HEAVY Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) organizers were determined to cut a swath through the recessionary malaise with this year's event — and they appear to have succeeded.
HDAW, with a theme of “Achieving Success in a Changing Environment,” drew a total of over 1500 individuals for the three-day conference, including 229 exhibitors and 426 distributor executives.
The 5th annual HDAW conference was held at The Mirage in Las Vegas from January 18-21. More than 1100 people attended the opening reception on Monday evening. Over 1000 attended the 4th edition of the HD Aftermarket Forum, HDAW's economic and market outlook session.
Over 1200 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings were held between senior executives of the distributor and supplier companies.
Eight individual education programs were presented to large audiences on topics ranging from making sense of technology, to finding cash in your business, to hybrid technologies.
“HDAW '10 was all about networking: suppliers, distributors, education session content, and several meals and other networking events,” said Dave Bell, HDAW '10 co-chair and president of Erie Drive Train. “Having the key companies in our industry pull together and support the conference during some pretty tough times for many businesses in the heavy-duty aftermarket speaks to the value of the event to our industry.”
The HDAW Product Expo had several special attractions, including the HDAW new-product showcase, a display of the Pinewood Challenge “race-trucks”, Mike Ryan's Pikes Peak race truck, and the NASCAR “Pit-Crew Challenge” for attendees to race against each other by changing tires on a race car simulator.
HDAW '11 will be held at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, January 17-22, 2011.
HDAW is billed as the largest North American gathering of the independent heavy-duty industry. HDAW is presented by a joint operating committee composed of industry leaders from American Council of Frame and Alignment Specialists (ACOFAS), Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN), Heavy Duty America (HDA), Heavy Duty Distribution Association (HDDA), Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA), APRA's Heavy Duty Remanufacturing Group (HDRG), International Truck Parts Association (ITPA), Overseas Automotive Council (OAC), Power Heavy Duty, Service Specialists Association (SSA), Truck Pride, Truck Frame and Axle Repair Association (TARA), and VIPAR Heavy Duty.