I’ve been attending the CADA Summit ever since there’s been a CADA Summit. That’s been a while, as the first one was held February 13, 2013.
Now, of course there’s a recency bias in everything we do. Some say Patrick Mahomes is the “best quarterback of all time” just because he just won the Super Bowl and stars like Tom Brady and Joe Montana are suddenly old news. The newest model arrives in your showroom and everyone wants a big discount on last year’s superstar, can’t miss vehicle.
But even with that caveat, I have to say this year’s CADA Summit was the best ever.
One added wrinkle is that usually at these events I spend half my time in the event and the other half in the corridors conducting video interviews with speakers, so I end up missing some of the sessions.
This year though, I plunked myself down for the duration and listened and took careful notes. You’ll see some of that extended coverage in this issue, and you can read all of our coverage online.
It wasn’t just me feeling this way about this year’s event. Many of the dealers, sponsors, and suppliers attending suggested the same in informal chats. As is the case every year, some sessions got people really energized and talking.
Michael Dunne, CEO of Dunne Insights and one of the world’s top experts on the Chinese auto market lit up the room with his presentation that mapped out the growth plans and achievements of the Chinese automakers.
At the break, during lunch and I’m sure even today, dealers were asking questions about whether the arrival of the Chinese automakers presents an opportunity or a threat. Dunne clearly knows his stuff, and will continue to be in high demand as one of the world’s top experts on the topic.
Dunne wasn’t the only superstar this year, the stage was filled with presenter after presenter who brought their A game, and delivered fresh insights the dealers were just drinking up.
The one difference that sets the CADA Summit apart from most other dealer events in Canada is the caliber of the speakers. Thanks to generous financial support from exclusive sponsor TD Auto Finance, the Summit organizers are able to search far and wide for the best experts and speakers from around the world, and pay them well to deliver the goods.
So when you hear from a retail expert and futurist like Doug Stephens, or global media personality Richard Hammond who made the trek across the pond from the UK to share his tales from a life on the road shooting auto television programming, or two of North America’s top political analysts David Frum and Andrew Coyne, you know that you are hearing quality information.
This isn’t a knock against other dealer industry events who put on great events with volunteer speakers who are experts in their field, but the lens is much different when you have a healthy speaker budget to work with.
I can share this, because I’ve been part of the CADA Summit planning committee, as has Niel Hiscox, Canadian auto dealer’s publisher since the event launched, and the discussions around speakers are always spirited and robust.
CADA Summit’s reputation as the industry’s can’t miss event is well earned, and I can’t wait until our next planning meeting to see what’s in store for Feb. 12, 2025!
