(left to right) APRO President Lyn Leach and Executive Director Bill Keese cut the ribbon, officially opening the tradeshow portion of the convention.

An informal poll of vendors at the APRO's tradeshow taken by RTO Online showed a dynamic shift from previous tradeshows...dealers are buying...and big.

The effort to shift the focus of the tradeshow portion of the annual convention from a "meet and greet" to a buying show, seems to be paying off. Without exception, every vendor this reporter spoke to raved over the increased attendance and the dealers "readiness to buy."

The Herculean effort by outgoing APRO president Lyn Leach was cited as the primary cause of the shift in focus. "Lyn knew from day one what he wanted to do," said one vendor, "he wanted to support the vendors by turning this into a buying show and if this first day is any indication, he succeeded."

Below are photos of the tradeshow floor.

Click to enlarge