For Immediate Release
Contact: Alan Sims
205-248-1339
asims@rrpub.com

Show owner/producer Randall-Reilly Events Group pleased with results and exhibitor feedback from The Great American Trucking Show

TUSCALOOSA, AL (September 8, 2008) Despite industry conditions, The Great American Trucking Show remains the second-largest trucking industry trade show. “We are pleased that GATS remained consistent in square footage and posted solid attendance numbers, even with the challenging U.S. truck market,” says Mike Reilly, chairman, president and CEO of Randall-Reilly Publishing, which owns GATS. “GATS continued success is a testament to the importance of the event to the trucking industry,” he says.

“We were very pleased with the support of the 500-plus exhibiting companies, including all of the major truck and trailer OEMs,” says Alan K. Sims, GATS vice president/executive director. “The show floor looked great and our exhibitors did a great job presenting their equipment, products and services in such a challenging year.”

Show management reported overall visitor registrations declined slightly, from 47,980 in 2007, to 44,669, a decrease of 6.9 percent. The two areas seeing the largest decrease in registrations were exhibitor personnel and industry guests. “With the slow economy, we believe exhibitors reduced overhead by limiting booth personnel. Economic conditions probably also contributed to the decline in industry guests and family members,” Sims says. These two categories are not considered qualified attendees as they do not purchase trucks, trailers or equipment.

“We have received positive comments from exhibitors on the quality of our attendees,” says Randy Davidson, national sales director for The Great American Trucking Show. “Truck and trailer manufacturers said they sold equipment right from the show floor. Another positive indicator is we’re already receiving exhibit space contracts for GATS 2009.”

The 2008 Great American Trucking Show used more than 526,000 square feet of space within the Dallas Convention Center with a total of 502 exhibitors. Tradeshow Week, a leading industry publication, recognized GATS as one of the “Fastest 50” – the fastest-growing events in the U.S. and Canada for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. For nearly a decade GATS has been recognized nationally as one of the “Tradeshow 200” events, which represent the 200 largest events in the U.S. and Canada.

Next year’s Great American Trucking Show will be held August 20, 21 and 22 at the Dallas Convention Center. Randall-Reilly also produces The Great West Truck Show, held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About Randall-Reilly Publishing
Founded in 1934, Randall-Reilly Publishing is the premier business-to-business media company focused on the trucking, construction and industrial markets. The company’s construction division covers the highway and heavy construction, landscaping, aggregates and used equipment markets.

Randall-Reilly’s trucking division serves the fleet, owner-operator, recruitment, truck stop, used truck and trailer, dealer and heavy-duty aftermarket segments.

The company also operates a company-sponsored publication division serving Fortune 500 companies and a UCC-filing database and research group. Randall-Reilly has offices in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., and New Berlin, Wis.