The best part of publishing magazines in the automotive industry is the chance to participate in key industry events. There’s just no substitute for exchanging ideas face-to-face. Earlier this spring I had a chance to do just that as part of one of my favourite automotive spring rituals — my annual trip to Halifax for the Nova Scotia Automobile Dealers Association (NSADA) President’s Dinner.
This year was made even better as the team at Canadian auto dealer magazine helped the NSADA create a new half-day conference: Canadian Auto Dealer Excellence (CADEX) to accompany the President’s Dinner.
This event was an afternoon-only affair, so dealers coming in for the President’s Dinner could get more out of their trip to Halifax without adding much travel time and cost. The day included four sessions in all, each one distinct in content and flavour. As you’ll read in the article in this issue, the event featured sessions on social media from leading expert Jared Hamilton, a thought-provoking panel discussion with Canada’s top bankers that serve the auto dealer industry, a Young Guns panel featuring local rising stars, and an informal “fireside chat” type of interview with Rick Gauthier, President and CEO of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association.
I’d like to give a special thanks to John Sutherland, NSADA Executive Vice President. I love working with John and his team, and our collaboration on this event reminded me again about what consummate professionals the NSADA are. Thanks too to Jared, Rick and our panelists. Great conferences must offer engaging content, and your participation and contributions let us do just that.
Finally, I would like to bring special mention to TD Auto Finance, the conference’s supporting sponsor. Andrew Ojamae, Sean O’Brien, Jim Nursey and the rest of the TD team put in a tremendous effort to make the conference possible, and embraced the opportunity to share the stage with their fellow bankers in the interests of bringing value to the audience. Good on ‘em, as the saying goes.
So now we look ahead to next year. We’re already at work planning the agenda for next year’s conference. TD, the NSADA and Canadian auto dealer are committed to making this event a key touchpoint in the industry’s calendar. We hope you will, too.
