2 Upcoming Automotive Conferences You Won’t Want to Miss: AR Canada & Dealer Talk 2015
There’s a growing tradition in Toronto: Once April rolls along, the hockey season ends abruptly and the automotive conferences begins in full force. (It’s okay Leafs fans, you could live in Edmonton like us, where the first signs of snow mean the Oilers are already thinking about the June draft.)
Coming up in just a few months are two such conferences in Ontario’s capital that Strathcom Media cannot endorse enough. They are chances to listen to some of the industry’s top thought leaders, network with your peers, and get all of your questions answered to prepare you for the year ahead.
So if you’ve got a few Air Miles left on your card, we strongly suggest you head on down to Hogtown and check out two of the most valuable automotive and marketing events that Canada has to offer. You might even recognize some familiar faces.
2015 AR Canada Conference – APRIL 20 – 21
A two-day event focused solely on the used car market, the annual Auto Remarketing Canada Conference is now going into its eighth year. It’s being hosted once again at the Westin Harbour Castle, with over 45 dealerships having already confirmed their attendance.
Have you been puzzled at all on how to position yourself to attract the newest generation of car buyers? Then you’ll definitely want to look out for our own Duncan Cochrane presenting at Tuesday afternoon’s event, “Marketing to Millennials: What Changes and What Stays the Same?” Millenials are the most diverse generation of the moment, spanning from recent high school grads to settled, young professionals; from independent-minded singles to young parents, and everything in between. With insights ranging from the best way to showcase your inventory to why you should be advertising through YouTube, Duncan is set to walk you through how meeting the individual needs of millenials is the key to winning over this growing market.
This year’s other main speakers include:
- Ross Williams, President and CEO of both Hyundai Motor Finance & Kia Motors Finance
Topic: The (financially) exciting world of lease residuals.
- Paul Potratz. Owner of Potratz Partners Advertising
Topic: Cost-effectively creating a killer used vehicle marketing strategy.
- Paul Antony, CarProof Chairman, with Ed Woiteshek, President and CEO of CarProof
Topic: The importance of accurate valuations when buying vehicles and why rough estimates don’t cut it.
- Michael McCarthy, Vice President and GM of Dealertrack Canada
Topic: Peering into the future this year’s upcoming trends and opportunities in used car financing and remarketing.
This is just a taste of the highlights for this year’s event. There will also be plenty of time for refreshments and networking between keynotes, as well as concurrent breakout panels on a host of other topics, what AR Canada advertises as a “choose your own adventure” of seminars.
Whether you’re there as a presenter, an exhibitor, or just an information sponge ready to soak it all in, mark your calendars for April’s biggest car conference.
Register now for this year’s event.
Dealer Talk 2015 – MAY 8
Taking place just two-and-a-half weeks later is another sales and marketing conference we’ve enjoyed attending these past few years. Taking place on a Friday at The Four Seasons Toronto, this one-day event has a weekend buffer so you don’t need to feel rushed. Stick around town for a few days and you may even spot a Maple Leaf or two as they make their annual migration to the golf course.
From leveraging your digital media, engaging your customers, and empowering your sales team, this conference is fair value for the franchise dealer and independent, alike.
We also enjoy the portion size of the event: with two keynote speakers supported by three other industry experts, there’s just enough to take in without information overload or fear of missing out.
This year’s speakers include:
Keynote addresses
- Scott Strattten, President of UnMarketing
- Marcus Sheridan, Founder of The Sales Lion
Featured speakers
- Robert Wiesman, Director of Online Media, Flex Dealer
- Grant Gooley, Director of Marketing, Zanchin Auto Group
- Jeff Kershner, Founder of DealerRefresh
Register for the event or learn more about the Dealer Talk 2015 lineup.
