Why Dealers Should Send Their Employees to These 5 Upcoming Automotive Conferences

Auto dealerships are always looking for new strategies that will help them keep up with (or pass) their competition. Many individuals think of conferences as boring gatherings of people in a particular industry, but they are actually quite the opposite. Management, salespeople, and other dealership employees can benefit greatly from conferences, and connecting with other people in the industry can help them gather new ideas that can be useful for any dealership.

Auto salespeople can benefit from conferences because they can network with other individuals who may have tips on making sales and sealing deals. Managers can also find these useful, as many conferences have special speeches geared towards management, human resources, and tasks completed by other dealership personnel. Conference topics range from sales to other areas like hiring and retention, marketing, new laws and regulations, and guidance that can improve a dealership’s service lane procedures.

Although social media, blogs, websites, and other virtual communications can be useful for ideas, face-to-face communication is still extremely important in all areas, including the auto industry. Below are some of the upcoming auto conferences that are worth consideration. 

1. NADA Expo: Perhaps one of the most notable auto conferences is the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), which is taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from February 14-17 of 2020. The NADA Expo is bustling with over 500 companies and manufacturers showing solutions and services that can be helpful to auto dealerships and their employees. Many of the companies allow scheduled meetings with attendees and the website provides a comprehensive list of vendors to look through so attendees can choose which ones they want to network with.
2. Digital Dealer Conference and Expo: If a dealership wants to become more tech savvy and use the Internet to connect with car buyers more successfully, the marketing team can benefit greatly from the Digital Dealer Conference and Expo. Most auto consumers use technology to look up a dealership before deciding to visit it, so a dealership’s online presence is critical to success nowadays. There are many digital tools that some dealerships are not aware of, and this expo can provide better marketing strategies and even futuristic digital solutions that may be extremely useful in the coming years. The next events are April 6-8 of 2020 in Orlando, Florida and September 15-17 of 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
3. Innovative Dealer Summit: Held in Denver, Colorado, the Innovative Dealer Summit is another great conference that features dozens of seasoned auto experts that present on all types of topics that affect a dealership. Speakers include executives of auto manufacturers, marketing experts from renowned companies such as Google, finance leaders, and sales gurus. The next summit is scheduled for April 1st and 2nd of 2020.
4. DrivingSales President’s Club: Owners and general managers are welcome at the DrivingSales President’s Club, which offers speakers who have years of experience in business, economics, market research, artificial intelligence, and more. Attendees no doubt obtain a lot of information and knowledge that can be passed onto other employees within a dealership. The next event is April 16th and 17th, 2020 in New York City.
5. Women in Automotive Conference: There is no doubt women have begun to play a larger role in the automotive industry than they did in the past, and this conference is geared towards empowering them to be even more successful and involved in the industry. Scheduled for December 15 and 16 of 2019 in Palm Springs, California, the event typically has around 400 attendees, including the women who founded it. This conference is great for women who are looking to network with other women who may feel “left out” if the majority (or all) of the other employees and managers in their dealerships are men. Connecting with each other can help attendees build relationships as well as inspire and enlighten one another as to how to improve the bottom line and enhance their dealerships’ reputations.

Regardless which auto conferences a dealership sends its employees to, there is no doubt a lot of useful information can be obtained that will help the dealership thrive.