Nationwide Marketing Group and Nationwide RentDirect held the latest PrimeTime in Phoenix, Arizona, February 5-8. The semi-annual event featured a motivational member meeting, extensive education sessions, and a bustling buying show. PrimeTime also raised donations for its Give Back Program, which contributes to the nonprofit No Child Hungry, which works to eliminate child hunger nationwide.
“We’re so thankful for retailers coming to PrimeTime during the pandemic,” said Tom Hickman, President of Nationwide Marketing Group. “All the obstacles we’re facing will pass. This is just part of the journey for retail, and I appreciate where we are.”
General Session keynote speaker Eric Weihenmayer – the first blind person to ever summit Mount Everest – spoke not of his ultimate achievements, but of the obstacles he overcame along the way. Weihenmayer connected with attendees over the rough reality of retailing through a pandemic, recommended people focus on the opportunity this situation might offer, and drove home the theme of this PrimeTime, “Experience the Journey.”
Participants at this PrimeTime had plentiful education sessions to select from over the four-day agenda. Rental dealers benefited from sessions such as:
- Debunking Digital Marketing Misconceptions – Common myths and real facts around digital marketing, and how to capitalize on them (Tristian Bailey with Site on Time).
- Chatting our Way to Increased Sales and Profits – Best practices in chat-website integrations, new text-to-pay methods, and online-to-in-store conversion strategies (Jennifer Danko with Nationwide Marketing Group)
- Human Resources Roundtable – Tackling today’s most common HR topics (Kelly Kenner-Patridge with Nationwide Marketing Group)
- Website Management Roundtable – Talking about digital issues challenging retailers today (Jennifer Danko with Nationwide Marketing Group, Jodie Pierce with Retail Web Services)
- The Value of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Defining SEO, its value, and tips to leverage it immediately (Cyrille Aragon with Site on Time)
Dalke led the RentDirect membership meeting, where he discussed HR best practices, websites and digital interactions, SMS with customers, and the state of the RTO industry. APRO Chief Executive Officer Jill McClure followed him, addressing recent legislative efforts to represent and protect rent-to-own. McClure stressed the importance of participation in RTO’s state associations and working together to showcase what rent-to-own businesses really do: We help people. McClure also reminded current APRO members of their access to the 2021 Industry Health Report and how rental dealers can use its data to benchmark their company’s success.
“At PrimeTime, we aren’t focused on only rent-to-own,” said Keven Dalke, Director of Nationwide RentDirect. “We’re also focused on your inventory, website, social media, and everything else to help a dealer thrive today. Our education sessions are valuable for any attendee.”
