NFL’s Brian Billick Opens the NTP-STAG Expo with a Bang

Former NFL Head Coach Brian Billick addresses the RV dealer audience Monday to kick off the NTP-STAG Expo at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Conference Center in Denver. (Photo by Shawn Spence/RVBusiness)

DENVER – With an entertaining keynote address by former NFL Coach Brian Billick, the 2023 NTP-STAG EXPO, presented by Airxcel, officially got underway today at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colo.

Billick laced his presentation with NFL references. For example, at one point he addressed the “language of business” thusly: “‘Nothing personal, it’s just business’ means you just got screwed. ‘Business as usual’ means you’re probably going to get screwed again. And the one we coaches are all too familiar with, ‘It’s an unfortunate side of the business,’ which means you just got fired.”

The industry’s largest aftermarket parts and accessories trade event, the Expo features a full two days of manufacturer product showcases, educational seminars, exclusive promotions, special events and industry networking opportunities. Following Billick’s message this morning, attendees will participate in RV University / PRO Seminars for most of the day before the EXPO trade floor opens at 4 p.m. for five hours of business activity.

In addition, the show will feature a new product showcase highlighting the latest offerings from manufacturers while the Outdoor Recreation Exhibit, Presented by Dometic, will incorporate both vehicles and key category accessories along with merchandising and planogram ideas to assist dealers with the process of attracting customers involved in this dynamic category.

Bill Rogers

The Expo began this morning with a brief message from NTP-STAG President Bill Rogers, who thanked the several hundred dealer personnel in the audience for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend the Expo.

“Our team has put together a fantastic program for the next two days with manufacturer product showcases, educational seminars, exclusive promotions, special events, industry networking opportunities, and much, much more, including fun, which is one of our values. We know your time is very valuable. So, from all of us at NTP-STAG, we thank you for joining us here at the Expo, and we’re looking forward to spending time with you at the fantastic venue we have here over the next couple of days,” he said.

Following Rogers was Billick, head coach of Super Bowl XXXV Champion Baltimore Ravens for nine seasons, who mentioned that the ingredients for a successful NFL organization are no different than that of RV dealerships – personnel, structure and chemistry. And, he added, his No. 1 challenge as a coach was deciding whether a college player would be a good addition to his team.

“Obviously, when you’re talking about sports and you get a coach up here, you talk about building a team,” Billick said. “We all want a team. Every business it’s ‘We don’t have employees anymore. We have associates, we have team members.’ They want that band of brothers. They want that idea that ‘We’re in this together.’ And they want to nurture that in an environment that is all about business.”

The former Baltimore Ravens coach also allowed for a Q&A session at the end of his presentation, but he injected some humor when announcing that opportunity.

He asked whether there were any Baltimore Ravens fans in the audience, to which there was a smattering of acknowledgement. Billick said he could understand their reluctance after the Ravens lost to the Cincinnati Bengals the night before. He then asked whether there were any Bengals fans and a loud cheer went up at various tables. Billick said he wore his Super Bowl ring just for those fans since none of them had ever seen one before.

The Expo concludes tomorrow, beginning with a keynote breakfast address, sponsored by Carefree of Colorado, that will feature 12-year NFL veteran Joe Theismann, who will be sharing his firsthand knowledge on how to deal with the “Challenge of Change.” Theismann, who led the Washington Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XVII, will also be on the EXPO show floor from 9-10 a.m. to meet and engage with attendees.

The Expo will conclude on Tuesday evening onsite with a closing reception.

For more information about Expo, please visit: https://expo.ntpstag.com/

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/nfls-brian-billick-opens-the-ntp-stag-expo-with-a-bang/