More than 125 aftermarket vendors are scheduled to fill the Dealer Showcase on Sunday, Aug. 21, to educate retailers and sales representatives on the new apparel, gear, parts and accessories to be rolled out over the next several months.

The Showcase will be preceded on Saturday by a Meet-and-Greet with Parts/Drag executives and representatives in Madison. The Meet-and-Greet had been held at the distributor’s Janesville, Wis., headquarters in previous years; relocating the hospitality to Madison gives dealers more time to talk with the vendors, according to Greg Blackwell, vice president of sales for Lemans Corp.

As the country and powersports market emerge from recession, this one-on-one time with the vendors becomes critical to retailers “to learn about their new products but also to learn about existing products and how to merchandise and sell each vendor’s line,” Blackwell said. “If you want to be the best, then knowledge and training are the best ways to do that.

“And the biggest benefit is the discounts being offered on each vendor’s product line, both from Parts/Drag as well as [from] the vendors,” Blackwell added, pointing to special pricing incentives offered during the NVP.

The end-of-summer timing of the annual Madison conclave is designed to complement fall OEM activities. “Obviously the OEs will have just introduced their new MX models and potentially new street models. This is the perfect time to see parts, accessories and apparel for not only the new bikes but also the existing models being sold,” Blackwell noted. “A lot of dealers are doing their 2012 planning, and planning their Christmas offerings. Snow dealers are making their major purchases and Harley-Davidson dealers are planning their winter build projects.”

The retail community only sees part of this nearly week-long showcase as the Wisconsin-based distributor devotes five days of product training for its dealer representatives before the retail showcase opens. Lemans reps spend full days rushing from classroom to classroom in the Monona Terrace facility to learn about new products, and how to help dealers merchandise and sell them.

“We know training our reps is key to their success and their dealers’ success,” Blackwell said. “A knowledgeable sales rep can represent our vendors’ products better and help their dealers do a better job of selling parts and accessories. At the end of the day, the more successful the rep, the more successful the dealer.”

Blackwell advises dealers planning to attend the NVP to work with their Parts/Drag reps first to identify their inventory needs and product planning goals for 2012. “Dealers should arrive with a plan so they can maximize their profit opportunities,” he said.

Any Parts/Drag dealer that hasn’t yet received its invitation to the NVP event should contact their local Parts/Drag representative as soon as possible. Hotel rooms in Madison fill up quickly.