CADA Summit, billed as Canada’s Automotive Summit, is back in business with an all-star speaker lineup ready to warm up dealers’ hearts on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2024 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The perennially-sold out event has been held for more than a decade, and brings together experts and analysts from inside and outside the auto industry to help dealers better understand the forces impacting their business.
The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), the hosts and organizers of the annual conference, is urging dealer members to register at www.cada.ca to be sure they book a spot.
“This year’s speaker lineup is really going to get dealers talking, and thinking,” said Tim Reuss, CADA President and CEO in an interview about the event in CADA Newsline. “We are going to provide the economic updates and forecasts they need for business planning, but our mix of futurists, OEM leaders, all-star political analysts from Canada and U.S. and some as-yet-unnamed keynotes will truly make this a can’t miss event.”
Canadian auto dealer has had a chance to interview several of the key speakers for next year’s event including Jason Stein, host of the popular SiriusXM radio show Cars & Culture about his sessions. He will be doing a Quick Takes session to kick off the event featuring interviews with OEM leaders followed by an in-depth Q&A session with leaders on stage.
OEM leaders expected to participate in the Quick Takes include: David Klan, President and CEO of Mazda Canada, Steve Milette, President, Nissan Canada, John Cappella, President & CEO Porsche Cars Canada, and Jason Stoicevich, Chairman President & CEO, Stellantis Canada.
Also back this year are journalists David Frum, staff writer at the Atlantic, and Andrew Coyne, Globe & Mail columnist. They will offer their perspectives on the economic and political climate on both sides of the border.
Doug Stephens, retail futurist and best-selling author, will be talking about the changing customer experience, and the impact of machine learning and artificial intelligence on the retail world and business in general.
“I think that we hear a narrative today in the media largely centered around the question, is AI good or is AI bad? Is it going to save humanity or is it going to systematically wipe humanity out?,” said Stephens in the interview with Canadian auto dealer. “This narrative takes a lot of oxygen out of what I think is the more important narrative around this technology. That being specifically, what are the potential benefits not just to humanity, but to business owners and what are some of the pragmatic risks that they have to be aware of?”
One of the top global experts on the growing EV market will also present at the event. Michael Dunne, CEO of Dunne Insights, is an entrepreneur, author and host of the popular Driving with Dunne podcast. He will explore the risks and opportunities associated with China’s export blitz of EVs and the growing global EV market.
Economists will provide economic updates and Darren Slind, Co-Founder and Managing Director at the Clarify Group (an automotive consultancy firm), will look at the changing automotive market viewed through a dealer lens.
TD Auto Finance is the exclusive sponsor of CADA Summit, and has been since the event’s inception more than a decade ago.
