Draper was pleased to host most of the nation’s top gymnasium equipment dealers on Sunday, April 29th and Monday April, 30th. We have had similar national sales meetings in the past, but have always held them at remote locations and in conjunction with a trade show. This was our first sales meeting to be held at our Spiceland headquarters.
We invited key members of the Draper Team of Gymnasium Equipment Dealers, which have made us the market leader in the new construction gymnasium equipment market, to visit our headquarters. Attendees included 51 representatives from 26 different dealers from coast to coast.
The event started with a welcome dinner on Sunday evening April 29th. The group enjoyed a nice dinner and the opportunity to catch up with other members of the Draper Gym Equipment Dealer Team. During a break between courses, Draper recognized our top 15 gym equipment dealers for 2009 and 2010 with award plaques for display in their offices.
The group boarded a bus bright and early Monday morning for the short trip to Draper, where attendees were divided into four groups and given a schedule of sessions and events in which each participated. Hour-long sessions included discussions about new marketing material, new products, market and competitive conditions and an open-forum, roundtable style discussion with Draper’s President, John Pidgeon. Each attendee also participated in a plant tour which covered all of Draper’s almost 400,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
We wrapped up the meeting with a trip to a local horse track and casino for a night of fun and entertainment. We enjoyed dinner, a few hours of networking and the opportunity to discuss the day’s sessions one-on-one or in smaller groups. Several attendees even went home with a few extra dollars in their pocket from success at the gaming tables or from picking winning horses.
Overall, our first gym equipment dealer meeting hosted at our headquarters seemed to be a complete success. This forum provided Draper the opportunity to communicate about developments, changes and news from our end and provided our attending dealers the opportunity to meet all the people they work with on a daily basis. The largest benefit for Draper was the chance to receive one-on-one feedback and valuable input from our best and most knowledgeable customers. Valuable information and suggestions provided during our meetings will go a long way to ensuring Draper remains in the leader role in the Gymnasium Equipment market.
An image gallery of the event.
About Neal Turner
