The pace of change across the automotive landscape is accelerating. But initiatives like electrification and autonomy are facing headwinds and costing automakers billions of dollars in losses. What do the next 5 to 10 years look like, and what are the implications for franchise dealers?

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the trends facing the retail automotive industry.
• Recognize the implications these trends may have on franchise dealers over the next 5 to 10 years.

Join us in transforming hospital environments through the power of art! In this activity, you will collaborate to paint murals and create individual pieces of artwork that will be displayed in local hospitals. The Foundation for Hospital Art is dedicated to softening the harsh hospital environment with colorful artwork, and your contributions will help bring beauty and hope to those in medical facilities.

In this session, we will discuss historic challenges to advancing women in the automotive industry, including work/life integration, promotion opportunities, "token" concepts, as well as role models and mentors within organizations.

This is an interactive session where we will have table discussions, share stories of successes in various industries, and discuss how to apply them in your organization.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify current challenges in advancing women to leadership roles in the automotive industry.
• Recall stories of lessons learned in advancing women in other industries.
• Recognize practical examples and actions to advance women in your organization.

How Dealerships Can Unlock Real-Time Insights, Break Down Data Silos, and Future-Proof Financial Operations

In this session we will cover both recently issued accounting and auditing guidance, and updates to previously issued guidance. The session will cover how these standards and updates will impact dealerships when considering both year-end close and year-end accounting with their external accountants and auditors. Also included will be an overview of the agendas of different standard-setting groups, including the FASB and SEC/PCAOB, and a look at recent activity by the FASB’s Private Company Council.

Learning Objectives:

• Recall recently issued accounting standards and their potential impact on dealerships.
• Identify how these recent standards, and previously issued standards, will impact accounting for your business.
• Recognize ongoing activity at relevant standard-setters that could have a future impact on dealerships.

Change is inevitable, especially in the auto industry. Whether it be a new generation entering the workforce or ongoing merger and acquisition activity, there are endless opportunities for growth—and no space for complacency.

Stay ready and drive your dealership group forward with a panel moderated by Suzanne Malo, Managing Director of Executive Search at Forvis Mazars. Our panelists, human resources directors with mid-size family-owned groups, will discuss their experiences with the people side of acquisition integration and offer helpful tips to maintain HR consistency across multiple stores, such as best practices for hiring, retention, risk, healthcare, and more.

In addition, hear first-hand accounts of how others navigate two critical people management groups—long-standing generations that have been at their dealership group for decades and new employees entering the workforce—and implement HR strategies to align with their dealership group’s business goals.

Learning Objectives:

• Use strategies for HR consistency as your dealership group acquires new business or undergoes a transition in its workforce or leadership.
• Select proactive talent retention plans to find the best and brightest people for your organization.
• Identify ways to communicate effectively with your current teams during acquisition integrations.

This session will cover various components of financial services in the automotive industry. A panel made up of three bankers, from both regional and national banks, with unique perspectives on the automotive industry financial services, will be interviewed by a moderator in Q&A format. We will also take questions from the audience.

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze how financial institutions view the current automotive landscape.
• Identify how financial institutions underwrite client transactions.

This session will cover various issues faced by automotive CFO's today. A panel made up of three CFO’s, all with differing backgrounds and perspectives on the industry, will be interviewed by a moderator in Q&A format. We will also take questions from the audience.

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze the challenges a typical automotive CFO might face, including maintaining dealer profitability, accessing and managing risks, and overseeing asset management.
• Identify how to effectively manage interactions between operations and accounting.
• Recognize macroeconomic challenges facing dealerships (inflation, interest rates, OEM relations, etc.).

Zero variance software, parts pad to accounting GL daily reconciliation software

In 2024, it became glaringly obvious that automotive dealerships – regardless of their size – are not immune to cyberattacks. This session dives into the key cybersecurity threats that have shaped the past year and looks ahead to the emerging threats and strategies of 2025. It will equip dealerships with the knowledge and tactics needed to safeguard their operations against the evolving methods of cybercriminals, ensuring dealership security, productivity, and customer confidence.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize dealership vulnerabilities and emerging cybersecurity threats.
• Identify proactive cyber defense approaches.

Passing credit card fees on to end customers has become viable based on 2023/2024 legal cases between merchants and card brands such as Visa. However, there are strong card brand and state legislative compliance requirements. As a dealer, if you are interested in how many other dealers are surcharging and learning about the push back from consumers, OEMs, card brands, and social media, then this session will share a wealth of information on compliance, customer impact, internal business and accounting steps, as well as some of the financial traps within the credit card processing market.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the legal and compliance requirements for surcharging.
• Analyze how the industry is utilizing tiered pricing to grow profits at the expense of your customers.
• Calculate the impacts in states that have ruled out dealer junk fees and how this could impact merchant processing.

Geoffrey Pohanka is a third generation auto dealer, Chairman of the Pohanka Automotive Group, and the 2023 NADA Chairman. He will speak of his activities at NADA and the state of the automotive industry, including the many challenges from the transition to electric vehicles, to competition from domestic Chinese manufacturers and others.

