Start 2025 with the Power Forum

The OPE+ Power Forum business conference will take place at the Sheraton in downtown Charlotte from January 20 through 22. Our opening night party on Jan. 20 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame will rev us up for exciting days of learning and networking. This event needs to be part of your year, and our timing makes it a great start to 2025. 

The Power Forum is part of EPG Brand Acceleration’s Power Trade conferences, joining the Elevate conference for marine industry professionals and the Accelerate conference for powersports industry professionals. Together, decision makers and business owners can exchange ideas across industries and cultivate new relationships for business-boosting learning.

Here is what we have planned. 

Education Session Agenda

Digital Bridge Building: 

This session explores how dealers can build a digital bridge between their website and the in-store parts purchase experience, creating a seamless journey from initial research to final purchase. Attendees will gain insights into strategies for integrating digital catalog solutions, streamlining parts management, and implementing eCommerce capabilities to meet customer expectations. This session provides actionable steps to help dealers stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.

Selling Electrification:

We will cover the market trends in battery-powered equipment for both homeowners and pro buyers, how to sell them and what pro users should consider in the transition. Battery-powered equipment is not going to replace internal combustion-powered equipment. But as batteries and chargers improve, electric equipment is increasingly attractive to buyers. Are you ready to sell and service this equipment, and to provide that solution? 

Robots and Autonomy:

Technology is changing the way we cut grass. More importantly for landscape contractors and professional buyers, autonomous equipment provides a working solution. Literally, they work where people don’t, where people are not available, and in locations where people might be less safe. Here’s how robot mowers will make a major market move in the next three years. And how you can capitalize. 

Industry Trends:

What does the data say? The OPE industry is full of data. We can look at sales by product and by region. We can look at historical weather trends and see how that impacts sales and inventory. We can look at public financial data and learn what manufacturers are considering for the year ahead. How can dealers best use all this data to make smart business decisions?

Hiring and People Planning:

A power industry veteran shares her experience in recruiting, hiring and optimizing people for your success and theirs in power equipment and power sports dealerships. Dealers across the power trade world have indicated that personnel is one of the biggest challenges facing their business. Let’s talk about it. 

Sales Savvy:

So many parts of the sales process are changing – from marketing and communication to payments and product delivery. Our expert in sales and the power equipment marketplace explains how to thrive in the change. 

Outstanding Keynote Address Speakers

Entrepreneur and author Jay Samit

Entrepreneur, speaker and bestselling author Jay Samit will deliver the opening keynote address at the OPE+ Power Forum event in January. Samit is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on disruption and innovation. Chairman of a transformative artificial intelligence company, Samit is the former vice chairman of Deloitte Digital and a NASDAQ company CEO who helped grow pre-IPO companies such as LinkedIn. Samit has also held senior management roles at EMI, Sony and Universal Studios, and pioneered breakthrough advancements in mobile video, internet advertising, ecommerce, social networks, digital music and augmented reality that are used by millions of consumers every day.

He can accurately predict the future because he is working with those who create it. Samit gets people passionate about innovation and teaches them how to think bigger. Designed to be as entertaining and inspiring as it is informative, Samit delivers a speech that stays with the audience long after the conference has ended.

Editor’s note: I read Samit’s 2015 book Disrupt You! and heard him speak. Buy a copy of the book, read it, and bring it with you to the event for an autograph. The ideas he shares in the book and in person will make you a better businessperson and will change the way you think about facing challenges in your work.

Economist Elliot Eisenberg

What’s ahead for the economy in 2025? Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D., economist and public speaker, specializes in making economics fun, relevant, and educational. Dr. Eisenberg is the Chief Economist for GraphsandLaughs, LLC, a Miami-based economic consulting firm that serves a variety of clients across the United States.

He is a frequent speaker on topics including economic forecasts, interest rates, inflation, supply chains, strategic business development, and other current economic issues. He has a B.A. in economics with first-class honors from McGill University in Montreal, as well as a master’s and Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

Eisenberg, a former Senior Economist with the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C., is the creator of the multifamily stock index (the first nationally recognized index to track the total return of public firms principally involved in the ownership and management of apartments), the author of more than 85 articles, and is a regular consultant to professional associations and investment advisory groups. He has spoken to thousands of business groups and associations, and authors a daily commentary on the economy that is delivered to more than 30,000 inboxes.