Members Wrangle Hot Deals At Updated Stampede Event

By Alan Wolf

One of the most anticipated moments of any BrandSource Convention is the start of the Stampede, when limited-quantity, show-special deals are unveiled before the membership and snapped up on a first-come, first-served basis.

The 2019 Convention Stampede continued that tradition while adding a few new twists of its own. As AVB’s Merchandising GM Chad Evans explained, this year’s “best of the best deals” were more tightly edited to put the show floor specials in sharper focus. And while more manufacturers participated in the Sunday night event, each was limited to no more than four or five Stampede offers.

Also spicing up the proceedings were a slew of first-time giveaways: 50 Google Home Mini smart speakers and 50 Polk Omni S2 wireless multiroom speakers were handed out to the first members to queue up, while one lucky dealer whose Stampede book contained a lone Golden Ticket won a 50-inch Samsung TV.

The Stampede and Dinner Reception itself was abuzz with electricity, as members coming off a successful selling season caught up with friends and placed orders for deals. “It’s super exciting,” said Kayleigh Edwards of Atlantic Appliance & Hardware. “The frenzy of buying is super fun and the deals have been great. It’s nice that they narrowed it down a little bit – they made it more focused on certain brands, and for us those are the brands that we sell a lot of, so it’s been great.”

Also on the Stampede floor was Jackie Nance, owner of Home Suite Home Furnishings, who took advantage of the opportunity to sign up three staffers for the all-new AVB University online training program, and signed on to Serta’s upcoming mattress and washer promotion. “I think that will hit well,” she told YourSourceNews.

Adding to the festive atmosphere was the Stampede’s traditional Western theme, underscored by cowboy-clad stilt walkers, decorative saddles and bales of hay, and plenty of barbeque and beer, all set against the backdrop of the host venue, the Gaylord Texan in Dallas, deep in the heart of Texas.

YSN is published by BrandSource parent company AVB Inc.

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