NADA Convention & Expo Blog

Keynote speakers for the 2017 NADA Convention and Expo in New Orleans – which runs from Thursday, Jan. 26, to Sunday, Jan. 29 – include NADA Chairman Jeff Carlson and NADA Vice Chairman Mark Scarpelli, and New York Times best-selling authors, comedian Jim Gaffigan and motivational speaker Amy Purdy. A fifth speaker will be announced in the coming weeks.

Jim Gaffigan (Friday, Jan. 27)
Gaffigan, an entertainer and father of five children, has achieved major accomplishments in stand-up comedy, acting and writing, including two New York Times best-selling books, Dad Is Fat, and Food: A Love Story. He recently wrapped up the first season of his semi-fictitious television show, “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” which TV Land picked up for a second season. In addition to his television show, Gaffigan has guest starred on many television comedies, dramas and movies. With multiple projects in motion, Gaffigan is currently traveling the world with his stand-up tour, “Contagious.” He is one of only 10 comics in history to sell out Madison Square Garden.

Jeff Carlson (Friday, Jan. 27)

Carlson is president of Glenwood Springs Ford and Glenwood Springs Subaru in Glenwood Springs, Colo., and co-owner of Summit Ford in Silverthorne, Colo. As NADA’s 2016 chairman, Carlson is leading franchised new-car dealers through some of the most pressing legislative and regulatory challenges they have faced in years, including attacks on indirect auto financing and the dealer franchise system. Carlson started in the auto business in 1973, working for Ford Motor Co. In 1979, he joined Glenwood Springs Ford-Lincoln-Mercury as a sales manager. He purchased a stake in the dealership in 1982 and became president in 1986 and expanded the business to three dealerships. He represents Colorado’s new-car dealers on NADA’s board of directors. Carlson is a past TIME Dealer of the Year nominee representing Colorado.

Amy Purdy (Sunday, Jan. 29)

Through poignant and inspirational stories, Purdy informs audiences on how to use their challenges to push past their limits and live life without barriers. She lost her legs, kidneys and spleen to bacterial meningitis at age 19. Today, she is a top-ranked adaptive snowboarder, author of the New York Times best-seller On My Own Two Feet, actress, model and clothing designer. Purdy competed on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” and was the show’s first double-amputee contestant.

Mark Scarpelli (Sunday, Jan. 29)

Scarpelli is NADA’s 2016 vice chairman, as well as president of Raymond Chevrolet/Kia in Antioch, Ill. His keynote address at the upcoming NADA Convention will highlight the association’s key priorities for 2017. Scarpelli, a second-generation dealer, worked his way up learning all areas of the dealership. In 1986, he was hired by General Motors as the district sales manager for the Boston zone, and three years later returned to the family-run dealership. He represents Metropolitan Chicago’s franchised new-car dealers on NADA’s board of directors.

The four-day NADA Convention, which will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, is considered the auto industry event of the year. The convention includes dealer franchise meetings, workshops, an exhibitor showcase, NADA 100 Carnival and numerous networking events.

The American Truck Dealers (ATD) Convention and Expo runs concurrently with the NADA Convention.

Online registration and hotel selection for the NADA convention open on Monday, July 25. NADA members and their managers who register by September 9 will receive a $100 discount from the onsite rate. To register or for more information, visit www.nadaconvention.org.
Source: NADA

Performances by Foreigner (pictured) and Cowboy Mouth

Online registration for the NADA convention opens July 25

The National Automobile Dealers Association (1917-2017) will kick off yearlong events commemorating its 100-year anniversary beginning with the NADA 100 Carnival at the 2017 NADA Convention & Expo in New Orleans.

The NADA 100 Carnival – an exclusive, opening event for NADA and American Truck Dealers members, international affiliates and guests – will be held at Mardi Gras World from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, January 26. It will feature cuisine from New Orleans’ top restaurants and entertainment from local jazz musicians and Cowboy Mouth and headlining band Foreigner.

Online registration and hotel selection for NADA 100 open on Monday, July 25. NADA members and their managers who register by September 9 will receive a $100 discount from the onsite rate. The member dealer and manager registration fee include admission to the NADA 100 Carnival and convention badges must be presented at entry. A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase by non-member dealers and managers. Allied industry attendees are not eligible to purchase a ticket to the NADA 100 Carnival. Shuttle buses will be provided to and from Mardi Gras World and NADA’s official hotels.

The four-day NADA convention, which runs from Thursday, January 26, to Sunday, January 29, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, is considered the automotive industry event of the year. It includes dealer franchise meetings, workshops, keynote speakers, an exhibitor showcase and numerous networking events. To register or for more information, visit http://www.nadaconvention.org.

Are you interested in presenting a workshop at the 2017 NADA/ATD Convention in New Orleans? If so, you can still view the workshop proposal webinar recording.

NADA’s Manager of Workshops and Webinars, Shana Gipson, will walk through the workshop proposal submission process and provide tips on how to make your proposal stand out to the selection committee.

