From Misha Geisert
INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 26, 2010) – Officials from the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) announced today that all 1,145 available booths have been sold for the second annual IMIS show Dec. 1-3 at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis.
A total of 570 hardcore racing companies purchased booth space for the three-day trade show, which offers individuals and companies from all facets of the racing industry the chance to interact, share ideas and products, build relationships and attend seminars to improve motorsports business around the world.
For the inaugural IMIS show last year, 345 companies bought 572 booths, meaning that occupied floor space doubled in size in just one year and 225 new racing companies were added for the 2010 show.
“We’re beyond ecstatic that the second annual International Motorsports Industry Show is sold out,” said Chris Paulsen, co-founder of IMIS and owner of C&R Racing. “We were overwhelmed by the positive reaction to our inaugural show last year and I think we’re even more surprised at how quickly the show sold out this year. A majority of companies that were here last year expanded the amount of booth space they purchased for the 2010 show, which demonstrates how important the show is to their business. Racing is a tight-knit community and I think word spread quickly after last year’s show that IMIS was the place to do business if you are a hardcore racer. I think that is backed up by the fact that we attracted 225 new companies to IMIS for 2010. We’ve grown so quickly that we actually have a waiting list of companies that want to exhibit. Given the economic climate we are in, we couldn’t be happier with where we stand with the show at this point.”
The Indianapolis-based IMIS show was founded by Paulsen, Tom Weisenbach, executive director of the Indiana Motorsports Association (IMA), Jeff Stoops, president of Stoops Freightliner, and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. All four are residents of Indiana.
“IMIS being sold-out is great not only for the hardcore racing community, but for the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana,” Weisenbach said. “We have great support from Governor Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, as well as from Don Welsh and everyone at the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association. IMIS produced more than $15 million in direct spending to Indianapolis last year and, with the growth of IMIS, that number should rise significantly. Downtown Indianapolis will be buzzing with excitement and will have a great atmosphere during the first week of December.
“While we are thrilled with our growth, we’ve also worked very hard to make sure that IMIS remains a show for hardcore racers only. We’re not looking to be the biggest show, but rather the best show for the racing industry, which is why we turned down companies that did not fit our criteria for IMIS.”
The IMIS Safety and Technical Conference will again kick off the show and will be expanded in 2010 as it becomes a two-day presentation Nov. 29-30 at the Indiana Convention Center. Spearheaded by Kirk Russell, former vice president of competition for Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and a world-renowned consultant on motorsports safety, the conference is designed to present insight for those at the top levels of racing to the weekly, grassroots racer.
Russell has again assembled a world-class panel of racing safety experts, including officials from the IZOD IndyCar Series, NASCAR and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). Former NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine, who heads up the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, will be the event’s keynote speaker.
An exciting addition to the Safety and Technical Conference will be an aerodynamic program with engineers Ray Leto and Rob Lewis from TotalSim LLC.
New for 2010 is a Youth Safety Program sponsored by the IUPUI Motorsports Engineering Program, which will take place on Friday, Dec. 3, at the Indiana Convention Center.
Dr. Terry Trammell, who has more than 35 years of experience in medical service in motorsports and is a partner in Orthopedics Indianapolis, Inc., will lead the seminar and has assembled a panel of experts to present basic information about the need for and function of personal (driver) safety equipment for the novice racer.
Safety standards for equipment will be presented to help in the process of selecting the correct equipment, while presentations will also address the consequences of ignoring the safety needs of the young racer.
Youth Safety Conference attendees, escorted by their parents, will be allowed on the IMIS show floor following the presentations to see what is available in youth safety equipment.
For a full list of IMIS activities throughout the week, visit www.imis-indy.com.