The American Bus Association’s Product Pavilion during Marketplace in

Charlotte, N.C. on Jan. 11 proved to be a business-building success for both the equipment exhibitors and the hundreds of operators who packed the one-day, one-stop “show within a show”, offering everything under one roof.

“The value added to ABA operator and product and service provider members by

the Product Pavilion was as powerful as the clean engines in any of the dozen new motorcoach models on display there,” said ABA President & CEO Peter Pantuso. “But the feedback from exhibitors says it best.”

The Product Pavilion will be back in 2010 for the Capital Region Marketplace at

Gaylord National. At next year’s Marketplace, which takes place Jan. 15-19, 2010, the Product Pavilion is slated for Jan. 16.

The Product Pavilion, which debuted as The Market at Marketplace 2008 in

Virginia Beach, Va. was retooled and renamed for Marketplace 2009 in Charlotte, N.C. with a more central location, a name that immediately conveys its mission, and educational seminars focusing on fuels, EPA rules affecting bus engines starting with the 2010 model year, and a Bus Industry Safety Council-led crisis-management panel.

“We asked motorcoach operators who already attended The Market how we could make it more valuable for them, and we listened intently to their feedback," Pantuso added. "Many told us they love taking advantage of a venue where they can see the latest technological innovations in equipment featuring leading products and services all under one roof. But we wanted to give them more."

The Market then became the Product Pavilion, and had a dedicated team of planners focusing specifically on providing associates and operators with a face-to-face forum to grow their businesses. ABA solicited candid comments from travel and associate members in addition to operators to ensure all member segments would get value out of the added component of The Product Pavilion.