The deadline for submitting a workshop proposal is 5 pm ET on May 16, 2016. Selected workshops will be presented at the 2017 NADA Convention

This year we have expanded our educational and networking offerings to include the newly formed, Exchange (located in Hall N3) and Studio workshop sessions. As, outlined in the info-graphic below – whatever your learning style is, we have session designed just for you.

Guest Blog Post from: Greg Gifford, Director of Search and Social, DealerOn

Did you realize that there are actually two kinds of SEO? When most people talk about SEO, they’re talking about “traditional” SEO – where you’re doing things to a website to get it to show up higher when someone does a search in Google. With Local SEO, you’re only trying to get a site to show up in a specific geographic area.

Pizza delivery is the perfect example… If you go to Google and type in “pizza delivery”, you’ll get a list of pizza delivery places near the dealership. If you go home and do the same search, you’ll get a completely different set of results. Google knows your location (because of your IP address), and knows you need a pizza delivery joint that’s nearby.

Google treats auto dealers the same way. Even if a city isn’t entered as part of a search query, Google will return local results for automotive related searches.

That’s why it’s important that dealers utilize a Local SEO strategy. Local SEO involves additional signals and elements that aren’t a part of traditional SEO.

If you’re in a metro area, think about how many dealers are in your market. For the more general terms, you’re fighting against every franchise dealer AND every used car dealer. There could be more than 200 dealerships in your metro, and they’re all fighting for a spot on page one.

Without the extra signals involved with Local SEO, you’re not going to be able to compete. Take a look at the 2015 Local Search Ranking Factor Study from Moz – it’s a detailed list of exactly which signals matter the most for local relevancy in Google searches.

Local SEO is the secret sauce that will help your dealership excel in 2016.

To hear more from Greg, attend his workshop:

Automotive SEO is Serious Business
Thursday, March 31   12:15pm – 1:30pm  N253
Saturday, April 2,       10:15am – 11:30am N255-257

Since Women Influence The Majority of All Car Buying Decisions; then Why Aren’t We More Present Within Dealership Personnel?

Our world is rapidly changing and advancing, yet, in the area of women employed at a car dealership our numbers are rather stagnant.

Why is this is the norm? Is it because most dealers have done very little to encourage any movement? Are dealerships simply talking about wanting to change, but simply using the words without action?

It is beyond time for dealerships to look within their “4 walls” and take the necessary steps towards achieving this important goal. Let’s start by taking at a look at environment. Does your dealership host a “male dominant atmosphere”. One where a female could feel potentially awkward in? Do you have salespeople still huddled at your entrance? Let’s face it no one feels comfortable approaching a small “gang” when looking for a career opportunity, let alone if buying a vehicle.

Does your dealership offer a “flex schedule”. One that is going to attract a broader range of candidates from all backgrounds. Have you looked into the possibility of job sharing? Looking into setting a unique avenue of job sharing. If in sales, this would equate to splitting commissions and daily tasks, but also ensuring a potential greater balance between home and work.

Take a moment to really look at how your dealership currently outlines a clear pathway for career advancement. If you have a talented receptionist, can they see a way to stay long term at your store and grow? Or does their role appear to be someone dead ended?

What training to do you provide for each department? You need to ask yourself if the training is something that you provide repetitively, or on a one time basis? Does the training you provide devote a significant amount of time within one key area? If so, remember that effective training must be well rounded.

How are you currently recruiting? Do you utilize your “circle of influence”? In other words, do you look for employees via current employees assist? Have you reached out to your daily service customers and attached a notice of “opportunity” to each receipt? During your customer appreciation events, do you provide notice of the career opportunities? If not, these are excellent places to begin.

In order to bring dealership wide career awareness, implement a monthly meeting for current employees. Be sure to have a department head present and allow casual conversation regarding growth. Remember, people need to see and hear that they are not only valued but that there is a “next step”. This will also open up a much broader inter-departmental communication path. Too often we fall into the “left hand right hand” category. One where the other side has no idea of how or if they could assist.

Learn that the first step is taking an honest look at yourself and your dealership. With this look, determine if you are truly willing to make the necessary changes to grow with in this area. If you take on the steps outlined above, you will learn how to retain and attract more women into working at your dealership.

Yes, those powerful women that directly influence your sales and service business.

I wish I could repeat the number of times I have had an auto dealer tell me how they wanted to “fill their sales staff” with women employees. Well, if you follow what I outline, you can!

Simply don’t shy or ignore the obstacles.

Identify, change & grow!

You can hear more from Joni Stuker during her panel discussion:

Create a Culture to Win with Women
3/31/2016           2pm – 3:15pm      N220
4/1/2016     10:30am – 11:45apm   N101 -102

How much do you know about some of world’s largest hotels? Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any city on the planet, but the rooms are just a small portion of what makes these properties great. Check out the fun fact guide to all our #NADA2016 Convention hotels.