Considering the miles of aisles you’ll walk at the PRI Show, wearing comfortable shoes is a must. PRI’s Industry Sales Director Scott Hartwick (not pictured) takes it a step further by changing into fresh socks at least twice a day. “Definitely a nice booster after a long day on the Show floor,” he added.

The annual PRI Trade Show provides unmatched opportunities for motorsports professionals to discover new products, services, and solutions, as well as network and learn from some of the top minds in racing today. For most, it’s this once-a-year chance to connect with vendors and customers that sets the tone for the racing season ahead. But even seasoned Showgoers have been known to overlook certain details when planning or taking part in PRI’s big event. And for those attendees—as well as first-timers—we’ve put together a dedicated Show edition that identifies what not to do before and during the three biggest business days in racing. Compliments of the PRI team, as well as experienced industry members, we present the following tips on how you can make the most of your time in Indianapolis.

Stop Doing That: Disregarding important emails from PRI

“Read your emails from PRI. These emails often contain important details such as deadlines to register, when PRI housing opens and closes, how to cancel a hotel room and the deadline, and helpful tips to consider when at the PRI Show.”
—Nicole Harless, Senior Trade Show Specialist, PRI

Stop Doing That: Arriving to the PRI Trade Show without a plan

“I would emphasize the importance of creating and using the My Show Planner, which can be found at pri2022.mapyourshow.com, where attendees can build a list of exhibitors they want to see in advance by adding them to their Show Planner. Maximize your time by setting meetings in advance.” —Celina Ingargiola, Industry Sales Director, PRI

“Determine why you are attending the Show and what you want to accomplish. What are your goals and objectives? Buy merchandise? See new products? Cement relationships with vendors and explore new business opportunities? Attend seminars and network with other retailers? Most likely it is a combination of all of them. Rank them by order of importance.

“Appointments at trade shows are like appointments with your doctor, and there is a trickle-down effect. If a doctor’s first patient arrives 20 minutes late, then the appointment schedule changes for everyone. Plan ahead and try to ‘cluster’ exhibitors, both the ‘must see’ and ‘like to see,’ in sectors of the Show floor.” —Bill Kendy, business consultant and PRI contributor

Stop Doing That: Talking only to your industry friends

“Talk to strangers. PRI is a great place to come and reconnect with friends in the industry, but it is critical to challenge yourself to meet new people—it could be your next big business deal.” —Celina Ingargiola

“Network! Begin by attending the Grand Opening Breakfast. Find an open seat at a table with people you don’t know. Introduce yourself and ask about the other people at the table, their types of businesses, and their goals for attending the PRI Trade Show. Attend the PRI Happy Hour Thursday evening and various seminars.” —Meredith Kaplan Burns, Managing Editor, PRI

Stop Doing That: Dressing too casual, or too formal

“Dress to impress, but comfortably. There’s a lot of
walking! Wear comfortable shoes, but business or business casual
is recommended, especially if
you’re having meetings.”
—Celina Ingargiola

“Wear comfortable walking shoes or presentable athletic footwear, and dress with an eye toward classy comfort. Nobody at a trade show will judge you by your shoes—they are in them, too.” —Bill Kendy

“I too am a big fan of not only comfortable shoes; but also have a secret trick of changing out my socks at least twice and sometimes three times a day. Definitely a nice booster after a long day on the Show floor. Fresh and clean feeling for your feet. Less moisture to build up and cause potential blisters.” —Scott Hartwick, Industry Sales Director, PRI

Stop Doing That: Not having contact information available

“Bring business cards. After an important meeting it’s great to swap business cards so you’re top-of-mind when that person returns to the office after the Show.”
—Celina Ingargiola

Stop Doing That: Buying dinner Thursday night of the PRI Show

“Attend the Thursday night PRI Happy Hour on December 8, from 5–7 p.m. in Lucas Oil Stadium. This is a great opportunity to network and enjoy food and drinks on PRI.” —Celina Ingargiola

Stop Doing That: Taking over a seminar during Q&A

“This is pretty specific, but when you’re attending a seminar and the presenter or panel moderator invites questions from the audience, please don’t use this opportunity to take over the session. State your question clearly and concisely, then retake your seat and await the answer. Just because you have the microphone and an audience, doesn’t mean you have complete freedom to speak on whatever topic you want. It is not the time for shoutouts, or to give a long-form description of your newly established nonprofit—or for-profit enterprise—along with a brief history of why you created it, who it’s meant to serve, and where people can find it online. Be respectful of the presenter(s) and your fellow audience members, and keep your seminar question brief, on-topic, and to-the-point.” —Dan Schechner, Editor, PRI

Stop Doing That: Using the Show for sponsorship requests

“Exhibitors are there to promote their products and write up orders. If you are attending the Show and you’re only looking for sponsorship, it’s best to grab a business card and set up a meeting for another time, or feel them out for when it’d be best to have that conversation. Their time is very valuable and ensuring they get their ROI from exhibiting is key. You never want to get in the way of what could be an important business conversation.” —Andrea Brake, Industry Sales Director, PRI

Stop Doing That: Limiting yourself to certain parts of the PRI Show

“Don’t miss out on ALL parts of the Show. It’s more than just the two main halls. Lucas Oil Stadium houses product displays, trailer exhibits, PRI Happy Hour, and special attractions. The TOPS Lounge is a great networking spot, too. Anyone can stop in there, and there should be workspaces, snacks, and lots of literature from track operators and promoters offering services.

“This year, we have a sponsor for it: MyRacePass.com, who will give a talk there and is even working on getting a happy hour put together.” —Jeff Dahlin, Industry Sales Director, PRI

Stop Doing That: Being the last one to close down the bar

“This is a business event that provides valuable opportunities to succeed, so use your time wisely and act responsibly.” —Alan Josse, Senior Sales Director, PRI

Stop Doing That: Not making dinner reservations in advance

“Book your restaurant reservations before leaving for Indianapolis. In fact, book your reservation now to any popular restaurants in downtown Indianapolis. Don’t roll into St. Elmo Steak House or Harry and Izzy’s on Thursday or Friday evening and expect to get a table. For those restaurants, plan to book a table when you make your PRI housing arrangements, which should be no later than July.” —Meredith Kaplan Burns

Stop Doing That: Not using the resources available from exhibitors

“Smile and ask questions. We are here for you. Technical and application questions are always great to ask. Take advantage of the face-to-face time. Our product is very technical. We’ve had customers bring our product to the Show to ask if something looks right or why something looks the way it does, and every customer who has done that leaves our booth more confident and satisfied with our product.” —Kristen Damberger, Cometic Gasket

Stop Doing That: Not using the PRI My Show Planner

“My Show Planner helps me manage my time, and it doesn’t get me lost in translation. There is so much to see.” —Frank Siharath, Racetune Engineering

“The first thing we do is use the PRI floor plan app and exhibitor app, and we literally create a plan of which booths to go to. That’s invaluable on the PRI website. We use it every year.” —Kevin Shaw, Raceday Safety

Stop Doing That: Overlooking exhibitor-sponsored seminars

“They explain their products, the benefits, and the proper use of the product, and they kind of help you with selling points like questions your customer may ask you about. It gives you an educated comment when customers ask that question.” —Vic Brown, Trader Vic’s Speed Shop