The NADA Convention and Expo is headed back to San Francisco this year and this will be my fourth year in attendance. From the highs in 2008 when dealers were talking about how to use internet marketing, CRM, and other new technologies to increase vehicle sales beyond the 16.5 million vehicles sold in 2007, to 2009 in New Orleans, when dealers were just trying to hold onto their franchise, and finally to 2010, when dealers were back on their feet again after having adjusted to the new realities of the economy and figuring out how to grow their businesses—it has certainly been an interesting few years.

Despite the pain that these difficult years have brought, I believe it has made our industry stronger as a whole. A few years ago, we were like an out of shape boxer still riding the wave of our earlier victories. With the crash of 2008, however, we’ve had to go back to the gym to get into fighting shape again and it’s starting to pay off. From a low point of 10.4 million vehicles sold in 2009 to 11.5 million in 2010, according to Bloomberg Business Week, we’re moving in the right direction.

We’ve managed to overcome the challenges of the last few years with a combination of new technologies, training, and close examinations of our budgets with an eye towards trimming waste, but we still have a ways to go before we’re back to the sales levels of 2007. If we want to return to the profits of the beginning of the decade, we need to find even more ways to increase sales, eliminate waste in our budgets, and run our dealerships more efficiently. And one place you can do all that is at the NADA Convention.

For those who attend, the NADA Convention and Expo is one of the best places to learn about the latest advances in auto dealership industry technology, network with other dealers, and find training on all aspects of your dealership with workshops such as "Fixed Operations Retention in the Digital World" with Mike DeCecco and Kevin Root and "Social Media 101" with Jared Hamilton. (These are just two of the available workshops; for a complete list, visit www.nadaconventionandexpo.org and click on the ‘Schedule of Events’ tab.)

Training is one of the most important aspects of any dealership. If your employees aren’t properly trained, you’re letting sales walk out the door, but training truly starts at the top. So, in case you’re considering skipping the convention this year, let me warn you against it—now is not the time to be complacent. If you can’t attend, send your general manager or another trusted employee that can teach you what they learned at the convention.

Another important benefit of the NADA Convention is the networking opportunities. There are, of course, the franchise meetings where attendees can meet and trade ideas with other dealers that sell the same makes. In addition to the formal franchise meetings, however, there will be many informal meetings between dealers on the floor, in the bar, and at the many parties thrown for the attendees. True, you don’t have to meet in person to exchange ideas, there are always video conferences and phone calls. As sales people, however, we all know that there is no substitution for a face to face meeting. Whether you’re selling a car or discussing the best way to market your next sales event, it is always better to do it face to face.

Besides the excellent training and networking that goes on at the convention, there is also a wealth of vendors offering solutions to almost every dealership problem imaginable. That’s why walking the floor is always one of my favorite parts of the convention. Every year there is a vast array of exhibitors offering solutions and technologies and every year I find something new. The convention floor can be a crowded and confusing place, however, so we’ve highlighted a few of the vendors that you should visit in our NADA VIPs section of this issue. In addition to the vendors we highlight this month, next month we will include a map of the convention to help you find your way around the exhibit halls and find where you need to go.

I don’t have a crystal ball and I can’t predict the future, so I’m not going to try and tell you what will happen to the auto dealership industry in 2011. What I do know, however, is that whatever happens in the next 12 months, we better be prepared; and the best place to do that is NADA 2011.

See you there!

Michael Bowen is the editor in chief for Dealer Marketing Magazine. If you have any questions or comments please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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