The Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) hosted its inaugural Auto Dealers Innovation Series on March 8, 2016 in Ottawa and March 9, 2016 in Toronto.
Formerly known as the Canadian Digital Dealer Conference, this educational series was renamed to better reflect a wide range of content related to marketing, sales and technology, said TADA.
“The name of the conference was changed to remove the stigma that it was just digital or social media driven, which the previous name insinuated for anyone who had not attended recently,” said Todd Bourgon, Executive Director of TADA, in an interview with Canadian auto dealer.
“When we first launched Canadian Digital Dealer there was a desperate need to get a basic understanding of what methods of technology were available and how to begin to use them. Over the years we have actually evolved our content to include a wider range of marketing and sales topics that include and transcend the word ‘digital,’” said Bourgon.
Bourgon said dealers continued to find the content valuable, despite the name change, which resulted in packed houses in both Ottawa and Toronto.
The Toronto conference kicked off with a spirited presentation by Bill Wittenmyer, Partner at automotive software provider ELEAD1ONE.
Wittenmyer’s presentation on BDC strategies was packed with studies and stats to show dealers where they can improve their communication and follow ups with customers.
Dealers also heard from a panel on millennials, which included Michael Cirillo, President of FlexDealer and CoHost of The Dealer Playbook Podcast, Alan Bird, President & Chief Executive Leader at SCI MarketView Canada, Justina Wilson, Branding and Communication Specialist at Mississauga Toyota, Derek Stewart, Sales Manager at Pathway Hyundai and Daryl Marritt, Business & Development Manager at Attrell Toyota Scion.
Millennial panelists Wilson, Stewart and Marritt aimed to debunk some of the existing stereotypes about their generation, while Cirillo and Bird talked about hiring and working with millennials.
Andrew Assad, Strategy & Insights Manager for Auto at Google in Ottawa, shared the results of Google’s 10th Think Auto study, which revealed valuable insights into the auto buyer’s journey.
The day capped off with a keynote speech from Scott Monty, Principal of Scott Monty Strategies, on the fundamentals of storytelling.
The Former Head of Social Media at Ford Motor Co. shared example after example of companies that had employed storytelling successfully to connect with their customers.
Look for in-depth coverage of the event in the April issue of Canadian auto dealer.
