RentDirect’s Record-Breaking Meeting and Trade Show

RentDirect Nationwide’s 2018 Meeting and Trade Show was held this week in Orlando, Florida. RentDirect’s event was in conjunction with Nationwide Marketing Group’s PrimeTime! show, and marked the highest attendance in the group’s history. The event included a significant announcement for parent company Nationwide Marketing Group with an introduction to their new President Tom Hickman. At the show, Hickman emphasized the company’s commitment to its members by way of various initiatives such as access to emerging technology, marketing and operational solutions while aiming to be the largest scale buying group in the market. He also announced the company’s investment in Retailer Web Services (RWS) and the release of AdRocket, a new automated digital marketing solution developed by RWS. Hickman was promoted from merchandising executive vice president to the company’s president was announced on the eve of the PrimeTime! member conference.

At the General session, Google’s Jo Chick covered digital consumer trends including research on an increase in consumer impatience and curiosity. Longtime APRO member and RNR Tire Express Founder Larry Sutton spoke to the rent-to-own attendees, discussing RNR’s company culture. He accredited the company’s success to their unique leadership perspective. RNR has flipped the traditional flow of hierarchy and enforces that its leaders serve their managers, managers serve their employees and so forth.

“Overall, the entire show did exactly what was expected—great buys, opportunities to share ideas, learn and have fun with old and new friends,” shares RentDirect Director Bruce Manning. “I will always judge the success of a conference by the feedback of our members and based on their comments, it was a wonderful success. We thank everyone for attending and hope to see you next time.” Additional highlights of the conference included a variety of educational sessions and a Hot Show and Primetime! Palooza, a 90-minute buying frenzy offering members exclusive pricing, carnival-style games, hor d’oeuvres and drinks. “It was a pleasure to attend RentDirect’s conference where I was able to visit with APRO members and to also meet the new Nationwide president. APRO and RentDirect have had a long relationship, and we look forward to continuing our work together under the leadership of RentDirect Director Bruce Manning and Tom Hickman as their new president,”  says APRO Executive Director Jill McClure. Click here to view more photos of the 2018 RentDirect Nationwide Meeting and Trade Show.