While other industry organizations struggle to meet attendance quotas, Nationwide PrimeTime! increased their attendance by 17 % from last year's event.

photo RTOonline

Speaker Dr. Nido R. Qubein opened the PrimeTime! Kickoff with a motivational speech. Dr. Qubein, president of High Point University, spoke about the importance of thinking out of the box. See over 300 photos from the event here.

RTO Online broadcast over 3 hours of Live video interviews with Rent to Own Professionals from the RentDirect nationwide tradeshow floor. See replays of all video: - Bud Gates' live video presentation - William McCrae, President of Buzz's Lease-Purchase & Sales - Hugh Connelly, President of RTOFunding.com - Kevin Wolfe, West Coast Sales Manager for Coaster Furniture Company - Vicky Hale, Executive Director of TARA (Texas Association of Rental Agencies) - Tony Craig, President of Measuring Up! - Albert Turick of Nationwide Design Center / Amcase - Dan Jobrack, Executive Vice President of DATATrue - Master Franchisor Bud Gates on the floor of RentDirect - See more replays of RTO Online's LIVE streaming broadcast from RentDirect.

Nationwide Marketing Group, parent company of RentDirect, the rent-to-own industry's largest buying group, today reported that a record 3,500 people attended the group's March 2-5, PrimeTime! buying show at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

While other industry organizations such as CES and Home Builder Show were struggling to meet attendance quotas, Nationwide PrimeTime!, a vendor exhibition and buying show for member dealers and vendors of appliance, electronics and furniture, increased their attendance by 17 % from last year's event. See over 300 photos from the event here.

Speakers Dr. Nido R. Qubein opened the PrimeTime! Kickoff on Sunday night with a motivational speech. Dr. Qubein, president of High Point University, spoke about the importance of thinking out of the box in today's business climate. Inspirational painter, Michael Israel, astounded the audience with his interpretation of the statue of liberty, a New York firefighter and a special painting of the Nationwide Marketing Group logo. By the end of the night, the audience was on their feet, some were in tears and many ready to start taking advantage of what PrimeTime! had to offer.

The next morning, over 1,800 member dealers participated in 12 on-site training courses through PrimeTime! University. Time is Money and Explode Your Sales were two of the courses offered at the event. Other members attended group meetings and lectures by well-known industry veterans such as Bud Gates, Master Franchiser for Easy Home. Members also took advantage of PrimeTime! Cash Back Now exclusive show savings. Participating vendors offered millions of dollars off merchandise purchased on the exhibition floor and members received checks totaling their savings at the event.

New technology and partnerships were introduced and used at PrimeTime! For the first time, CONTACT PLUS chips, a new contact management and lead retrieval program, were placed on nametags worn by members and vendors during the conference to count attendance.

Nationwide announced the addition of Samsung Electronics to its vendor partners. "We are very pleased to welcome Samsung Electronics, the number one ranked brand in LCDs, to the large assortment of electronics brands Nationwide Members have access to," says Robert Weisner, Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Member Services. Now members have access to over 40 fulfillment warehouses with a 48 hour delivery time guarantee on power brands such as Toshiba, LG, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Hitachi, Sharp, JVC, RCA, Samsung and Panasonic Pro. See interview with Mike Decker, Vice President for Nationwide Marketing Group as he discuses the addition of Samsung.

Hitachi displayed their 1.5 Ultra Thin HDTV on the showroom floor. While, the Nationwide Design Center showcased their Video Kiosk, a multipurpose display with Virtual Greeter (See interview with Peter Brown of Hitachi). According to Albert Turick of Nationwide Design Center, in the near future innovations in MemberNet TV will soon make it possible to run customized commercials and messages on the Video Kiosks in every department within our 8,000 storefronts.

Nationwide hosted a member and vendor dinner at the famous Gilley's Dallas. Many enjoyed networking over a Texas style BBQ, bull riding and two stepping on the dance floor. At the PrimeTime! closing reception, prizes were given away including a 2008 Ford F-150 truck.

The next PrimeTime! will be held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on August 17-20, 2008.

About Nationwide Marketing Group
Nationwide Marketing Group (NMG), headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, is the nation's largest buying and marketing organization for independent appliance, electronics, and furniture retail and rent-to-own dealers. Larger than all competing groups combined, NMG has approximately 2,800 members throughout the United States –independent dealers with more than 8,000 storefronts and a combined $11 billion in annual sales. Nationwide Marketing Group, the parent organization of RentDirect-Nationwide and Specialty Electronics-Nationwide, offers a unique portfolio of services designed to support its members and strengthen their position in the marketplace.