Tire’s Warehouse Inc. (TWI) held its second annual Tire One dealer program Nov. 2-3, 2016, in Las Vegas. The event was memorable in more ways than one.
With more than 250 attendees, the event consisted of a program update meeting on Nov. 2 and a customized, blackjack-style tournament the next evening. The Nov. 3 program included a trade show and dinner with tire manufacturers and the Tire One program vendors.
Throughout the third quarter of the year, TWI’s Tire One dealers had the opportunity to earn “bust cards” by meeting goals with their purchases and then utilize them to progress in the blackjack tournament. The prizes consisted of cash rewards of $1,000 and $3,000, and the grand prize -- a 2016 Mazda MX-5 courtesy of the vehicle’s OE supplier, Yokohama Tire Corp.
The night will never be forgotten by TWI Tire One dealer Armando Valenzuela Jr. and his mother, Elsa, from AV Tire Service in Oxnard, Calif. Valenzuela took home the Mazda MX-5 presented to him by TWI Director of Marketing Ken Hsu and President Dan King, and Yokohama Vice President of Sales Rick Phillips. Here are the tournament results:
First place (Mazda MX-5): Armando Valenzuela Jr., manager, AV Tire Service in Oxnard, Calif.
Second place ($3,000): Mike Nalbandian, owner, Tire Zone in Covina, Calif.
Third place ($1,000): Alex Feliz, assistant manager, from Redwood General Tire Service Co., Redwood, Calif.
But the evening won’t be memorable for these winners alone. Due to a complete blackout at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, the second day's event had to be moved from the Paris Hotel to the Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino Event Center with just hours to spare.
Both Tire’s Warehouse staff and guests, almost all of whom were also residing at the Paris Hotel for the evening, were unable to access their rooms for the entire day. The blackout lasted 20 hours, and guests were reassigned rooms at nearby hotels. Eventually the hotel opened back up early Friday morning.
"Every host worries about an event going smoothly and enjoyable for their guests, but no one is ever prepared for an entire 3,000 room hotel and casino to be out of commission just hours before the event," says Hsu. "No matter what happens though, the show must go on!
"In the end, our team, the tire manufacturers and the Tire One vendors all powered through and turned incredible circumstances into an incredible event that was fun, exciting, and memorable for all."
TWI has six distribution centers and provides twice daily service to dealers in California, Nevada, and Arizona. The TWI Tire One program is a comprehensive marketing program for independent tire dealers. To learn more about TWI and the Tire One program, visit www.tireswarehouse.net.
