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FEATURE INTERVIEWS:

Dana Teague – General Manager of The HPX:

This week’s guest is Dana Teague, General Manager of The High Performance Expo. She has been involved with all sorts of trade shows and her thirty year history of putting on high end trade shows is going to make the HPX an amazing experience for everyone attending. Dana came on the show to talk about what to expect when attending the first ever HPX this June 3-5 in Charlotte, NC. Specifically, I wanted to understand what was making the show unique for attendees – primarily to help them decide if they should attend!

As Dana shared, when it comes to The HPX (or any trade show)n, do your research before exhibiting or attending the show and make sure you know what to expect and put on your list to seek out and find for your business. You can set up your interactions with companies attending the expo prior to arriving so you can maximize your time by making a plan to get the most out of the event. It really can be as simple as reviewing the show floor map and contacting companies you are interested in.

In the case of this news how their goal is to create a first-of-its kind event that brings business education, networking and the like to the racing and aftermarket inustry in one fell swoop. It has the backing of the right people as well; Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon will be the innagural speakers on Tuesday morning!

There are big automotive trade shows that everyone knows about but a lot of people have not been able to attend due to geography. These shows are simply too far for east coast people to be able to justify the travel expense. The HPX aims to bring the trade show experience to the south east corner of the U.S. that was not serviced previously by a trade show of this caliber. The HPX is open to not only the business people looking to make contacts but the end consumer as well with activities designed for the general performance enthusiast. The HPX advisory council knows that everyone wants to experience the hype surrounding big product releases and attention getting show reveals so they have created places for both business and consumer to get the trade show experience without interrupting what they are looking to get out of the visit.

The HPX is offering not only a great trade show but they have many educational offerings aimed of helping small automotive businesses grow and thrive as well as helping racers transition into more of a sales mode and obtain new business opportunities. Hendrick Motorsports will even have a recruiting hub on the floor showing how to maximize hiring practices. The HPX is encouraging small business owners to attend and take advantage of the wide variety of trainings from using social media for advertising, to how to find great talent, and more. Dana encourages anyone to give them a call and see how their business can take the best advantage of this event.

Charlotte, North Carolina was chosen as a central southern location that is easily reached by attendees. It also helps that Charlotte is the hub of the racing and high performance world. This close proximity will give The HPX show access to some great motorsports related locations like Charlotte Motor Speedway and the zMax Dragway and will have activities at both locations. The closeness of the racing world also allows the HPX to tap into the great minds in the area to bring the best high performance event possible. The North Carolina Motorsports Association has many board members on the board of the HPX to help guide it and make it a very valuable experience to businesses and consumers alike. They will ensure that it meets the high level of professionalism you would expect from experienced racing business veterans. Dana assured me that there is a balance between racing and aftermarket so everyone will find things they can relate to and learn from at the show.

If you would like to attend The HPX you can check out their page at TheHPX.com. You can register now and $5 will instantly be donated to NCMF General Scholarship fund that gives $2500 to qualified students aspiring to a career in the motorsports industry.

Thanks for the interview, Dana – I am looking forward to The High Performance Expo!

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This interview sponsored by our pals at National Parts Depot – your premier source for muscle car restoration parts!