Rick Gauthier says he’s excited about his association’s new dealer-focused event — the CADA Summit — that takes place Feb. 13 during the week of the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto.
“I can’t recall being more excited in recent years,” says Gauthier, the President and CEO of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association in an interview with Canadian auto dealer in his Markham, Ont. offices. “I can’t wait to get my butt into one of those chairs. I hope there is still a seat left for me.”
As the host of the event Gauthier will certainly get one of the limited seats available, but he says the seats are going fast, and that dealers will need to respond quickly if they don’t want to miss out on more than 20 all-star speakers and panelists from Canada and the U.S. who will participate in the first annual CADA Summit event.
“Dealers can not expect to show up and register on site. We only have limited seats available,” says Gauthier. Organizers say that after only a couple of weeks of marketing, the event is already more than one-third filled up, and seats are made available on a first come, first served basis. “I would encourage people to get this done before Christmas,” says Gauthier.
Gauthier says the ideas being discussed at the CADA Summit stem from a whitepaper that CADA developed, which helped lay out a roadmap for the dealer network of the future. “We needed to be more aware of what was happening in the industry, and not just from a Canadian perspective, but from a worldwide perspective.”
That’s why Gauthier says he’s so pleased to have respected industry figures like industry icon Bob Lutz, former Vice-Chairman of GM, and Steven Rattner, the Obama Administration’s “Car Czar” deliver keynote addresses at the event. “We think these people are in the best position of anyone to provide some corroboration on how we view the future, and to help realign our vision,” says Gauthier.
Apart from the jam-packed agenda with more than 20 speakers and panelists, dealers will be able to take part in events they would not otherwise be able to, such as the ceremony for CADA’s Dealer Satisfaction Index (DSI) award winners. “Most of the dealers would never attend a DSI award ceremony — that is limited to a very core group of Dealer Council chairpeople.”
In addition, the CADA Summit marks the first time that CADA’s Laureate recipients will get a chance to share the secrets of their success directly with their fellow dealers. “We will pick their brains about why they are so successful, and get their view of the future. That is an unprecedented event,” he says.
Gauthier says the fast moving nature of their businesses often means dealers are preoccupied with day to day issues. He says the CADA Summit will give them a chance to hear from experts about what to expect in their future. “Their prime business is dealing with today. So to be able to get insight on what’s going to impact them down the road I think is invaluable. Where else would they get that opportunity?” he says. “There will be more than 20 different speakers in one day. Usually you have to be away for a week for that.”
Dealers will also hear directly from three of Canada’s top automotive CEOs. “We will create a relaxed atmosphere and have a fireside chat about how they view the industry from their perspective as leaders of their companies, and how they view the industry going forward,” says Gauthier.
Joining the manufacturers panel will be John White, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada, Dianne Craig, President and CEO Ford Motor Company of Canada, and Maria Soklis, Vice-President and COO Kia Canada. This panel will be moderated by Niel Hiscox, publisher of Canadian auto dealer magazine and will tackle the theme of renewal.
“I am absolutely thrilled that they have accepted,” says Gauthier. “There was not any hesitation. They were quick to respond and I think it shows how they view their relations with dealers and their national representative body as important components to the success of their companies.”
Gauthier had high praise for the event’s exclusive sponsor TD Auto Finance, saying they supported the event right out of the gate. “We are thrilled to have TD Auto Finance as our exclusive CADA Summit sponsor,” says Gauthier. “They take it seriously and have demonstrated in no uncertain terms their desire to be a dominant player in the auto industry.”
Gauthier says the TD Auto Finance team has been “tremendous to work with” and are committed to ensuring the CADA Summit event is a big success. “I couldn’t have imagined ourselves aligning ourselves with a better and more devoted partner than TD Auto Finance.”
Gauthier says the enthusiastic support from the event’s sponsor didn’t surprise him because they are bankers that “think and act like car people.”
Apart from Bob Lutz and Steven Rattner, and the manufacturer’s leaders listed above, CADA Summit speakers include:
- Jim Carroll, author, columnist, media commentator and consultant, who focuses on linking future trends to innovation and creativity;
- Preet Banerjee, the personal finance columnist for the Globe and Mail and host of The Oprah Winfrey Network Canada’s “Million Dollar Neighbourhood”;
- Ramesh Swamy, member of the U.S. Deloitte National Retail & Distribution Leadership team and a Leader of the Retail & Distribution Sector practice for Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP;
- Chris Hill, President and CEO of Electric Mobility Canada, a national membership-based not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the promotion of electric mobility as a readily available and important solution to Canada’s emerging energy and environmental issues;
- Chuck Seguin, industry expert, and President of Seguin Advisory Services will moderate a retail panel that will have futurist and retail expert Jim Carroll join acclaimed CADA dealer Laureates for a discussion about the current state of the automotive retail industry and where it’s headed. CADA Laureates Christian Chia, President & CEO, OpenRoad Auto Group, and Trevor Boquist, Dealer Principal, Bennett Dunlop Ford Sales Ltd. will take part in this retail panel.
- Garth Turner, former federal Member of Parliament and and a nationally-known speaker and lecturer on macroeconomics, the housing market and investment techniques, as well as the author of 14 books;
- Jason Stein, editor of Automotive News in Detroit, who directs the print and online operations for one of the world’s largest automotive business-to-business news outlets, and oversees a global network of 50 reporters and editors.
- Michael Hatch, the Chief Economist for the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, and a frequent commentator on public policy issues on Business News Network, the CBC, and in other major TV, print and broadcast media on behalf of the retail auto sector.
- Niel Hiscox, President of Universus Media Group Inc., publishers of Canadian auto dealer magazine and Affaires automobiles magazine, who is recognized as one of Canada’s leading experts on business-to-business publishing and its migration to new media. (Read Niel’s Publisher’s note in Canadian auto dealer about this event.)
- Todd Phillips, Editorial Director of Canadian auto dealer magazine and its sister publication Affaires automobiles, who will moderate a panel of media experts.
For more information visit: www.cadasummit.ca
To view the agenda visit: www.cadasummit.ca/agenda
To view the speaker’s bios visit: www.cadasummit.ca/speakers
To register, visit: www.cadasummit.ca/registration
The event is being held at the Hilton Toronto at 145 Richmond Street West, Toronto, and CADA has booked rooms at a special CADA Summit rate. You can book your rooms here:
www.cadasummit.ca/hotel
