Canadian auto dealer’s newest columnist Bruce Duguay attended his first CADA Summit. The sold-out event featured record dealer and overall attendance, and arrived at a time when dealers were really eager to gather and chat, as we hear from Bruce’s first-hand account as an attendee. Below, he shares this story:
After spending 23 years in Canadian automotive retail, I finally attended my first CADA Summit in February this year.
It was almost a non-starter, as this year’s record attendance meant that when I finally signed up on the registration portal, I was waitlisted. Luckily, a few colleagues with access thought it relevant that I be included, thus a pass was procured for both the CADA Summit and the Canadian International AutoShow VIP Night.
I last attended the Canadian International Auto Show just before the pandemic, in early 2020. I had flown in from Edmonton, Alberta, for some meetings and by chance had enough free time to wander in, buy a ticket, and ride the flow of the crowds, all craning their necks to see the latest new cars. It was a fun experience.
Fast forward five long and tumultuous years and the auto show, and precursor CADA Summit, are more relevant than ever — and quite a different experience for me at this point in my career.
Emerging from that early morning train and making my way to the convention centre for the 7 a.m. CADA Summit registration, I thought to myself, what could this conference hold that will get hundreds of Canadian car dealers together this early on a Wednesday?
I grabbed an orange juice and a seat close to a stage set up nearby. As the room started to fill up and familiar faces turned out, I monitored the buzzy conversations taking place. Tariffs, tariffs, and more tariffs. Unsurprised that this topic was top of mind this morning, I worried the whole conference would be consumed by this topic of economic terrorism. Could I have just stayed home, watched the news, and had the same experience?
My worries were proven promptly unfounded at 8:05 a.m. when the opening panelists of Canadian dealer group leaders took the stage, along with a banking executive from TD Auto Finance. This was a hard-hitting bunch in any room, let alone this setting, with Christian Chia of OpenRoad Group, and Laura Zanchin from the Zanchin Group, sharing what dealers are feeling these days.
Of course, the conversation opened with the topic of the day and what was on everyone’s mind. When the mic was turned toward Laura Zanchin, she addressed the current sentiment, then pivoted to successfully reset the tone for the entire day: “We have to remind ourselves, it’s still good to be in the car business!”
I wanted to jump up and applaud that very moment. The conversation then shifted to what car dealers do best, tackling what is within their realm of control. It was then that I knew that I was definitely in the right place to get my bearings on automotive retail for 2025.
After the inaugural panel wrapped up, there was a brief break before we were guided to another room for the main program. The crowd had a different energy now. One of anticipation and momentum. Universus Media’s Niel Hiscox, the event’s emcee, kicked off the program which included a fascinating presentation on Canadian demographics that, among other things, reminded us not to forget marketing to retiring customers, as they hold a great majority of disposable income right now.
Hot on the heels of that informative bounty, Clarify Group’s leading man, Darren Slind, presented a glimpse of their upcoming CADA report “The Road Ahead: Canada’s Automotive Evolution,” which is consolidating survey results from Canadian dealers and other industry research to forecast what the next 10 years could look like.
As the day progressed, there wasn’t a miss in the bunch, from the panel heralding the importance of dealer councils to the big-three roundtable, where leaders all stated their commitment to the dealer model.
The following night, I made the trek back into downtown Toronto, Ontario, for the Auto Show VIP night. Even 24 hours later, the positivity and energy from the CADA Summit could still be felt. It was enhanced by the gleaming new metal surrounding us, as the participating manufacturers pulled out all the stops to showcase how proud they are to contribute to the feeling of “It’s still good to be in the car business!”
