This was my first opportunity to attend the Digital Dealer Conference and I can only say, “WOW!”  This event has everything a dealer could hope and more.  As a matter of fact, I heard more than one attendee say that they were attending this event instead of the NADA convention because of the quality of the learning opportunities and the impact that each session can have on their business.

The Digital Dealer Conference, which took place November 1-3, covered the latest strategies needed for Dealers, General Managers and Sales Managers to compete and succeed in today’s increasingly competitive retail environment. The schedule included a full roster of expert speakers relating to advanced selling and marketing strategies for automotive managers in today’s technology driven world.

I attended as many sessions as I could and learned something new every hour. The first session of the conference was an “Internet 101” course of sorts and was well done. The more advanced sessions were equally well done (if not more challenging to those of us who do not fully comprehend such things). However, the sessions relating to the utilization of video and entering the mysterious world of social media were particularly informative and useful for dealership staff. For a dealer who attended these sessions and applies what he/she learned, the impact on the bottom line could be huge.  The presenters did a wonderful job of not selling their own products and focusing their discussions on the challenges that the dealers are facing in today’s retail automotive market.

The event also provided time for participants to form small discussion groups and to learn from one another. Mike Roscoe and the team at Dealer magazine should be commended, and I encourage any dealer to attend the next conference in the spring of 2010.