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| January 20, 2009 News |
| Kart Industry Roundtable Announces Panel |
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Kart Expo International, North America’s largest kart racing industry trade & consumer show has announced the Kart Industry Roundtable scheduled to take place on Friday, February 20 at the official Kart Expo International hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn - next to the DuPage Expo Center.
The roundtable, entitled “Challenges & Opportunities”, will be co-moderated by Marc Miller and Craig Ellsworth and split into two sessions. The morning session will address the public’s perceptions of kart racing and examine how the sport can transcend its image as a kid’s only activity. This session will also address how kart racing may better enlist the sponsorship support of outside industries. The afternoon session will be devoted to the current kart racing infrastructure, addressing issues from within the industry such as successful sales and marketing techniques, motivational skills and, with input from outside the industry, how to think outside the box.
Darrell Sitarz, Kart Expo Director said, “It is time for the industry to talk openly about where karting is headed in the future in terms of sales and marketing, manufacturing, and how consumer perceptions of karting have changed in the past few years.”
The Kart Industry Roundtable Panel (as of January 19):
- Marc Miller: Director of Brand Marketing for MRP Motorsport (moderator)
- Craig Ellsworth: Sports Marketing Executive (moderator)
- Claude Napier: President & CEO of The Milwaukee Mile
- Rob Howden: President of Howden Media Group (ekartingnews.com)
- Tony Stewart: Founder & President of Chicago Indoor Racing
- John Gregorian: CEO of Gregorian Worldwide (investment group), former IndyCar sponsor
- Jack Phifer: Managing Director, Moroch Advertising
It is also expected that representatives from MazdaSpeed, The Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship, and a major automotive aftermarket retailer will also commit before the roundtable on February 20.
The Kart Industry Roundtable is open to anyone with an interest in the sport of kart racing and the kart industry in general.
“I think the timing is right for a gathering of influential people from inside and outside the kart racing industry,” commented Marc Miller. “This will be particularly significant because input from leading executives could bring new viewpoints on kart racing that might otherwise be overlooked, especially during this dynamic economic environment.”
The Roundtable comes at a time of high economic stress for the karting industry in North America as well as abroad. The objective in having business leaders from outside of kart racing is to gain unbiased insight which will benefit manufacturers; distributors; dealers and; track operators and teams.
“By combining kart industry leaders with outside business leaders we are expecting to get some unvarnished opinions on our industry,” continued Sitarz. “We can’t afford, at this time, to rely on our own entrenched attitudes on kart racing.”
Sodi Presents Kart Expo, February 21 to 22, 2009 is North America’s largest trade and consumer show devoted exclusively to kart racing.
Location:
DuPage Expo Center
4050 East Main St., (Rt #64)
St. Charles, IL USA 60174
Admission:
$ 8 for adults, $2 for children age 3 to 12 years
Children under 3 years admitted for Free.
Dates/Times & Schedule:
Friday, February 20 - Kart Industry Roundtable
Hilton Garden Inn (Next to the DuPage Expo Center)
9AM to 11AM - Morning Session
1PM to 3PM - Afternoon Session
Saturday, February 21 - Kart Expo International Show
8AM to Noon – Karting Trade Hours Only
Noon to 6:00PM - Open to the public
Sunday, February 22 - Kart Expo International Show
10:00AM - 4:00PM - Open to the public |
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