Sponsored content presented by EPARTRADE.
Some think that EPARTRADE is an e-commerce site. Not so, says company founders. Instead, they say, picture EPARTRADE as a “trade show experience combined with live webinars,” connecting more than 70,000 business professionals worldwide with 30,000-plus businesses selling products and services.
“What we have done is taken the racing industry into the 21st century by digitalizing the whole industry,” says Francisque Savinien, who founded the company four years ago along with Judy Kean. “By going online, it opens new doors, new opportunities and new ways of communicating.”
Swap the business shoes for comfortable slippers and let your fingers do the strolling–or, in this case, scrolling.
As with any trade show, exhibitors show their offerings. Buyers can then interact with those companies about what they’re selling. However, being online offers advantages other than reducing sore feet.
For example, EPARTRADE saves money for both buyers and suppliers. Beyond the price of purchasing a booth, physical shows typically require stays in overpriced hotels and eating at expensive, less-than-impressive restaurants. Plus, in case you missed it, the price of fuel and flights have soared in recent months.
“Trade shows are wonderful, but they are only open a few days per year,” Savinien says, “so I thought that we could come up with a more cost-effective way to help the industry connect year-round and globally.”
You can access EPARTRADE anytime, anywhere in the world from your computer, tablet or smart phone. No longer are you limited by the dimensions of time and space. This allows you to get a leg up on the latest technology available.
“Years ago, suppliers with new products in the pipeline would wait until the end of year trade shows to introduce new products,” says Savinien. “Today, there are new products coming out every day. People don’t wait. The platform allows suppliers to connect with the industry anytime they want. Every time there’s something new on the market, they can put it right there on the platform, and buyers see it immediately.”
Plus, when you subscribe to the EPARTRADE newsletter you receive new products and new content in your inbox four times a week. That newsletter reaches 70,000 business professionals around the world–more than the PRI Trade Show gets through its doors.
Like trade shows, EPARTRADE offers seminars–or, in this case, webinars. Every Wednesday at 9 a.m. PST, you can tune in live to the webinar series. The webinars are hosted by either NASCAR champion crew chief and commentator Jeff Hammond or Brad Gillie of the SiriusXM show “Late Shift.”
Topics range from the latest products, trends and other issues affecting the industry.
“Buyers can ask questions, connect and engage,” says Savinien. “Our webinar series offers more than featuring suppliers only. We’re trying to broaden the spectrum to cover every aspect of the industry to bring on board the entire marketplace.”
Recent webinar topics include “Business Tech & Tools for Shop Success,” “The Variables of Fuel, Oil and Power Adders on Piston Ring Choice” and “Designing Circuits for Modern Formula One.” Among the featured guests were Shopmonkey’s Brett Kinsfather, tribologist Lake Speed Jr., and Miami F1 project director Sam Worthy.
If you miss watching a webinar live, no worries. You can find it archived on EPARTRADE or on its YouTube channel. Over 215 webinars/podcasts have been recorded in the last 2 years alone.
The 3rd Annual Online Race Industry Week produced by EPARTRADE and Racer will be held November 28-December 2, 2022. It offers five days–55 hours–of live technical and business webinars.
“In 2020, all the trade shows were canceled due to covid,” Savinien says. “We called our friends at Racer and said, ‘What if we did a week of webinars and invited all the players in the industry?’ It was an instant hit.”
It was so successful that it has continued.
The weeklong marathon of webinars has featured a who’s who of the industry: Mario Andretti, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Chip Ganassi, SCCA President Michael Cobb, IMSA President John Doonan plus representatives from Formula 1, HMS Motorsport, Race-Gas and Titan Fuel Tanks among many, many others.
While all motorsport professionals must register, they can do so for free. Because EPARTRADE restricts its service to only members of the racing industry, it ensures quality leads for suppliers and quick response time for buyers.
In addition, EPARTRADE offers a wealth of knowledge for buyers.
“As a buyer, you have access to 30,000 racing businesses worldwide, which you can search,” Savinien says. “But also, if you are a manufacturer looking for a dealer in Michigan who has an interest in brake pads, you can easily connect with these people through the platform.”
If you’re a supplier and would like to join the program and showcase on the platform, EPARTRADE offers packages ranging from $149 to $599 a month. More advanced plans not only allow more products, but they provide other services. These include performance reports, banners on the newsletter, live tech webinars and more. All packages provide access to buyers interested in doing business.
Trade shows offer motorsports professionals an opportunity to do a myriad of things they traditionally can’t do at the races or from their shops.
While EPARTRADE can fulfill much of what a traditional trade show offers, Francisque Savinien and Judy Kean don’t intend for the platform to replace them. They understand the value of meeting face to face, as they spent nearly their entire life in sales. However, EPARTRADE has proved that it serves a vital role for the racing industry in between those times when you meet in person, such as at trade shows.
“We’ve seen a lot of changes in not only the industry, but also in the world,” says Savinien. “I have a 16-year-old son. When he was born, we used maps when we traveled. We had phone books and public phones. Today, we have Google Maps, Waze, Netflix, etc. The technology has changed drastically in how we engage, communicate, interact and live.
“Think of EPARTRADE as the industry at your fingertips,” Savinien continues. “Our platform is a solution for suppliers and buyers to stay connected with what’s going on in the marketplace throughout the year, wherever you may be in the world.”
View all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
