During this session you will learn:

• 1. How to use industry benchmarks in conjunction with your statement to run a more profitable dealership 
• 2. How to identify profit opportunities throughout all departments. assessing processes to help create change to attain industry benchmarks

Join this interactive session with CFOs and top dealership experts to discuss common industry issues that plague dealerships across the country.

Learning Objectives: 

• 1. Learn about what keeps them up at night 
• 2. Hear about strategies to tackle the top dilemmas, including accounting, HR, IT and more

This interactive session will explain some of the most confounding generational differences and effective ways to harness those differences to create a strong and talented workforce for the future.

• 1. Understand generational differences 
• 2. Harness the unique aspects of the millennial generation to create a strong and talented workforce of the future.

The session will cover best practices in a dealership setting to hiring good employees and to terminate poor performers in such a way that minimizes legal exposure.

• To develop a solid hiring process that is followed in every instance. 
• To design a plan to inform new hires of expectations. 
• To evaluate and address problem behavior or subpar performance. 
• To establish a constructive discipline program. 
• To provide advice on the best ways to terminate a problem employee or poor performer.

This session will focus on accounting and audit standards impacting dealerships.

Learning Objectives: 

• 1. Understand and implement US GAAP in a retail dealership environment 
• 2. Apply proper auditing standards in the course of auditing retail dealerships 
• 3. Be aware of pending or upcoming accounting standards (US GAAP)

There are many tax changes effecting dealerships and related industries, including those under the Tax Reform Act. The business model of a dealership lends itself to unique tax issues. This session aims to create an understanding of the tax history of the industry that is still relevant today and discuss its future under our current climate.

Participants will be able to: 

• 1. Review and discuss the applicable tax issues of the dealer industry. 
• 2. Identify key aspects of tax reform and their impact on industry. 
• 3. Understand the variety of accounting method available to dealers and their application.

With the Auto industry changing at a rapid pace, it's important to keep your dealership up to speed. In this session, we will discuss best practices, along with Key Performance Indicator's and benchmarks on items such as dollar day supply, unit day supply and receivables day supply. Session participants will also learn how to show the true effect of ROI at an annualized rate using rate of travel and turn of inventory.

During this session participants will recognize how reinsurance works, what the role of the dealer advisor is, how the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affects various participation structures and what the advantages of the Affiliated Reinsurance Company are for most dealers.

After several years of record sales, the automotive market now faces more challenges to maintain volumes, let alone grow. Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist of Cox Automotive, will review the top economic and market trends and what to expect in the months ahead. His review will include the economic fundamentals and how trends are impacting new and used vehicle sales including prices, wholesale market supplies, auto loan rates, consumer credit access, and the challenges being reported by dealers.

• 1. Understand key trends impacting the automotive market 
• 2. Review likely economic and market forecasts

There are a myriad of factors that are impacting the automotive retail sector, and those disruptors appear to be staying for a while. These include the obvious ones such as franchise law attacks, autonomous vehicles, and ride sharing. In addition, new entrants in the space, tariffs, subscription services, and more all have a propensity to impact the industry as we know it today. These speakers will speak on these topics and more, and the session will conclude with a group interactive session with all speakers.

Attendees will hear about: 

• 1. Franchise law attacks, autonomous vehicles, and ride sharing. 
• 2. Other impacts such as new entrants in the space, tariffs, subscription services, and more.