it’s been a busy stretch. The automotive season always kicks off in earnest in the first quarter every year, and there are no shortage of events that Canadian auto dealer’s editorial and publishing team attend.
Apart from major auto shows in Detroit, Toronto and Montreal, and the NADA conference in New Orleans, dealers will have run across our team reporting — or videotaping — what’s happening at industry events such as the CADA Summit, Kijiji’s DealerTalk event and the TADA’s Digital Dealer.
You will see a lot of our coverage of these events in the pages of Canadian auto dealer, and increasingly online where our team posts breaking news and instant event coverage.
But as good as we are, it’s just no substitute for attending.
With a whirlwind of events just behind me, I am struck by just how many intelligent people there are in this industry and how many good ideas are exchanged for dealers to absorb and integrate into their operations.
I had the pleasure of moderating a number of sessions at some of these events, and was able to interview and have discussions with some of the bright lights in our industry: like Robert Kurnick Jr., President of Penske Automotive Group, (one of the largest publicly-owned dealer groups in the U.S), and Sergio Marchionne, Chairman and CEO of Chrysler and Fiat just to name a couple.
Many of the speakers at these events freely share their best ideas and their unique perspectives on the burning issues of the day.
At Kijiji’s DealerTalk, for example, Jason Craine, Dealer Principal at Mills Motors Buick GMC (Oshawa, ON) openly shared some of the most powerful business initiatives they have undertaken since losing the Pontiac franchise. These are initiatives Jason credits with saving the business and helping them absorb the loss of the brand that represented the majority of their volume. Those ideas were there for the audience to absorb and take back to their own stores.
Which is why I’m always surprised that all these events aren’t completely sold out. It’s the best way for dealers to gather valuable industry intelligence.
Show season isn’t over, either. Please join me in Winnipeg, Manitoba for the MMDA Conference May 8/9. I’ll be presenting my thoughts on the growth of video in the automotive industry, and leading a discussion with Al McCormick, Ford Canada’s Vice President of Sales and Tim Reuss-Chief Executive Officer and President of Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.
ON ANOTHER NOTE
Your business is evolving. No, it’s transforming. As the leading media that covers that automotive retail sector, we take our responsibility seriously to help bring that to your attention. That’s why we launched a fictional series, focusing on a make-believe dealer who is operating a futuristic dealership in 2030. We want to make you think.
This 8-part series will be featured in every issue of Canadian auto dealer this year. Give it a look. It represents a very different approach from our traditional industry coverage — one that we think you’ll find thought provoking.
