I was calmly working at my desk, when suddenly our Senior Trade Show Coordinator and Master of Attendee Registration Nicole Harless came storming into my office and in a loud and excited voice exclaimed, “It’s started. It’s started. We are already receiving attendee preregistration forms and we have not even started our PRI Trade Show preregistration campaign!”

Nicole’s excitement stems from the fact that we have already launched our extensive print and web-based advertising program both domestically and internationally. I guess I can confidently say that “advertising pays” as we are getting a great response. However, Nicole is right about the fact that we have not truly launched our entire 2011 PRI Trade Show preregistration attendee promotion blitz, but that will soon happen with the first mailings of our brochures and other action steps.

We are very excited about this early surge of attendee interest, but we are equally excited about the launch coming up of our extensive direct mail and web-based promotion, along with our one-on-one registration calling program that is designed to develop and generate attendee preregistration for the 24th Annual PERFORMANCE RACING INDUSTRY Trade Show that opens at the Orange County Convention Center on December 1st.

Our Trade Show Manager Karin Davidson, Senior Art Director Rob Hiner and PRI Magazine Editor John Kilroy have worked with Nicole as a team the past few months and have designed one fantastic attendee development program. Our “VIP” preregistration mailing were sent to ALL who attended last year’s PRI Trade Show. This special VIP program allows previous attendees to just say, “Yes, count me in for this year,” and they do not have to fill out any forms or send any documentation of their business affiliation. It is simple and easy for a whole group of attendees to quickly and easily preregister then obtain their badges in the mail without any extra effort. Then we will send out our BIG preregistration brochure to 50,000-plus racing businesses worldwide like we have been doing for the past 23 years. This is the BIG one that is the true workhorse that develops a large share of the overall attendee registration.

Then we start our personal “one on one” outgoing calling program engineered by preregistration expert Nicole Harless. Nicole’s outgoing registration calling team speaks with hundreds of racing businesspeople on a daily basis to help them preregister for the PRI Trade Show as well as help arrange hotel and travel plans.

Click here to register in our new, easy online process. It takes minutes. You just fill in the blanks, and hit the submit button. You'll receive confirmation of your credential request within one business day.

Earl Gaerte: On another note, I received word from a friend that master engine builder and friend Earl Gaerte passed away. Earl had been ill for quite some time, but the surprise of hearing of his passing was a shock. Earl was known for building engines for almost every type of racing, but he was also known as a kind, soft-spoken man who loved racing and had many friends. I was blessed to have been a customer of Earl Gaerte and enjoyed winning races with his little four-cylinder midget engine. Earl will be missed by all as he gave so much to our industry for so many years. Rest in peace, Earl.

Michael Lewis: On a personal note, I wanted to mention that something very special occurred at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium where our son Michael Lewis had a spectacular outing in his PREMA Powerteam Formula 3 Italia car. He set the pole position, then in the pouring-down rain, Michael led every lap of the race to win his first Formula 3 Italia event! He now leads the F-3 Italia Rookie Championship and is second overall in the F-3 Italia series. His mom, Loretta, and I, are very proud of what he is doing and the Spa win was certainly a reward for all his hard work.

The Management Seminars at the PRI Trade Show are an important tradition, and an incredibly valuable opportunity owners of racing businesses. (1) There’s no charge. (2) They only require an hour of your time. (3) They are extremely well focused for owners and managers of racing businesses. (4) They are taught by professionals active in the racing industry.

So, we highly advise racing entrepreneurs to review the list of six seminars we’ve put together for Friday and Saturday mornings. Put them on your agenda. Even if the topic may be a bit intimidating, you have the chance to sit there and soak in everything you can for an hour. You’ll exit the seminar with nuggets of information you’re sure to employ to the benefit of your business in 2012.

We’ve got a terrific line-up for this year:

Strategies For Race Engine Builders In A Tough Economy
Carl Wegner, Wegner Motorsports

Business/Marketing 101 for Racers
John Doonan, Jim Jordan, Dean Case, MazdaSpeed

Tips For Managing The Company Website
Trey Piccard, Race Host


Saturday

Social Media Marketing For A Racing Business
Gene Cottingham, Ruthie Forbes, GRand Solutions

Opportunities In the Legends Market
Michael Harper, Speedway Legends

Inside The Heat Treating Process
Tim Steber, Don Jordan, Solar Atmospheres

Click here to use our new online registration process. It only takes minutes to fill in the blanks and press the submit button, then you’ll get a confirmation on your credential request within one business day.

