Every year, Canadian car dealers head down to the U.S. to take part in the NADA Show — North America’s largest automotive industry event for dealers, where they can purchase new products at discounted prices and learn about the latest trends from keynote speakers and sessions.
“If you’re in the car business, you need to be there,” said Bob Verwey, President of Owasco, Inc., which includes Audi and Volkswagen dealerships, a motor home store, and a collision centre, all based in Ontario.
In an interview with Canadian auto dealer, Verwey stressed the importance of dealers attending the event with a game plan rather than just showing up. The cost of attending the event, alone or with a team, can be hefty and so there needs to be some sort of return on investment.
“Without a game plan, it’s just not going to be successful. That’s for sure. So, what we do is we try to have a return on our investment,” said Verwey, adding that dealers need to consider what it costs them, and the team, to attend the event — and we are talking about fixed costs, such as the flight, hotel, etc.
Verwey typically attends NADA with eight to 10 people every year and everyone is expected to implement an idea that gives the dealership a return on investment, otherwise they aren’t invited to attend the following year. So far, only two people have not been able to return because they did not implement the ideas or made changes at the dealership.
As for the game plan, Verwey said the goal of the dealership needs to be understood. This is the objective, and it can be split in two: equipment and learnings.
Dealers travelling to NADA may find the trip is worth it simply for the benefit of the cost-savings that come with purchasing new equipment and products. But in terms of topping up your skills, Verwey said dealers need to figure out what they intend to learn at the show, what learnings they will bring back to the dealership, and how it will all be implemented.
Verwey and his team immediately organize a meeting and those that attended the NADA Show are expected to implement one new idea within 48 hours. “If you don’t put it in place within a 48-hour window, you won’t put it in place,” said Verwey. “You’re going to come back and fall right back into the hole that you’re in. So you need to put it in place as soon as you get back, and within the 48-hour window. And then, what you need to do three months later, six months later, are surprise follow-up meetings.”
Andrew Ojamae, President and CEO of Ontario-based dealer network AutoIQ, also believes dealers should have a clear understanding of what it is they are seeking from NADA, although his team’s game plan is slightly different. For example, the group has a commitment to include a dealer principal at every NADA event, along with several team members.
“Divided out between who it is, we have a different game plan for going down there,” said Ojamae. “We’ve got a structured component and an unstructured component on how we approach NADA. We will get some alignment on our strategic level with our partners about what we want to seek out, what we want to see and spend some time with, as part of our push for innovation within our group.”
Ojamae said the unstructured component would be dedicated to a smaller amount of time; a team member will network and browse the show floor to see what else is out there that the group is not aware of, and what would align with their strategic initiatives for the year ahead.
“Here’s the thing with NADA: it’s so big, it tends to be overwhelming that if you go down there with a plan, then we find that it’s like impulse shopping — you end up spending a bunch of your time getting dragged around a bunch of things that may or may not matter to you at the end of the day,” said Ojamae.
AutoIQ has a budgeting process that is determined in Q4 for the next year. By the time NADA rolls around, they already have a general idea as to what they need across the group.
“We will go with intention rather than getting lured in by whatever displays or booths are trying to kind of do that; we just have more of an intention and a plan in our approach to NADA,” said Ojamae.
The NADA Show 2020 is set to take place from February 14-17, 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre in Nevada.
Schedule of Events
Friday, February 14, 2020
09h00 – 18h00 Attendee Registration
10h30 – 12h00 Meet NADA: Show Orientation
12h15 – 14h00 Super Session
13h00 – 14h00 Concurrent Workshops & Exchanges
14h30 – 15h30 Distinguished Speaker Series
14h30 – 15h30 Concurrent Workshops & Exchange
16h00 – 17h00 Concurrent Workshops & Exchange
Optional ticketed event:
17h30 – 19h30 NADA Valentine’s Day Welcome Reception co-hosted by J.D. Power, XS Nightclub at Encore (optional ticketed event)
20h00 – 22h00 NADA Academy Alumni & NextGen Reception, hosted by NADA Academy, NADA PAC & Legislative Affairs, Encore Beach Club (by invitation only)
Saturday, February 15, 2020
07h30 – 17h00 Attendee Registration
08h30 Expo Hall Ribbon Cutting
08h30 – 17h00 Expo Hall Open
08h30 – 17h00 NADA Lifestyle Experience Open
10h30 – 11h30 Concurrent Workshops & Exchange
10h30 – 11h30 Distinguished Speaker Series
10h30 – 11h45 Dealer Franchise Meetings: Acura, FCA, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz/smart, Nissan
13h00 – 14h00 ADESA Auction to Benefit NADA Foundation, NADA Expo Booth #3427C
14h30 – 16h00 Opening General Session, featuring Kathleen Madigan, Comedian, and the TIME Dealer of the Year Awards
Sunday, February 16, 2020
08h00 – 17h00 Attendee Registration
08h30 – 09h45 Dealer Franchise Meetings: BMW, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Porsche, Volkswagen
08h30 – 17h00 Expo Hall Open
08h30 – 17h00 NADA Lifestyle Experience Open
09h00 – 10h00 Concurrent Workshops & Exchange
10h15 – 11h30 Dealer Franchise Meetings: Audi, Kia, Lincoln, Mini, Subaru
10h30 – 11h30 Concurrent Workshops & Exchange
10h30 – 11h30 Distinguished Speaker Series
12h00 – 14h30 Women Driving Auto Retail Brunch, Encore Las Vegas (optional ticketed event)
15h00 – 16h30 Sunday General Session
Monday, February 17, 2020
08h00 – 15h30 Attendee Registration
08h30 – 09h45 Dealer Franchise Meeting: Cadillac
08h30 – 14h30 Expo Hall Open
08h30 – 14h30 NADA Lifestyle Experience Open
10h30 – 11h30 Concurrent Workshops & Exchange
10h30 – 11h30 Distinguished Speaker Series
10h30 – 11h45 Dealer Franchise Meetings: Buick-GMC, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Toyota/Lexus, Volvo
13h00 – 14h00 Distinguished Speaker Series
14h30 – 15h30 Closing General Session, featuring Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO, General Motors
15h30 NADA Show 2020 Closes
