Another NORTHEAST Trade Show in the books
The NORTHEAST Trade Show took place in March, hosting more than 3,000 in- dustry professionals at the Meadowlands Exposition Centre in Secaucus, New Jersey. The three-day event boasted a full docket of learning opportunities combined with a show floor full of top-notch tools and equipment for attendees to browse.
NORTHEAST aimed to deliver an expe- rience like that of pre-COVID times—and deliver it did. Collision Repair mag checked in with some exhibitors to hear their thoughts on this year’s event and the consensus speaks for itself.
Spanesi Americas brought its entire Spanesi 360 line of equipment to NORTHEAST—a feat that required three trailers, said Karl Kirschenman, director of communications for Spanesi Americas. The company famously manufacturers equipment for every corner of the bodyshop, from welders and paint booths to benches, frame machines and much more. It was the company’s second time visiting New Jersey for trade shows in the past six months; Spanesi Americas also exhibited at NORTHEAST 2021, which was held last September after COVID-19 delayed its orig- inal spring date.
Despite its recent visit, the Spanesi Amer- icas booth was as popular as ever, with hun- dreds of attendees stopping by to grab a glimpse of its full setup.
“It was a great turnout,” said Kirschenman. “We had lots of people by the Spanesi booth and plenty of compelling conversations.” EZ Universal Wheels Solutions, which claimed the Best New Product award in the tools and accessories field at SEMA 2021 for its EZ Roller-Spinner, was showcasing its products at NORTHEAST as well. “It’s an application that bolts onto a vehi- cle’s hub and, when it’s ready, the user can just push the vehicle by hand,” explained Tom Morris, CEO of EZ Universal Wheels Solutions. “You can move it from the outside to the inside of the shop; around and within the shop—whatever the case may be.” “The EZ Roller-Spinner is a two-in-one product,” said Morris. On the inner side of the wheel, a ring serves as a flange. When the bolts holding the steel centre into the plastic frame are removed, the EZ-Roller Spinner creates a free-spin- ning wheel.
“That spinner ring is what keeps the EZ-Roller Spinner in that channel,” said Morris. “In other words, the wheel cannot slide back into the hub; it’s stopped by the ring.”
AkzoNobel’s Jen Poliski, marketing com- munications manager for the company, said the company saw a great turnout as well. With an eye-catching Corvette sporting the company’s coatings parked within its booth.
“Not only did we see good foot traffic on the floor; the industry professionals in attendance were incredibly engaged,” said Polisi. “We’re very excited for NORTH- EAST 2023, which I anticipate being even more populated as more people return to normality.”
NORTHEAST 2023 is scheduled for March 17 through March 19, 2023, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center.
