'Peavey 11' Conference Energizes Retailers

LAS VEGAS—Taking its theme from the film Ocean's 11, the Peavey 11 regional product and sales conference inspired retailers to make "smash and grab" sales—and breathed new energy into both its brand and industry. Musical instrument and sound gear retailers came in spades to Peavey's first-ever dealer-only trade show, hosted at the Rio in Las Vegas on August 11. According to some top U.S. dealers, the sales momentum spurred by Peavey 11 reflects the vitality and innovation that permeates this nearly 40-year-old company. Mick Faulhaber, president of Ward-Brodt Music Mall in Madison, Wis., said that his one-on-one interaction with company founder Hartley Peavey—who continues to run the company with both youthful idealism and a well-honed business acumen—invigorated him, but that the company's newer faces are a telling sign of a healthy company. "I appreciated the enthusiasm of the support staff," he said. "They were young. Peavey's doing an excellent job of energizing the company, and I enjoy that spirit." The excitement is also driven by Peavey's aggressive product development, particularly in the guitar division, which boasts the new high-end HP Signature™ Series and the heavily cross-marketed Rotor™ models. Retailers are also betting on Peavey's new Sanctuary Series™ product line, which focuses on making pro audio turnkey and cost-effective for houses of worship. "In the long term," Faulhaber said, "I'm getting more excited about Peavey guitars all the time. I look at my return on investment with Peavey products, and it's consistently better than other brands in that department. "I also like the design, the concept and the thought that went into engineering the Sanctuary Series. Peavey 11 was my first chance to get up-close with it and listen to people who are in that business talk about it. We work with a lot of churches, and they like the Peavey systems." Skip Maggiora, President of Skip's Music in Sacramento, Calif., said he also found the Sanctuary Series compelling. "We have a strong customer base in that area, and it really addresses their needs." Beyond sharing sales tips and learning about new products, however, Peavey 11 also served as an informal roundtable for retailers to discuss the state of the industry with the product and design specialists of a leading manufacturer—one that has accepted head-on the challenges of a global economy. "Retailers, manufacturers—everybody's on a level plane of challenges, maybe for the first time ever," said Faulhaber. "New competition is not news anymore; it's how you're dealing with the situation." Agreed Maggiora, "We're all facing the same concerns and challenges, on the dealer-to-dealer level as well as dealer-to-manufacturer level. It is more important than ever that this industry works closer in meeting our mutually shared challenges head on. It's great to see that Peavey is investing in the future."