I’m heading back to Las Vegas next week, this time for my first trip to the NADA Show.
What do I need to know?
My retail colleagues have covered the basics: The Las Vegas Convention Center is cavernous (something I observed last month at CES), so leave plenty of time to walk from booth to booth for meetings and wear comfortable shoes. And hydrate.
Other than that, though, I have absolutely no idea what to expect.
That’s an exciting place to begin.
I joined Automotive News in August, so I’m looking forward to meeting people in person whom I’ve only talked to by phone. So far, I’m planning to meet with companies that cover the retail technology gamut — dealership management systems, financing solutions, digital retailing platforms, marketing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity. I’m interested to see how these tools work, to better understand how they help dealerships reach prospective shoppers and improve their experience. I’ll help our team cover our Retail Forum: NADA event, with a focus on multigenerational dealers navigating these transitions within auto retail. And that’s just a start.
My goal is to come away with a notebook full of ideas for future stories and Q&As. Help me do that. I want to hear from dealers finding innovative ways to use technology in their stores. Tell me about retail technology that has been tested in the showroom and proved itself with dealerships. What tech trends are coming for auto retailers that no one’s paying attention to yet? Are there new threads about trends we’re already covering that we can bring to light? What new threats are emerging in the area of dealership data, and how do retailers protect themselves?
Send me your best ideas at [email protected]. Maybe we can meet at the show.
I’ll take your practical advice, too. But don’t worry — I’ve got shoes and snacks covered.