By CRM Staff
Niagara Falls, Ontario — April 17, 2018 — The Trillium Automobile Dealers’ Association (TADA), in partnership with Consolidated Dealers, hosted the first ACE (Automotive Conference & Expo) last week. The event was created specifically with Canadian New Car Dealers in mind. ACE is a combination of TADA’s Auto Dealers Innovation Series and Ontario Dealer Day. It was a destination event with top notch speakers and over 80 Canadian Vendors ready to help elevate their dealership to the next level.
Over the course of the event, a large contingent of dealers and vendor partners socialized with their peers to learn the best practices and strategies that work in today’s competitive market. ACE provided attendees with multiple opportunities to grow their network and industry knowledge base. Delegates had an opportunity to rub shoulders with auto industry leaders such as Susan Gubasta, president of TADA and dealer principal of Mississauga Toyota, Mike Stollery, president of MJS holdings & Management, Chuck Seguin, president of Seguin Advisory Services along with the senior management team of the Weins Group based in Markham, Ontario.
Keynote speakers were the highlight throughout the two-day event.
Peter Mansbridge former chief correspondent and the anchor of CBC’s “The National” spoke to a standing-room-only crowd about why we are all proud to be citizens of this great nation.
The house was riveted by his personal reflections on his experiences throughout his entire career. Peter’s stories made the audience feel proud to be Canadian while sharing some humorous anecdotes that occurred along the way.
Michele Romanow of CBC’s “Dragons Den” and co-founder of Clearbanc, wowed the crowd by sharing her entrepreneurial experiences and emphasizing the struggles that come before success in business. At the end of Michele’s presentation the packed house was provided an opportunity to ask questions which provided additional insights into the 24/7 life of the accomplished business leader.
Chuck Seguin moderated an informative leading-edge session discussing the Future of Residuals from a Leasing Perspective with an industry panel including an Q&A opportunity.
Doug Stephens, author of Influencer and Retail Futurist kicked off the first day with thought provoking concepts about the future of retail and the challenges and opportunities that our industry faces.
Some of the Featured Industry workshops at the ACE conference included: “Re-Marketing Auction Trends Panel” Moderated by Mike Stollery, president of MJS Holdings & Management, “Economic Trend Forecasting 2018 & Beyond” moderated by Douglas Porter, chief economist and managing director at BMO Financial Group, “Dealership IT – What Matters Now & In the Future,” moderated by Erik Nachbahr, president and founder of Helion Technologies.
In between workshops and keynote speakers, attendees worked the trade show floor showcasing over 80 auto industry vendors including platinum sponsors Cox Automotive, CARPROOF and Adesa. Special appearances by former NHL players Paul Coffey and Wendel Clark created long lineups for a photo and an autograph opportunity. After the closing remarks the attendees joined the ACE KICK OFF PARTY at Margaritaville featuring, Kim Mitchell.
For more information about ACE, visit automotiveconferenceandexpo.ca.
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