“Ask Joes” Enhance Attendee Experience at AAPEX 2015 in Las Vegas
February 17, 2016
At last year’s AAPEX, a show for the aftermarket auto parts industry that is held in November at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, decided to up their attendee engagement game by hiring a bevy of customer service staff members they called “Ask Joes” to help people out at the show.
The “Ask Joes” auditioned for their roles to demonstrate their ability to meet and greet attendees with enthusiasm, according to show management, and then they also received comprehensive training and were stationed at custom-designed Ask Joe Service Stations throughout the showfloor.
As a result of this effort and other ongoing ones at the show, 93 percent of attendees rated the event as having met or exceeded their expectations.
“This year’s AAPEX did not disappoint. The Ask Joes were a great addition that we used several times,” said AAPEX buyer Mark Tupper, president, T & T Parts Ltd., Maple Ridge, BC, Canada.
He added, “Their team approach to answering questions regarding directions speaks well of their training.”
AAPEX also outfitted the Ask Joe staff in custom gray and black shirts as a way to pay homage to automotive service professionals who represent a large buyer category at the event.
Similar to the Ask Joes, who are the most important point of contact with attendees, automotive service professionals are the most important point of contact with consumers who rely on them to diagnose, service and repair today’s high tech vehicles, according to show management.
AAPEX positioned its 35 Ask Joe staff members throughout AAPEX, as well as within custom designed Ask Joe Service Stations.
These information desks were made of corrugated metal and high-end laminates. They featured well- lit AAPEX and Ask Joe branding coupled with the latest technology.
At the close of AAPEX, the team of Ask Joes made one final and lasting impression on attendees. In group formation, the Ask Joes delivered spirited high-fives and boisterous “thank yous” to attendees as they exited the event at the Sands Expo.
AAPEX 2015 featured 2,239 exhibitors from 32 countries. It also included an AAPEXedu program with 55 free sessions designed for warehouse distributors (WDs), retailers, service professionals, parts stores, national service chains, manufacturers and industry professionals under 40.
More than 45,100 targeted buyers attended AAPEX 2015 and the SEMA Show. Approximately 160,000 automotive aftermarket professionals from 147 countries were in Las Vegas during both events.
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