Electrical Association of Philadelphia (EAP) Delivers 2200+

Last week’s Electrical Association of Philadelphia’s (EAP) Electric Expo was another testament to “customer engagement and showing product” is important.

The show, typically held every other year by EAP, generated over 3,000 registrations of which 2250 attended (75% “show up” rate for a local show is excellent given the myriad of reasons for a last-minute no-show by attendees (i.e., work!)) this product showcase at the Valley Forge Casino for two half days of product displays. (And it was a gorgeous two days as only Northeast weather can be in October as can be seen in the photo from my hotel window!)

The EAP show followed the NECA show by two weeks and, between the two shows, manufacturers gained access to about 10,000 contractors showing that people want to connect with product.

I walked the EAP show and spoke to a number of manufacturers, reps and distributors that I know in the Philly market and spoke to many contractors.  In the words of one manufacturer, “one of the best, if not the best, local show I have attended.”

There were:

• 196 booths
• Display vehicles from Eaton, ABB, Atkore, Keystone, LedVance and probably others
• PECO, the local utility, was a major sponsor and had information on utility rebates and their EV initiative … and an EV present
• There was product, product, and more product
• Major Philadelphia-area independent distributors were endcap sponsors, each with a hospitality booth on the show floor

And not only did contractors show up (ove

r 802 of them) but there were apprentices, engineers, facility maintenance personnel, inspectors, and others for a total of 1618 non-exhibitors … so, 72% of attendees were decision-makers or influencers (the remainder being manufacturers, distributors, and reps.)

While reps were drivers of many of the booths given that they reached out to their manufacturers, there were a number of manufacturers with direct salesforces who learned about the show and attended … with one even showing up the day of the show and asking for a booth (EAP found a way to accommodate them!) EAP arranged the booths so that reps had all of their manufacturers together. Booths were staffed by regional management, regional application specialists / business development personnel and reps.)

From walking around:

• Audience was very engaged learning about product, and new product. Contractors are kinetic learners. They like to “touch and feel and see.” Many commented that digital marketing (essentially email), while informative, doesn’t work too well for them unless they are looking for that item (or seeking to solve the problem) then. Essentially … their long-term memory / recall is …
• Area of interest … productivity savings, ease of installation
• Many contractors, and manufacturers, reported that business in the Philadelphia area is very strong.
• Wire and conduit manufacturers were all present. For a product category that is considered a commodity, there is “innovation” in this area with each manufacturer touting labor saving and material savings products. It is either “lighter” and hence easier to maneuver, pulls faster, has some coloration for faster recognition or has various fittings / connectors already installed.
• Contractors were seeking “solutions”. Pre-fab was mentioned by many and this is either them doing pre-fab or seeking products that were “turnkey” solutions.
• Within the Philadelphia market, lighting rebates can still be a driver of opportunities and can be a differentiator for a distributor to win projects if they understand how to “use / promote” a program. Midstream programs are also available in this market, however, not all distributors are proficient in understanding these programs … and reps need to understand them in order to best position their manufacturers and promote the opportunity to contractors, end-users and key / supportive distributors.
• The reps, distributors and contractors in the market all talked about the local market being strong and foresee 2023 as being another good year (albeit a lower sales increase due to the abatement of commodity increases and price increases in general.)

And Channel Marketing Group was pleased to be promoted as a sponsor for our support of EAP.

EAP put on a well-attended show and the EAP staff should be commended for generating the turnout (and selling out the space. It will be interesting to see what they do for an encore.

And no comments about the quality of the photography or the development of the collage … if you know me, definitely not an area of expertise (let alone even decent!)