The 2022 CADA Summit is moving online.
The move was made due to the government of Ontario reinstating capacity limits in the province to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which subsequently led to the cancellation of the 2022 Canadian International AutoShow (CIAS).
All major auto shows from coast-to-coast are now cancelled, and other provinces are tightening restrictions or re-imposing measures to manage Omicron. The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) will hold its February 16, 2022 event online as it did in 2020.
“Plans were underway to return to an in-person CADA Summit, while also offering an online option,” said Bonnie Wasser, Industry Relations Manager at CADA. “But we knew things could change. We moved to an online only event to ensure the health and safety of our members and industry partners, which remains our main priority.”
Wasser said their experience with the 2021 CADA Summit online event will allow them to deliver important and timely content geared towards Canada’s automotive retailers in an “engaging and dynamic” online format.
The 2022 event will feature various sessions, including an industry-wide panel that will address the current state of the transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and include the participation of Brian Kingston from the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, David Adams from Global Automakers of Canada, Flavio Volpe from the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, and Jerry Dias of Unifor.
A dealer panel will also focus on electric vehicles—including how to increase sales at dealerships, and tips on how dealers can transition to selling these vehicles to consumers. It will feature Hugo Jeanson, Dealer Principal of Bourgeois Chevrolet Buick GMC; Bill Harbottle, President of the Jim Pattison Auto Group; and Amin Tejani, Vice President Operations, Weins Canada.
Other sessions will include Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors, who will cover the current mergers and acquisitions climate for Canadian dealers.
And James Voortman, CEO of the Australian Automotive Dealer Association, and Bernard Lycke, Director General of CECRA—the European Council for Motor Trades and Repairs, will look at changing OEM structures and strategies in Australia and Europe, and the lessons they may hold for OEM-dealer relations in Canada. Flavio Meneghetti, President of Grupo Marajo will also speak at the session.
Jason Stein of Cars & Culture will do a podcast that will be broadcasted on the SiriusXM network during the event. Stein is also a journalist and publishing executive who has interviewed guests such as NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon and Stellantis Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles, among others.
More information will be provided as it becomes available. Registration for the event will open early in the new year.
TD Auto Finance is the exclusive sponsor of the 2022 CADA Summit.
