Mobile Electronic News

After years of trying we’ve finally persuaded M.E.N’s publisher, Charlotte Body, to put her thoughts down on these pages. With an exciting year planned for the magazine and the M.E.N Expo coupled with her years of experience in the industry she’s certainly in a good position to comment about the market as we head into 2010.

How did M.E.N come about?
I worked as a sales manger for In Car (Car Hi-Fi) in London. When the title closed I always thought it would have worked better as a trade magazine. I worked out of my dinning room for a year free lancing on various magazines, to fund my vision of Car Audio Retailer magazine which launched in July 2002, and the rest, as they say, is history!

How have you seen things change in the industry since the magazine launched?
The industry has changed a lot. The market has digressed somewhat and we could all put this down to the obvious factors. In fact, the industry is probably half the size it used to be. We are all having to work harder and gone are the days of lunches with clients… they simply do not have the time to see us; the market has definitely consolidated.

However I think what we need to do as an industry is to create consumer demand for the fantastic products that we have in this market. I am very surprised at how very few people selling audio do not have it installed in their own cars. When I first came into the industry ten years ago I was blown away by the installs and there was the start of my passion for great sounds! I still have a stealth install in my car and I get some strange looks when I pick up my girls from school with the system cranked up!

What are you most proud of when it comes to M.E.N?
It has to be the first EXPO show back in 2003. I took a real gamble doing an exhibition but I felt the industry needed and wanted one. This was a real challenge for me. The best part was seeing the happy exhibitors as they can be a hard bunch to please.

What’s been the toughest part of running M.E.N so far?
2008-2009 has been very tough for all of us. And as a company we have had to diverse into new markets and we have recently expanded the business!I  have to say though my heart belongs to the aftermarket. I am still very passionate about the industry and feel very lucky to work inside a market that is so fuelled by enthusiasm.

The M.E.N Expo for 2010 has a consumer day (Auto Sound & Style). What was the thinking behind that?
It would have been easy for us to keep the same format for the Expo, as the show this year was a success even though a lot of companies lost there balls to exhibit! We have really pulled out all the stops on the launch of the consumer day with an unprecedented marketing budget and have invested in employing a specific marketing team. We need this to work, for the industry to survive we have to be getting people excited again and where else will consumers get to see and hear such a range of products all under one roof? The industry has really got behind the new format and for that very reason it will be a success.

It also means that retailers will be able to use their tickets on the Sunday for free entry with there friends or family, which will hopefully go down well as I have had pressure over the years from them to make the EXPO a weekend event.

We want retailers to get involved so we are sending Auto Sound & Style dealer packs which include an A2 poster of the show, 50 branded airfreshners for give always and up to 20 VIP tickets to sell on to there customers for their own profit… every little helps!

What other plans do you have for the magazine heading into 2010?
We are launching our EU site on Dec 1st so are very excited about that.  We have a new dynamic team, to drive us forward in 2010.

Do you have any regrets no regrets!
You live and you learn...

Is there anything else you’d like to say to the readers of M.E.N?
Just to wish everyone a prosperous 2010! And see you ALL at EXPO

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