Revamped format offers more interactive sessions
- Bankers take center stage: Andrew Ojamae, TD Auto Finance, George Steinsky, Royal Bank, Alain Henry, Scotiabank, and Ray O’Kane, BMO Bank of Montreal.
Rebranded and retooled, the Nova Scotia Automobile Dealers Association (NSADA) held a Spring Training themed conference and President’s dinner in April with a special half-day conference aimed at challenging dealers to think differently about their operations.
“It was new, it was innovative, and very much a combined effort,” says John Sutherland, Executive Director of the NSADA in an interview with Canadian auto dealer.
Sutherland says the event was pulled together by the NSADA, the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), Canadian auto dealer magazine and it was the first event under a new sponsorship agreement with TD Auto Finance Canada, the auto financing division of TD Bank Group. The event was called CADEX (Canadian Auto Dealer Excellence).
“We were able to launch the first of what we hope will be many CADEX conferences,” says Sutherland. “I have heard from a number of my dealers who were there that they enjoyed the format. They found it relaxing, yet very informative and thought provoking.”
The previous format was more of a lecture style, says Sutherland, but this year’s event featured several interactive panels. “The interactive environment of the conference allowed the audience to stay engaged,” he says.
Tactical information
Andrew Ojamae, Director of Sales at TD Auto Finance Canada says the event was well attended, and dealers were provided with the kind of tactical information they could take away and apply immediately in their stores. The informal panel style of some of the sessions was also popular, he says. “It’s a good learning environment,” says Ojamae.
“We think that the NSADA did a phenomenal job. We are excited to be partners with them. Our interests are very aligned. We feel a warm sense of partnership in Atlantic Canada,” says Ojamae.
Challenge current thinking
A thought-provoking social media overview was delivered by Canadian auto dealer columnist Jared Hamilton, founder and CEO of DrivingSales.com and one of North America’s top experts in digital marketing. Hamilton took took dealers through a fast-paced overview of best practices with regards to Internet marketing, social media and more.
Sutherland says the social media presentation really challenged dealers with some provocative new ideas. “It’s not just simply about who is looking after the email inquiries. It’s about how you begin to work all that into your business processes,” he says.
Another interactive panel session featured a host of bankers who sat shoulder to shoulder and talked about their role in helping dealers run successful and profitable businesses. The bank and finance panel consisted of Andrew Ojamae, Director of Sales at TD Auto Finance Canada, Ray O’Kane, National Director, Retail Dealer Finance at BMO Bank of Montreal, Alain Henry, Vice-President Automotive Finance & Indirect Lending, Scotiabank, and George Steinsky, National Sales Director, Indirect Lending, Royal Bank.
Ojamae says he enjoyed the panel, and it gave dealers a chance to learn more about the financial institutions and the different ways they bring their services to the dealer market. “We all know each other extremely well. We are peers, colleagues and competitors,” says Ojamae.
“The financial panel was interesting,” says the NSADA’s Sutherland. “It was interesting to hear bankers talk about the industry but not as bankers would normally talk about the industry… The audience posed a number of interesting questions to the financial panel, which were ably answered.”
Young Guns Blazing’
“We gave Canadian auto dealer’s Young Guns series a regional twist,” says event moderator Niel Hiscox, publisher of Canadian auto dealer. “We invited four leading dealers from the Maritimes on stage where they shared some of their best practices, principal challenges, and best sources of information and guidance.
The Young Guns panel consisted of Doug Wilson, Dartmouth Motors, Mike Velemirovich, Hillcrest Volkswagen, Tim O’Regan, O’Regans South Shore Toyota and John MacNeil, Blaikie’s Dodge.
Rick Gauthier, President and CEO of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association joined moderator Niel Hiscox for an informal interview, and then dealers were able to ask their own questions.
“I have been to many, many conferences in this industry that featured Rick as a speaker. Rick’s preparation is as thorough and polished as anyone I’ve ever met, which is why we thought it would be a fun and entertaining twist to sit Rick down on a couch and let me fire questions at him,” says Hiscox. “Speaking with him afterwards, Rick mentioned that he found our interview format to be an invigorating change.”
NSADA is a not-for-profit organization formally established in 1966 and geared to provide new vehicle dealers in the province with collective assistance and protection. The NSADA members consist of 120 new car franchised dealers in Nova Scotia and an associate membership comprising suppliers to the province’s automotive retail sector.
