The National Automobile Dealers Association is preparing for its annual NADA event — this time with a change of venue and some new additions to the conference menu. Set to take place at the newly-renovated Moscone Centre in San Francisco, Calif. between Jan. 24-27, 2019, the event promises all of the usual program content and more.
New to the four-day conference is a preview of the NADA Professional Series offered by the association’s academy instructor Georgia Munson. The sessions are meant to offer dealers a glimpse into how NADA educates its dealership department managers to ensure they have the necessary tools to advance both their careers and their dealership, according to NADA.
Also back this year, is the popular Canada Night NADA’eh event, that features the popular Canadian band, the Barenaked Ladies. The event is free to attend for Canadian dealership team members. You can register here: http://canadanightnadeh.ca/
“We’re encouraging more dealership managers to attend the upcoming show, which offers numerous career development opportunities, such as the educational workshops and training sessions, including the new NADA Professional Series training program designed specifically for new and high-potential dealership managers,” says Annette DiLorenzo Thayer, chairman of the NADA Show committee.
A total of four sessions will be offered and will focus on managing inventories within each dealership department.
Usual content
Attendees can also attend the regular workshops that will now be delivered in a streamlined format to provide dealers with more specific, dealer-“targeted” material.
The popular Super Sessions will take on a new topic this year: digital marketing for dealers and how to use it effectively in your business. “If you’ve ever thought, ‘YouTube is for millennials, not my customers,’ or ‘TV is better at getting my message out,’ or ‘I don’t see how video actually drives foot traffic into my stores,’ then this session is for you,” says Peter Leto, head of industry/automotive retail sales at Google.
The peer-to-peer round-table discussions known as The Exchange, which is based on topics selected by attendees, is back again for the 2019 convention. The session topics have already been selected and include (among others): Compensation Plans for Millennials; Used-car Strategies, from Acquisition to Increased Turn Rates; and Align Your Digital Image with Your Dealership’s Image.
The Distinguished Speaker Series will once again focus on leadership, dealership culture, team building and personal and business success. The opening session will feature the U.S. Navy’s first female F-14 fighter pilot, Carey “Vixen” Lohrenz, who will explore leadership and high-performance lessons learned from being a fighter pilot.
The usual dealer franchise meetings are also set to take place.
Keynote speakers
Much of the excitement of the show hovers around the keynote speakers.
Up first on is Kate Cole, COO and President, FOCUS Brands North America, with “Be a Leader of Innovation and Progress”. Other keynote speakers include Dana Carvey, an Emmy award-winning actor and comedian; and Major Dan Rooney, USAF: Fighter Pilot, PGA Professional, Patriotic Philanthropist and Author.
2018 NADA Chairman and Michigan (Chrysler) dealer Wes L. Lutz, along with Charles W. Gilchrist — NADA’s 2018 Vice Chairman and a Texas (Ford) dealer, will also appear on stage.
A welcome reception co-hosted by J.D. Power will take place on Thursday, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony for the expo hall the following day.
As always, the NADA Show 2019 offers the promise of excellent networking opportunities — not just from the U.S. — but from all areas of the world.
Visit the event website for more info or to register: https://show.nada.org/
