THANK YOU for your support of RPMDA’s Power Hour! Our goal is to provide an environment that fosters even greater engagement between our retail & commercial members. After a successful launch in 2018, this concept will return once again in 2020. Your success is important, so we’ve assembled a list of FAQs to help you make the most of your RPMDA Power Hour Sponsorship. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact Ron Manus: rmanus@alfred.com or Mike Watson: mwatson@remenyi.com.
How much space will be available to me during Power Hour & Spark Sessions?
Unlike exhibit booths, Power Hour & Spark meetings will be held around draped “Bistro” pedestal tables (36” diameter, 42” height) with two chairs included. This gives you the space needed to effectively engage in meaningful conversations.
What quantity of material should I bring to display?
Space is limited and we cannot guarantee that our Power Hour meeting area will be lockable or secure overnight. Our recommendation is to bring the same volume of product as you might bring to a store sales visit (12 – 15 items in a rolling sample bag).
What can I do during Power Hour?
Each Power Hour session will be divided into five 10-minute blocks. Exhibitors can host a discussion, display small amounts of physical product, run a presentation off a laptop or tablet…essentially anything they’d like in order to present their message and product to the retailers. The key difference from the traditional exhibit model is that we’re emphasizing collaboration & communication while at the same time reducing the associated shipping, setup, and third-party expenses that comes with exhibiting product.
What can I do during Spark?
Spark is YOUR time to make appointments with specific retailers and vice-versa. These blocks of time will resemble the more traditional form of exhibit time where there are no timelines, just open time for great conversations. Contact these key accounts prior to the convention to assure you have the necessary time with them during these sessions. The Spark sessions are scheduled for:
Friday 3-4pm
Saturday 11am-12pm
Sunday 10:50am-11:50am
Who will I be presenting to?
Our goal is to have representatives of a store travel together from table to table so that exhibitors can customize their conversation for the retailer standing before them. Depending on retailer attendance, there may be a need for these small groups to contain members from multiple retailers. These groups will be determined with every effort made to match retailers with a similar focus.
What incentives are in-place to encourage retailers to participate?
Retailer attendance in the exhibit hall was not mandatory under the previous exhibit model, and this is one of the challenges we’re attempting to solve with Power Hour. While we hope that most retailers will be excited to discuss products & industry challenges with their supplier partners, there will be prize drawings offered at every Power Hour to further incentivize their participation. Similar to the prize drawings that used to occur during the final exhibit period at previous conventions, they will be held at the conclusion of each Power Hour session. Thanks to your generous donations, close to 50 prizes were awarded to retailers at our 2019 convention. If you have a product or service you’d like to donate for these drawings, please contact Ron or Mike. The more prizes (AKA free products and services) we can give away, the greater incentive the dealers will have to attend!
What if I’m a Commercial Member that wants to attend the Convention but I don’t want to participate as a Sponsor?
ALL members are encouraged to attend the convention. Please remember that RPMDA does follow standard “Suitcasing” and “Outboarding” guidelines. Specifically, we strictly prohibit non-sponsoring companies from encouraging attendees to leave the show floor for private meetings. With our Power Hour format, we will be monitoring attendance closely to ensure the success of our Sponsoring Members. Thank you for understanding!
What if I need electric power and/or high speed internet?
While mobile data coverage will be available, wi-fi will not be provided in our ballroom. If you need to stream video or make use of graphic-intensive data, individual wi-fi upgrades are available from the hotel’s provider – please contact Ron or Mike if you’d like further information. Based on our experience in 2018 & 2019, we don’t anticipate that sponsors will require electric power; as the session will be under two hours, most laptop & tablet batteries should easily hold up.