The full schedule for Digital Dealer 2026 is finally here! On Sept. 22 and 23 at Huntington Place in Detroit, you’ll hear directly from the dealers and industry leaders who are navigating the same challenges you face every day.
No fluff. No sales pitches. Just real-world strategies you can put to work the moment you get back to your dealership.
“Dealerships are under more pressure than ever to drive profitable growth while navigating rapid changes in how vehicles are marketed and sold,” said Group Show Director Jaymie Nielsen. “Digital Dealer is designed to cut through the noise, giving dealers practical strategies, real-world insights, and direct access to partners and technologies that can make an immediate impact on their business.”
Here’s a look at what’s on the agenda across our four session tracks:
- Marketing and Advertising: The latest on social media, AI-driven campaigns, data analytics and digital retailing strategies that drive qualified leads.
- Sales and Variable Ops: Proven approaches to lead handling, BDC optimization, video communication and sales conversion.
- Dealer Ops and Leadership: Leadership development, hiring and retention, compliance and building a culture that performs.
- Fixed Ops: Strategies to address the technician shortage, improve service department leadership and increase customer loyalty.
Learn from some of the best and brightest in the industry like: Sam D’Arc (Zeigler Auto Group), Glenn Lundy (800% Elite Auto), Rob Ruth (Bob Ruth Ford), Tustin Ulrich (Roper Auto), Jennifer Briggs (The Auto Diesel Institute at Baker College), Matthew Zabawa (Rimrock Auto Group) and Mike Conley (Sunset Auto Family).
Day 1 Highlights
Day 1 starts with the opening keynote in collaboration with Car Dealership Guy featuring Sam D’Arc and Glenn Lundy. Then attendees will have the chance to walk the expo hall and catch one of the sessions at our DealerTech Live Stage. Stop by and learn about CDP strategy from Mo Zahabi of Cox Automotive and Christina Rosenbach of Fullpath at their talk “Unified, Actionable, Profitable: Building a CDP Strategy for the Modern Dealership or how to fix customer engagement with Margaret Henney
of Covideo and Jessica Hammonds of CDK during “Stop Checking the Box: The Small Fixes That Make or Break Engagement.”
After lunch, attendees will get hands-on experience in our 60-Minute Learning Labs as well as deeper knowledge in our 45-minute sessions. Glenn Lundy will be hosting the session “Sell More Cars. Make More Money. The Current Goldrush that Exists in Automotive.” that will help dealers build an actionable framework to win the next era of automotive retail. The DealerOn team is hosting their session “AI Discoverability: Tech Gets You Found, Content Gets You Chosen” to provide a strategic approach to AI search with actionable tips. “Lessons Learned from Digitizing our Showroom” with Matthew Zabawa will be a dealer-lead session that shares the real lessons learned from actually digitizing franchise showrooms and running paperless sales at scale. There will also be a session from Jennifer Briggs titled “Fixed Ops – Stop Selling, Start Scaling: Building Your Own High-Tech Technician Pipeline” to help dealers deal with the current technician shortage.
Those are just four of the 11 incredible sessions on day one and the excitement doesn’t stop when the expo hall closes. New this year is the Digital Dealer Bar Crawl! Enjoy our incredible venue of Detroit with real conversations and no agenda. Join fellow dealership leaders and solution providers for a self-guided tour through four of Detroit’s iconic bars. Trade what’s working, talk through what isn’t and build relationships that outlast the show floor. The bar crawl is free for all attendees and exhibitors.
Day 2 Highlights
Day 2 kicks off with more expo hall time and more valuable talks on the DealerTech Live Stage. Learn “How Dealers Are Selling More Cars Despite Affordability Challenges” with Phillip Greer of Upstart and Jared Kuchek of Schafer Chevrolet, and “How AI Reshapes Each Step of Every Vehicle Sale” with Cody Gentry and Robert DeGeorge of Cox Automotive. We will also have the “Women In Dealerships Power Session” on the stage to explore how women can shape the next chapter of automotive. Speakers will discuss ways to lift each other up and support career growth, network and skills development, and allyship.
The afternoon sessions on Day 2 are just as stacked as Day 1. Mike Conley is hosting “The Problem With Your Advertising Is That Your Advertising Is NOT Your Problem!” to help teach why in this post pandemic period, attempting to “win the race to the bottom” on price is a losing proposition. Glenn Lundy will be back, this time with Rob Ruth for “Used Car Acquisition in 2026. The Game Has Changed.” and Erin Richmond of sMedia will be hosting “The 20-Minute Profit Audit: Identifying Waste and Reclaiming Your Marketing Budget.” a hands-on session where dealers will perform a live, “under-the-hood” audit of their dealership’s digital footprint.
Running concurrently with those sessions will be the returning, fan-favorite AI Hackathon with Brent Wees of idea.meet.plan. A thrilling competitive event where teams battle it out to create innovative AI-driven marketing solutions for the automotive industry. We will then wrap up Digital Dealer 2026 at our closing reception in the Expo Hall, where the AI Hackathon champions will be announced!
Register Now!
Join auto dealers, OEMs, thought leaders, and solution providers in a city that understands cars better than anywhere else. Digital Dealer is built to deliver real discernable outcomes you can take right back to the dealership. Gain actionable insights to improve your ROI, modernize your advertising efforts, and break down the data silos within your business.
Don’t miss out on a potentially transformative experience for your dealership this September!