ATTENDANCE UP AT SECOND ONTARIO DEALER DAY EVENT
Vendors met with dealers on the trade show floor at Ontario Dealer Day
The Trillium Automobile Dealers Association and Co-Auto recently hosted their second Ontario Dealer Day, a day-long trade show and the largest of its kind for Canadian dealers.
Attendees met with 75 suppliers to learn about products to help them run their dealerships, including banking and financing options, a broad range of software tools, tire storage, incentive programs, and service equipment.
The major draw for Canadian dealers is that they can stay in their own backyard to meet with local vendors, without having to travel to the U.S. to attend some of the major trade shows.
While last year’s inaugural event was a success, the aisles at the Paramount Conference and Event Venue in Woodbridge, Ont. on April 14th were even more jam-packed this year.
Tom Langton, President and CEO of Co-Auto, said participating vendors played a hand in raising overall attendance by helping to promote the event.
The trade show was a hive of activity from 10 a.m. when doors opened, and it got busy mid-day, but traffic had slowed considerably by 7 p.m. when the event wrapped up.
“The second year is always easier. It was very well put together,” said Larry Lantz, who operates Hanover Honda and is the treasurer of TADA. “I really enjoyed it last year, and I thought it was a good chance for dealers, vendors and associations to be under one roof.”
Brendan Moore (left), Sales Manager, Auto Dealer App and Mohan Markandaier, President of Auto Dealer App
When dealers head down south to bigger events like the NADA Convention & Expo, Langton said the large trade show halls make it tough for dealers to socialize with everyone.
For their part, vendors say they liked the fact that the venue was compact.
“It’s something we as vendors look forward to every year,” said Graham Line, vice-president, Business Development, at Search Optics, who attended last year. “It’s the only opportunity dealers have with their staff to see what’s out there for them and to look at.”
Mohan Markandaier, President of Auto Dealer App, found Ontario Dealer Day was the perfect setting for getting his message about his branded mobile app out to dealers.
A LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Mohammad Shahzad, Manager, Client & Community Relations with The Brimell Group and a regular contributor to Canadian auto dealer, likened Ontario Dealer Day to an encyclopedia coming to life on the show floor.
“You don’t have to flip pages. You can see everything that is going on,” said Shahzad. He added that automotive technology and products are constantly evolving, and it’s important for those in the industry to stay on top of the new developments and transitions. “I consider myself a student for life,” said Shazhad.
Many dealers that spoke with Canadian auto dealer said walking the trade show floor exposed them to new products and services that they might not have discovered otherwise.
Attendees added that they gained a wealth of knowledge and insights just by speaking with all of the different vendors.
It was Bob Redinger’s second year at Ontario Dealer Day, and the President and General Manager of Ready Honda said it’s an event he would attend again in the future.
“I always want to see what’s new and exciting in the industry. I’m always learning and I never come away disappointed,” said Redinger.
Aside from the trade show, TADA and Co-Auto also hosted their Annual General Meetings on site.
In the afternoon, dealers also heard from Chuck Seguin, president of Seguin Advisory Services, who delivered a keynote presentation about future industry trends.
Ontario Dealer Day was such a success that organizers are already planning how to top it next year.
Looking ahead to 2016, Todd Bourgon, Executive Director, TADA, said: “We have started our post discussion on how we can continue to grow and improve so that the value to the dealers and the vendors continues to improve as we move forward in future shows.”
To learn more about the event and to watch videos visit: www.OntarioDealerDay.com.
Canadian Black Book was one of the vendors
exhibiting at Ontario Dealer Day.
The DealerPILOT team at their booth
