Bowing to the pandemic, Nationwide Marketing Group held its 57th PrimeTime as a virtual event, drawing more than 3,200 attendees to engage over 51,000 times during its three-day gathering. Held October 27-29, Virtual PrimeTime left almost 1,300 Nationwide member companies more prepared than ever for the upcoming holiday season and the months beyond.
“Our members have been on the frontlines of this pandemic since early March, adjusting their businesses on the fly and adapting to every challenge thrown their way,” said Melissa Stenson, Nationwide’s Vice President of Member Experience. “We simply followed their lead and found a way to bring this resilient community together.”
From the comfort of their home stores, Nationwide members engaged with the educational and business platform at a record-setting pace, with 15,000 educational session attendances, and more than 35,000 vendor booth visits.
As with all PrimeTime events, attendees capitalized on show specials and CashBack opportunities from exhibiting vendors, including a modified Palooza experience – an afternoon of limited-time and limited-quantity deals from select vendors.
“You’d never know we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, judging by the fantastic sales numbers at Virtual PrimeTime,” said Keven Dalke, Director of Nationwide RentDirect. “The furniture and bedding division sold over 20,000 bedding units, while more than 500 members placed furniture orders; a record number of consumer electronics vendors participated in the show, with members receiving record-setting CashBack payments per dealer; and appliance vendors reported some of the most diverse and engaging new-dealer signups they’ve ever seen.”
A traditional part of PrimeTime is gathering together and packing meals for No Child Hungry. Unable to give back physically this year, Nationwide dedicated the second day of the online show to help provide meals to kids in need in the Las Vegas community – where the original show would have happened. Overall, Nationwide donated 100,000 meals to help feed hungry children.