We had a great conversation with Carl Wegner, Wegner Motorsports, the noted race engine builder based in Markesan, Wisconsin. We're happy to say that all race engine builders will be able to hear the conversation, and a lot more at the PRI Trade Show this year. We invited Carl to present a seminar on what it takes to be successful in this tough new economy (although we're not sure three years is new any more), and he agreed. Carl said he may bring along some friends so questions where someone else is more expert can be handed off to them to answer.

We talked over several topics, but the theme was the same: You can't just continue to do business the way you did back in 2006 or 2007. To borrow the phrase from the USMC, it's time to improvise, adapt, overcome.

As just one example, Carl mentioned that he had been ramping up his "Internet literacy," and the company was indeed finding new business as a result. Wegner Motorsports is taking on projects it never did before. It's selling parts in ways it never did before. And Carl wishes to share his experience in the event it might help other race engine builders rethink their businesses in a very constructive, positive way.

Another part of Carl's message is that the racing industry needs to find new ways to work together to make things happen for all of us. At some point, for example, we should all be in the business of promoting and selling tickets to races. Race teams should ally with race track owners. Race engine builders should not always look upon each other only as competitors.

We're slotting Carl into our seminar program, from 8 to 9 a.m., Friday, December 2. We think it's going to be a great opportunity to review a race engine business in a changing world...something that just has to be done every once in a while to remain current and profitable.

It's going to be interesting.

When we experiment with new information technology at PRI, we always wish to share it immediately with our audience in case you can use it also. We have just entered the phase of using QR codes, and one of its most amazing uses for us is that we can insert a QR code onto a printed page--either a brochure or a magazine--and a person with a QR code smartphone app can snap a picture of the code and it will signal their smartphone to bring up a PRI video specificied in the code.

QR codes were invented in 1994, but they're still new enough that many of you may not be aware of them. They are essentially a bar code without bars. Whenever you see a strange, little square of uneven blobs of black, that's a QR code.

You can insert a variety of messages in a QR code, from business card data to a complete online bio to a URL for your website. For us, the most exciting thing is to use it to connect smartphone users immediately to a video message. Keep an eye out for our QR code in the article in the September issue about using PRI's My Show Planner online scheduling tool for the Show.

It doesn't cost anything to establish a QR code for your marketing purposes.

Click here to read a business article on using QR codes.

Click here if you want to generate a QR codes right now.

If you have a killer video on YouTube promoting your company, our advice is to take advantage of QR codes to get more people to view the video.

As we rolled throught the racing news available on the Internet this morning, we found three terrific photographic slide shows of some of the outstanding race cars on display (and on the track) at the recent Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

This is one is courtesy of Racer magazine:

http://www.racer.com/monterey-reunion-gallery/slideshow/380/

Here are old F1 cars on the track courtesy of SpeedTV

http://photos.speedtv.com/gallery/REUNION_2011_F1_Cars_1966-1983_

And here's a reunion of 1966-1971 Trans Am Cars:

http://photos.speedtv.com/gallery/REUNION_1966-1971_TransAm_Cars

Enjoy!

A little humor is not always a bad thing in times like these...Wall Street these days has finally made putting all your money into a race car look sensible.

As a company that sells oil, you would think efficiency is always on our minds. When it comes to improving our products, creating more efficiency always takes center stage, but creating a more efficient business sometimes takes a backseat. Put in other terms, it is very easy to work 'in' the business and neglect working 'on' the business.



During challenging economic conditions, having efficient business operations is just as important as having great products. As an industry, we have to look at ways of creating more efficiencies.

All of our businesses are facing increasing costs pressures, but we can’t pass along all of those costs to the distribution chain or end users. If the end user had to bear the brunt of all the raw material, transportation and general overhead costs, only a few Saudi Arabian Sheiks could afford to race.


Racing is a great passion, and the competitive nature of racing drives great innovation that benefits all of society. As a result, we need to work to keep the great aspects of racing moving forward. At the same time, we need to eliminate the 'in-efficiencies' that hold our industry back.

About the author: Lake Speed Jr. is a Certified Lubrication Specialist for Joe Gibbs Racing.

For those of you who couldn't make it, enjoy this photo gallery of The Salute To Builders/Manufacturers Lunch, organized by PRI and the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, at the Knoxville Nationals. You'll see some familiar faces. It was a great success, and plans are underway to do it again next year!

Members of PRI's international marketing team Francisque Savinien and Juliana Schmode scheduled a visit to a Formula Truck race in Brazil recently, where they also were able to give a presentation on the value of the PRI Trade Show at the drivers meeting.

Take a look at these photos they sent back. These trucks have my attention. I'd like to see these big guys race.