We Came, We Saw, We Conquered – Auto Remarketing Canada 2018 Recap
Auto Remarketing Canada Conference is an annual event that brings together dealerships and vendors from across Canada to learn and network. It is a two-day event with sessions across various stages with multiple vendors offering their magical services. Strathcom Media had four people present at the event, with each of us trying to do a double duty of [wo]manning our awesome booth and attending sessions, and of course, one of our very own was speaking at the event as well. Here’s our Auto Remarketing Canada 2018 recap.
Day 1 – Big Day!
It was a long day! We started the day with meeting couple of vendors and dealers and spent the rest of the day switching between the booth and sessions. With a welcome by Bill Zadeits, the event officially started in Metro East (Stage 1). The day was a heavy hitter with multiple sessions happening across the various stages where the speakers talked about topics like the customer purchasing journey, car-buying process, selling strategies for 2018, and the psychology behind sales. Between the four of us that day, we tried to attend as many talks as possible while covering our booth. At our booth, Brian Sencich graciously accepted our invitation to be our special guest from Facebook, and was there to answer dealer questions about advertising especially on the Facebook platform.
One of Us
Melina Beeston, a marketing superstar within our team, was one of the speakers at the event. A growth marketer with over ten years of in-dealer experience, Melina talked about the 5 Ranking Factors That Matter Most for Local SEO. Melina talked about content relevance, website structure, Google My Business, citations & links, and reputations, describing what they were and diving into how these factors can help your website rank higher. Did you miss her at the event? Well, since Melina is super nice, she decided to put together a webinar going through these points. Be sure to catch her on April 17 to learn more about the 5 factors. Click here to register.
Day 2 – It Continues…
Day two had vendors taking their positions by the booth and talking with dealers, while the “free” people (vendors and dealers alike) attending the various sessions lined up throughout the day. These sessions contained topics like finance, used cars, digital marketing, and Sales, of course with in-depth analyses. These speakers, who are industry leaders with years of experience, provided insightful knowledge about dealership success and a lack thereof, and retention of customers. While the speakers were engaging the attendees with in-depth knowledge, the cool people from Strathcom were behind our beautiful booth educating various dealers on digital marketing and how it can change marketing and elevate their Sales goals in an effective and efficient manner.
We (Well, She) Got an Award!
No, it wasn’t a team award, and yes, she is a someone who well deserves it. Alecia Wilson, Director of Sales for Strathcom Media, was one of the recipients who received the 40 under 40 award, making us proud (tears of joy). As an integral part of the Sales team, her goal is to ensure every single client of Strathcom Media, and the many others who aren’t clients yet, are educated about the potential their dealerships hold to elevate their Sales game. On top of being a champion among the dealerships, she is also a leader and a mentor to many of her colleagues.
Day 3 – The Not-So-Secret Day
Women and Automotive was a one-day Canadian Leadership Forum targeting mostly women, focusing on women in the Canadian automotive industry. This event was led by some of the brightest women in the country. This one session consisted of a panel event followed by networking opportunities where select questions were asked to the speakers about how they thrived in the industry and what measures they took to consistently be successful. This was an opportunity for many women and men to learn from experienced individuals about what it takes to be successful in such a cut-throat industry.
Champion Among Us
Carrie Oliva was one of the speakers selected for the panel session. Carrie is the Director of Web Development and Optimization within Strathcom. Her focus for the panel session was to encourage the attendees to network more often instead of relying solely on resumes. Through her describing own personal experiences, she talked about how networking enabled her to be successful in the industry. She left the attendees with a small networking tip as well: “Be honest and genuine. If you build your networking relationships organically, they’ll last a lot longer and provide you with a lot more benefit in the long run.” Carrie was also one of the recipients of the Profile in Leadership Award during the Forum.
Wrap Up!
It was a busy three days for Strathcom Media and the various other vendors and dealerships–three compact days of knowledge and networking (thank God for business cards). This event was an opportunity for many dealers to get more in-depth knowledge about the industry while interacting with experts from the country who can help them achieve a better online presence and brand awareness. At Strathcom Media, we have individuals from various backgrounds who work in sync to ensure your dealership has the best opportunity to be relevant in the industry and among your customers. Whether it’s websites or blogs, search-engine-optimization, or search-engine-marketing, we work with the best team in the industry to make it happen. Being a Google Premium Partner and a Facebook Preferred Partner, we get first hand access to their products and have specific representatives from these organizations who are available to give us industry knowledge and guidance. At Strathcom Media, you will always be a VIP!
