A coalition including a financial investment group, an organizer of highly successful home construction and improvement trade shows and motorcycle industry insiders are planning to launch a new, major U.S. motorcycle and powersports trade, demo and consumer show in 2013. The concept behind the establishment of the American International Motorcycle Expo is to provide the major motorcycle manufacturers and associated industries a single place at a single time in the year the fall new product introduction season to present new products, convene their dealer conferences, and allow the public to see a wide variety of the new all at once. “The real key is this: One place. One time. For all the constituents. Why hasn’t this happened before? That’s my question,” said Larry Little, former Cycle World publisher and current chair of the Motorcycle Industry Council’s board of directors. Little now is Vice President and General Manager, Motorcycle Group, for Marketplace Events, which is the organization planning the new show. Little led the formal presentation of the proposed new show to the media at a news conference in Long Beach, California, on Tuesday night. Currently, the U.S. market which is responsible for the sales of more than 500,000 motorcycles and scooters every year, Little says has no centralized expo, instead relying on a series of motorcycle shows and dealer meetings to introduce new models. This results in a fragmented release of products vehicles and accessories and eliminates the excitement and attention generated by shows in Europe, Little says. Creating a single, national event during the fall season will not only give manufacturers a high-profile platform to introduce new product especially models aimed at the important U.S. market but it will give them a place to gather their dealers in one location, at one time, each year. Currently, multi-line dealerships are sending representatives to several dealer meetings per year, and none gather the attention that a major national show would provide, according to Little. Staging such a show also will provide a platform for business-to-business interactions, as well as business-to-consumer contacts. The specific date and location is expected to be announced within the next 30 days, Little says. The company says it has been in touch with manufacturers and powersports businesses during the past 12 months, and the response to their proposal has been positive. A quick look at the players demonstrates that there is a wealth of experience, inside industry knowledge and hard cash behind the concept. Development of the show will be spearheaded by Little, who joins Mike Webster at Marketplace Events. Webster spent 26 years at Advanstar Communications, where he managed the International Motorcycle Show products, among others. Webster is vice president for Marketplace Events, which has claimed increased paid attendance and exhibit sales space at home improvement and construction trade shows during the past two years. The company puts on more than 30 shows per year and sold more than one million tickets in each of the past two years, says Tom Baugh, CEO of Marketplace Events. Marketplace Events, in turn, is owned by Stephens Capital Partners, a low-profile investment bank in Little Rock, Arkansas. However, that low profile company owns equity stakes in a dizzying variety of companies, from commercial concrete to over-the-counter pharmaceuticals to newspapers to natural gas to aircraft de-icing services. On its web page, the company states that it looks for transactions in the $50 million to $200 million range, and says of its management team that “We know how to get deals done, and we do it quietly, quickly and efficiently.” “Stephens is an investor partner. They are not buyers-and-sellers,” Baugh says. “They are patiently aggressive. We’re not after the last dollar. We’re after the best dollar. We’re willing to be patient. This is about creating an event “¦ that belongs to the industry. We’re in it all the way. We think the future is very bright.”