AAPEX is offering an improved press release site to post your news, has added a press conference area to the show floor and considers guest posts all year round

LAS VEGAS – August 18, 2026 – One aspect of AAPEX that makes it different is that it functions as an industry marketplace. 

The top reason buyers attend the show is to find new products and innovations. Similarly, that’s often why exhibiting companies are there too. They have a chance to schedule as many as 25 different face-to-face meetings over three days every November in Las Vegas. 

Even so, trade shows still require a lot of time, effort and budget, which makes it important to take advantage of every opportunity available. To that end, PR and media opportunities play a key role – below are three straightforward PR opportunities available to AAPEX exhibitors in 2026. 

1. Improved exhibitor press release page

We’ve improved the exhibitor press release section of the AAPEX website. It’s easier to submit a press release and your press release will be rendered in HTML. Exhibitors can add up to three relevant links back to your website from your press release and include photos, graphics and logos. 

This provides a single website location for reporters and media to find all the announcements from every exhibiting company that chooses to publish one at the show. 

Cost? Free for exhibiting companies. We vet every submission to ensure every announcement is from an exhibiting company. 

In addition, articles based on those press releases are posted to the AAPEX Live news section and sent out to attendees as part of a daily roundup email during each day of the show. 

At AAPEX 2025, every single exhibitor that submitted a press release was covered by a crack team of bona fide journalists who produce the Live section and daily emails. Later, the comms team rounded up a number of announcements to highlight on the AAPEX blog after the show.  

• Upload your press release here; and 
• Once it’s reviewed to ensure it’s coming from an exhibitor, it’s published here. 

Pro tip: Be sure to include images, screenshots or other multimedia with your announcement. Studies show press releases with multimedia tend to get more visibility, engagement and time-on-page.  

2. All-new press conference area on the AAPEX exhibit hall floor

New this year! We’ve added a press conference area on the exhibit hall floor. It’s located in the “media hub” on Level 2 of The Venetian Expo (see it on this interactive floor map). The media hub is a great location for this because it’s central and it contains booths or podcast stations for AAPEX media partners including:

• Endeavor B2B;
• Jobber News;
• Driven to Success;
• Aftermarket News by Babcox; and 
• The Great Canadian Aftermarket Podcast. 

The press conference area will have a backdrop, podium, seating and will circulate the schedule with registered media ahead of the show. 

Slots are being granted in 30-minute increments on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the show. First come, first served.  

How can you schedule a time for a press conference? 

• Send an email to [email protected]; 
• Put “AAPEX press conference” in the subject line; and
• Include 3 preferred options for the date and time you want to hold your press conference. 

Slots may fill up quickly, so send your request as soon as possible. 

Pro tip: Bring a camera and livestream your press conference from the exhibit hall floor on your organization’s YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook page. The recording can be repurposed later for your future marketing and outreach efforts. 

3. Pitch a guest post to the AAPEX blog

Exhibitors (and attendees and speakers) are welcome to pitch a guest post for publication right here on the AAPEX blog. Successful posts usually focus on high-level business issues facing the automotive aftermarket. The key is that the guest post should be informative in nature, rather than promotional.

More detailed guidelines are published here: How to successfully pitch a guest post to the AAPEX blog. Send pitches to [email protected].

Here are some examples of successful guest posts we’ve published:

• The growing impact of rising repair costs (Edward Salamy) 
• Pragmatic ideas for solving the skilled labor shortage (Bernard Tansey)
• Bridging the divide – updated techniques for managing Gen Z (Margaret Light) 
• Why imported vehicles are harder to repair in U.S. shops (Elliot Cicala)
• A new era of diesel maintenance: Why one-tank solutions matter (Garth Redifer)

Have an idea but aren’t sure? Send us a note. We will take a look and provide feedback. 

AAPEX welcomes other PR ideas

We’re always interested in feedback and ideas that will improve the buyer experience and deliver greater value to exhibitors. If there’s a PR program you’ve seen at another show or just a creative idea, we’d invite you to share it with us. Send us a note at the email above and put “AAPEX PR idea” in the subject line. 

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AAPEX 2026 will be held from Nov. 3–5, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at The Venetian Expo & AAPEX Forum. See the exhibitor prospectus for exhibiting details. Complimentary passes are available to the media; email: [email protected].

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