Digital Dealer Conference and Expo 2025 registration is open, and we want to individually focus on some of the biggest changes that are coming this year!
Nowhere are those changes bigger than our new redesigned sessions. Day 1 of #DDCE2025 kicks off with our all-new quick 25-minute sessions that provide a deep understanding of the topics and trends dominating the industry today, all in an easy-to-digest package.
The fast-paced talks are led by real dealers and experts focused on solving the challenges you face every day—like generating leads, retaining staff, and navigating digital transformation. We’ve optimized our sessions to better serve attendees with content designed to deliver quick wins they can immediately apply to their business.
The bitesize content pieces allow for attendees to get to more sessions they’re interested in and spend more time on the enhanced Expo Hall floor. These are the sessions that will lay the groundwork for your entire Digital Dealer experience. They provide actionable insights that transition seamlessly into Day 2’s longer 90-minute hands-on sessions.
“Our Day 1 sessions are all about efficiency and impact—25-minute, insight-packed presentations designed to deliver quick wins you can apply the moment you get back to your dealership,” said Group Show Director Jaymie Nielsen. “It’s the kind of fast, focused content the industry has been asking for.”
These sessions are not sales pitches; they’re valuable talks from respected speakers from across the industry. We’ve separated them by different tracks so attendees can best focus their time on what they care about most.
Marketing & Advertising
Marketing & Advertising is our most diverse track with a total of 14 sessions across the two days and nine sessions on Day 1. Speakers will provide insights on brand loyalty, omnichannel strategy, marketing ROI and more!
One such session is CDP – Trendy Buzzword or the Real Thing? with Kevin Frye, Head Coach of Marketing with the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family. Attendees will learn firsthand the benefits and drawbacks of the “CDP Journey.” Do you need a CDP? Will it save you money? Does it really work? Or is this just another trendy buzzword? In this session you will learn how to apply a CDP to your marketing efforts, and more importantly, have a transparent conversation as to whether a CDP would or would not strategically work for you, whether you should manage your CDP yourself, or partner with an outside provider or your OEM with a CDP strategy.
Another session on this track is Don’t Feed the Trolls… Hug Them (Digitally) The Art of Turning Online Fury into Brand Loyalty with Real-Time, Real-Talk Replies with Nicki Snyder, Chief Marketing Officer of American Road Group. This session dives into the power of real-time, actual human replies to even the most animated online customer feedback. Embrace the chaos of comment sections and review platforms, using authenticity, consistency, and a little humor to disarm critics and build long-term loyalty.
It’s what the session likes to call a Digital Sniper strategy. Packed with creative and quiet strategy, and a few spicy real-world examples, this session shows how even the angriest post can become a golden opportunity. Learn why every single review matters (yes, even that one), why bots don’t cut it, and how a consistent brand voice—carried by real humans—can turn digital friction into connection. Especially in the dealership world.
Sales & Variable Ops
The Sales & Variable Ops track features five total sessions with three on Day 1. These sessions cover hot topics like BDC strategy and understanding the best practices for utilizing video to engage customers.
One of those sessions is Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Video, But Were Afraid to Ask with Matthew Davis, CMO of TradePending. In a world of auto-responders, canned emails, automated texts, and scripted voicemails, using video in the car buying process is such a different experience that it grabs your customers’ attention. If you want to stand out in 2025, and you want to surprise and delight your customers, start doing video right now. In this session, TradePending will cover the data that makes the case for video in both sales and service, the various alternatives you can choose from, everything from your own phone to purpose-built software. This session will explore tons of best practices, everything from how to get started, which videos to prioritize first, and how to advance beyond the basics.
Another Sales & Variable Ops session is BDC Reimagined: Smarter, Faster, and More Profitable Lead Conversion with Kenneth Kingstad, CEO of Call Team Six LLC and Ryan Mays, COO of Call Team Six LLC. This session will challenge conventional wisdom and deliver a data-backed blueprint to transform how dealerships handle leads – without increasing cost or staff. Attendees will leave with clear, actionable strategies to immediately boost response rates, drive more showroom traffic, and maximize ROI.
Dealer Ops & Leadership
The leadership track focuses on all the cutting-edge topics that are affecting dealerships today such as digital security and AI. There is a total of five sessions on this track across both days, with two on Day 1.
The first session is The Hidden Threat: Defending Against Identity Fraud in Car Dealerships with Jim Lawyer, VP, Strategic Partnerships at 700Credit. In this session, you will learn the tactics of prevention through cutting-edge tech, synthetic fraud detection, data scrutiny, and compliance with FTC safeguard rules for the proper handling of consumers’ non-public information to safeguard your dealership operations and protect the bottom line. Join to hear the harrowing tale of one dealer’s 5-car loss to identity thieves and how they were left abandoned by their insurance company. Shield yourself from identity fraud with a must-attend session!
The other session is Transparency is the New Currency: How Digital Retailing is Reshaping Automotive Sales with Sean Ryan, Chief Revenue Officer at iPacket. This engaging and actionable session will break down how transparency-driven digital retailing is revolutionizing automotive sales. The session will provide dealership professionals with real-world strategies to increase trust, improve the buying experience, and close more deals by leveraging vehicle documentation as a competitive advantage.
Fixed Ops
The fixed ops track touches on relevant topics like managing in-house technicians and utilizing AI agents. There are two fixed ops sessions with both taking place back-to-back on Day 1.
First there is Retaining and Growing Your Technician Base — Building Apprenticeship Programs with Local Education Providers with Don Monda, Director of Operations at Proctor Dealerships. Join this session to discover the blueprint for growing your own technicians. This session will detail the benefits and the process for partnering with your local high schools and technical colleges to cultivate your next generation of skilled technicians. You will learn where to look and who to contact, leaving the session with a clear roadmap to foster connections and implement a sustainable technician development program that sets you up for long-term success.
The second session is The Silent Revolution: How AI Agents Are Redefining Service at Automotive Dealerships with Derek Simonds, Executive Vice President, Automotive at Numa. In this session, you will uncover how AI Agents are rewriting the rules of customer service in dealerships—restoring your customers’ trust, driving revenue, and helping stores hit the holy grail of 100% fixed ops absorption. Through powerful stories and real data from dealership floors, you’ll get a firsthand look at the transformation already underway—and what it means for the future of automotive retail.
Register Today
These new quick 25-minute sessions provide more insights in less time, letting attendees learn more and take even more strategies back to their dealership. Register today to make sure you don’t miss out!
Two days. Endless value. Check it out and save your spot!