RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2021
60
B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S
I
f there's one thing Nationwide Marketing Group and its community of
members and vendor partners learned during the October Virtual
PrimeTime show, it's that, even in the face of a global pandemic, it's
possible to pull off an all-digital educational and buying show while
driving record-setting engagement.
Nationwide will look to build on that momentum this spring as Virtual
PrimeTime returns March 16-18, 2021.
"We are highly encouraged by and are closely monitoring the
rollout of the coronavirus vaccine across the country, and we look
forward to finally getting back to face-to-face meetings later this year
when it is safe to do so," says Nationwide President and Chief
Member Advocate Tom Hickman. "In the meantime, we are confident
that we can work with our members and vendor partners once again
to elevate the Virtual PrimeTime experience to even greater heights
in March."
At the October Virtual PrimeTime, more than 3,200 attendees from
1,300 member companies engaged with the platform over 91,000
times. The Virtual PrimeTime experience also opened doors to 369
member companies that were able to attend PrimeTime for the first
time. The March event will look to carry that strong performance
forward by offering even more robust networking, educational and
buying opportunities.
Still, the urge to get back to face-to-face meetings is strong.
Nationwide Marketing Group is in the early stages of planning regional
road show events for Spring 2021, once it's declared safe to hold
in-person meetings again.
"By March, you're talking about more than one full year since our
community has been able to meet face-to-face," says Rick Bellows,
senior vice president and head of Nationwide's member services team.
"Virtual PrimeTime will be another great opportunity to come together
for networking, education and buying. But there's also value in getting
together in a room and idea sharing with your peers face-to-face. And
once we get the all-clear, that's exactly what we plan to do."
More details on Nationwide's regional events will be forthcoming.
Please visit www.nationwideprimetime.com for the latest information
on Virtual PrimeTime.
RO
NATIONWIDE MARKETING GROUP STICKS WITH
HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL PRIMETIME
FORMAT FOR FIRST 2021 SHOW
In-person regional shows are also in the works for later in the year
