Episode 283 - Revamping Trade Shows While Building Industry Community with Tonnika Haynes

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life. Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026 Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable. Click here to schedule a free demo: https://geni.us/Shop-Ware-Free-Month Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros! Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet **360 Payments**, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing. Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With **360 Payments**, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform. Simplify payments. Streamline operations. **Check out** 360payments.com **today!** In this episode, Lucas and David are joined by Tonnika Haynes. Tonnika shares her experiences navigating trade shows like Vision and ASTA, highlighting the challenges of scaling events while maintaining their community feel. The conversation touches on the struggle to balance profitable training with meaningful content for shop owners. They also discuss the importance of grassroots networking and accountability within industry associations, emphasizing the need to evolve while remembering what made previous events special. 00:00 Trade show insights and takeaways 04:45 Struggling to secure instructors 09:25 Improving trade show quality 11:08 Evaluating training investment costs 15:18 Investing in employee training 18:21 Challenges in Automotive Training 22:41 Getting great deals at the show 23:30 Boosting vendor sales at trade shows 27:40 Considering a move to a convention center 30:58 Regional networking events in Asheville 35:07 Adjusting content for wider appeal 37:22 Demand for hands-on Tesla class 41:53 Early board experiences discussed 42:36 Addressing organizational dysfunction 46:57 Launching the new podcast 52:03 Discussing video production deadlines 53:03 Braxton starting a media company 56:04 Introducing the next topic