An Overview of the Upcoming Industry Summit

LAS VEGAS - From September 10-12, the industry will gather at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel here to attend one or all of the four conferences that make up the event. The F&I Conference and Expo, 2012 Subprime Conference, 2012 CRM Convention and VSCAC will bring in people from every part of the automotive industry, making for a unique event all around.

It also makes for a very large event, with too much going on for any one individual attendee to cover. For our purposes we'll focus mostly on the F&I Conference, since that's what most of you reading this will likely be the most interested in.

First of all, there are the keynotes. These are always a great way to hear what some of the top movers and shakers in the industry have to say. On Monday, the opening day, it will be given by Jin Kucharski, vice president of alliance sales for Ally Financial. He'll review the current automotive environment, and the improvements made to the financial side of the industry. On Tuesday, there will be two keynote speakers - Greg Goebel, Auto Dealer Monthly; and Pete DeLongchamps, Group 1 Automotive. Goebel will address the challenges in the market today and offer tips for overcoming them, while DeLongchamps will detail how dealerships can learn from his company's successes. On the final day of the show, Tyler Corder, CFO of Findlay Automotive Group, will cover the balancing act that F&I departments must manage between sales and compliance.

Beyond the keynotes, there are quite a few sessions covering a myriad of topics. A few you might not want to miss include Gerry Gould's session on Tuesday morning at 11am, which will look at leasing, and address how an F&I manager can turn a lease customer into an F&I buyer. Another one to watch is at 2pm on Tuesday, given by David Robertson, Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals. He'll focus specifically on digital compliance, and what F&I managers need to do to succeed and be legal in an increasingly technological world. At the same time on Tuesday, Luis Garcia, Safe-Guard Products International, will offer tips and tricks for making your sales meetings more productive. In the 3pm slot, Ronald Reahard, Reahard & Associates, will teach attendees how to use the Internet as a valuable tool to help capture customers, rather than seeing it as a way customers get around the F&I department. Finally, on Tuesday, George Angus, Team One Research and Training, will reveal some of the secrets and strategies used by some of the top performing F&I departments in the country at 4:30pm.

On Wednesday, The Trainers Roundtable at 11:30am will be moderated by Rod Heasley, Peritus Portfolio Services, and will feature Bart Carpenter, GSFSGroup; Peter Chafetx, Allstate Dealer Services; Heather Hayner, JM&A; John Vecchioni, United Car Carin Inc.; and Peter Velau, Southwest Dealer Services. Together, they will talk about how customers are changing and what F&I managers need to do to stay current, as well as weigh in on issues impacting the F&I industry as a whole.

Kick Back and Relax

Beyond the sessions and show floor - which is also something everyone attending should make time to walk around at least once - there are a few other events you might want to consider adding to your agenda.

The F & Idol event, sponsored by IAS, promises to be a good time. F&I departments around the country have been submitting videos showing off their skills, and now the winners have been chosen. At the same event, the F&I Dealer of the Year award will be handed out, sponsored by The Warranty Group. Come see the winning videos and Monday at 4:45pm, as part of the opening keynote address. Also on Monday, there is a first-day after-party, sponsored by CSO, that will be held at Napoleon's Dueling Piano Bar at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel at 9:00pm. On Tuesday night from 5:30-7:30pm, there will be a cigar party with freshly rolled cigars available at booth 201, sponsored by Continental Warranty Group.

If you need a break during the show itself, there are a few lounges that will be open. The "Y-Lingual Lounge" will be at Booth 701, sponsored by EFG Companies, where martinis will be served. And there will be an Internet Cafe open during the full show hours where attendees can get online; it will be sponsored by Safe-Guard Products. The Lobby Lounge, sponsored by C&A International, will be in the lobby by registration running the entirety of the show.

For the full agenda, complete with speakers, times, locations and more, visit the Industry Summit's official F&I Conference page.