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze potential developments in the dealership landscape, considering consumer preferences, regulatory changes, and technological advancements.
• Identify barriers and the technological, economic, and infrastructural challenges hindering EV adoption.
• Recall insights into recent trends and challenges for dealerships.

In this session, Jonathan Smoke will review the current state of the US economy and what slowing growth, high rates, and growing uncertainty will mean for the vehicle market through the rest of 2024 and next year. He will review the trends that directly impact vehicle demand, including job growth, inflation, consumer credit, and interest rates, and will share the current market conditions for both new and used cars. He will demonstrate how issues such as affordability, new vehicle supply, loan rates, and consumer sentiment affect retail vehicle demand. He will review the latest market conditions for both new and used cars, including pricing, supply, and the industry shift to electrification. The session will close with a review of forecasts including potential impacts from the US election.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify impact of macroeconomic trends on vehicle demand.
• Recognize the role of affordability on changing supply and demand in the vehicle market.
• Estimate state of balance between supply and demand in the auto market.
• Estimate future market conditions and election outcome scenarios, and their likely implications for the vehicle market.

In the automotive dealership industry, managing employee turnover and compensation is a complex and challenging task. High turnover rates and intricate pay structures often lead to employee dissatisfaction, which can negatively impact morale and retention. These issues not only affect the workforce but also the overall efficiency and profitability of the dealership.

A significant challenge is the lack of transparency and accuracy in compensation management, which can result in costly errors and compliance issues. Managers often struggle to evaluate pay plans in real-time, and employees find it difficult to track their progress toward goals.

Technology offers valuable solutions to these challenges. By integrating advanced compensation management systems with the dealership’s DMS, dealerships can achieve greater transparency and accuracy. These systems enable managers to evaluate pay plans in real-time and provide employees with tools to monitor their progress. Automating payroll processes helps reduce errors and improve efficiency, ultimately increasing profit margins.

Understanding and leveraging these technological advancements can transform compensation management from a challenge into an opportunity for growth, benefiting both the dealership and its employees.

Insurance fraud remains a critical concern, with a staggering $308 billion attributed annually to fraudulent claims, according to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Beyond the financial implications, social attitudes towards insurance fraud are also evolving, influencing the broader insurance landscape, how juries view insurance, and how this drives social inflation. The session will also address what is driving social inflation in claims litigation.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize shifting attitudes towards insurance and fraud.
• Identify the impact on commercial customers and social inflation.
• Analyze the effects of these social shifts.

In this session, we will look at the impact machine learning systems can have on the bottom line, from reducing the amount of software needed to automating workflows and workforce adaptation. A presentation of customer engagement AI will include what early outcomes are being accomplished, and what to expect from AI in the future.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the value of AI and intelligent systems.
• Estimate the ROI of AI at a dealership and group level.
• Recall examples of conversational AI and the impact it has on customer engagement.
• Indicate the the risks and benefits of engaging with emerging AI.

Specialty tax savings abound these days, and a thoughtful CPA doesn’t want to overlook any potential benefit. How can you be sure you’re identifying all appropriate incentives for your dealership clients?

Materials supplied by those very clients often contain clues to prospective opportunities. If you can recognize these clues, you can unlock unrealized potential. This session will include the review of multiple (anonymized) client-supplied documents, including AIAs, Depreciation Schedules, and Settlement Sheets.

Learning Objectives:

• Estimate the additional opportunities or complexities of cost-segregation related materials.
• Recall the relationship between renovations and the TPRs and what client materials will be helpful in leveraging the regulations
• Recognize 179D Deduction opportunities by looking at broken-out line items.

We will review and analyze the impact of rising repair costs and their direct influence on claims within a reinsurance company. Actuarial data will be presented in support industry trends that span several Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that are commonly used to insure the overall profitability of a dealer reinsurance program.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize how the increase in claims costs (parts & labor) affects dealership reinsurance programs.
• Identify how to be best prepared for adjusting to a rise in claims cost to dealership reinsurance.

In this session, we will delve into the latest trends shaping the dealership buy-sell market. This year has witnessed record-breaking M&A activity, reflecting robust buyer and investor demand despite a backdrop of evolving challenges. While dealership profits remain strong, they continue to decline, creating a nuanced landscape for transactions.

We will explore how higher costs, the uncertainties of an election year, the rise of electric vehicles (EVs), and higher interests, among other trends, are impacting dealership values. Additionally, we will discuss the recent CDK cyberattack that affected 15,000 dealership locations over the summer, examining its implications from the buy-sell perspective.

Join us to gain valuable insights into navigating these trends and making informed decisions when looking at dealership buy-sells.

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate factors impacting dealership valuations.
• Identify opportunities to maximize value of the business through acquisition or divesting.
• Formulate strategies to navigate the evolving auto retail market conditions heading into 2025.
• Recognize dealership buy-sell valuation methodologies.

This session will provide an overview analysis of recent tax changes and their specific implications for dealerships. From the latest IRS rulings to new legislative measures, attendees will gain essential knowledge to navigate the evolving tax landscape and optimize their tax strategies.

Learning Objectives:

• Recall the latest tax laws affecting dealerships.
• Identify potential tax planning opportunities for auto dealers.
• Recognize updates on IRS Rulings and their impact on dealership operations.