The International Tire & Rubber Association (ITRA) is moving its trade show back to Louisville, Ky., for the first time since 1998.
ITRA's board of directors recently voted to hold the 2003 World ITRA Expo at the new downtown Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville. The Expo will be held March 27-29.
There will be no exposition next year. "The economy was slowing down a bit, there were a lot of mergers going on and suppliers cutting back on their expenditures for exhibits," Marvin Bozarth, ITRA's executive director, told Modern Tire Dealer recently when asked for the reasoning behind the new every-other-year schedule. "It was kind of the wish of our exhibitors, really."
"We also know that a pretty high percentage of the membership that attends the conference doesn't necessarily attend every year," said Tom Raben, ITRA president. "So our thought was to have a bigger show during an alternative year and make it better as a result."
ITRA is planning a series of regional seminars that start next year. "Basically, they'll be everything the trade show would be without the exhibits," said Bozarth.
For an in-depth look at ITRA's plans for 2002 and beyond, check out MTD's November issue.
