Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM AUGUST 2018 58 B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S A ugust means PrimeTime, and this year it's bigger than ever for the members of Nationwide Marketing Group! This summer, PrimeTime returns to the Venetian and Palazzo in Las Vegas, as the second show since the monumental merger between Nationwide and MEGA Group USA last fall. The Nationwide membership now numbers over 5,300 independent retailers representing some 14,000 storefronts. PrimeTime offers itsmembers many unique opportunities that are only possible as part of the largest buying and marketing group the industry has ever seen. On the heels of record attendance in Orlando in March, Nationwide expects an even larger collective of dealers in Las Vegas. Frank Sandtner, of Nationwide's senior leadership team, said, "PrimeTime offers members a chance to come together with their peers, as well as leader-ship from all the most influential manufacturers, and access not only to special show purchasing opportunities, but a connection with the critical business and financial services that allow them to be most successful. With a great agenda in place, and registration already very encouraging, we expect this show to again exceed attendance and engagement from our previous events." Nationwide expects over 200 vendor-partners to fill the more than 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall, housed in the Sands Expo. The event will get off to a great start, with an opening address and group update by Nationwide president and chief member advocate Tom Hickman, followed by a much-anticipated keynote address from Admiral (Ret.) William McRaven. The return of PrimeTime Palooza will follow, bringing a unique blend of limited time-and-quantity purchase opportunities from participating vendors with a lively social atmosphere. Education, a long time staple of PrimeTime, returns in the form of the highly reviewed Nationwide Learning Academy. Mike Whitaker, who heads the group's educational programs, shared his insights, saying, "After hosting over 5,000 session attendees in the Academy in Orlando, we continued to look for ways to bring more value to our members through education at the show. We took the feedback attendees shared, and we've made even more improvements this summer. Members will find even more flexibility in the course schedules with sessions that directly address the areas where they've told us they most want to learn." Google returns to PrimeTime, after a great show in March. The Google team will be on hand to lead a full series of Nationwide Learning Academy sessions and will interact with members to ensure they are getting the most from their digital marketing efforts. Members will also have access to the latest in website development. Following the announcement earlier this year of the group's acquisition of long-time partner Site On Time, as well as an investment in industry leader RWS, Nationwide members will have turnkey programs that will allow them to level the digital playing field. The group's RWS partnership has been highlighted by the AdRocket digital marketing platform, launched on Memorial Day, that has brought promising results and growth. AdRocket not only provides highly-effective digital marketing, but makes the process simple, clear, and easy to understand with transparent results and measurable ROI. To be held August 5-9, PrimeTime is a can't miss for today's most successful independent retailers. Registration can be found at www.nationwideprimetime.com. RO NOW'S THE TIME FOR PRIMETIME

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