees to download and use the AAPEX 2014 Mobile App sponsored by ZF Services; “Get a Free Ride on Our AAPEX Shuttle Service” to make sure attendees take advantage of the shuttle service between the Sands Expo Center and most official AAPEX hotels; and “Who’s an AAPEX ‘Ask Joe’” to introduce attendees to customer service attendants who will be on the AAPEX show floor to answer their questions. Attendants will be easily identified by their stripped shirts with “Joe” insignia on the front and “Ask Joe” on the back. AAPEX exhibitor Red Kap produced this year’s shirts.

Two additional videos will spotlight the 2014 AAPEXedu program with its nearly 50 sessions and the all-new Service Professionals Program making its debut at this year’s AAPEX. To watch the new AAPEX videos, visit: vimeo.com/aapex.

In addition to the “Ask Joe” videos and customer service attendants on the show floor, attendees also can get help while at AAPEX by visiting the full-service and self-service stations located throughout AAPEX.