Franchised dealers and exhibitors who go to the National Automobile Dealers Association’s largest event each year now can plan to enjoy the amenities of Las Vegas more regularly.

NADA’s board of directors recently announced that the NADA and ATD Convention and Expo will be held in Las Vegas every two years instead of once every four years. Officials said they recognize the shift in dates may pose scheduling conflicts during the transition years.

“Las Vegas is an extremely popular destination for the top-tier conventions and trade shows, and these events are booked many years in advance,” NADA president Peter Welch said.

“In order for NADA to move the convention to Las Vegas every other year, we had to change the dates from our traditional January-February timing for the 2016, 2018 and 2022 shows so that we could secure our desired timeframe in the long term,” Welch continued.

For starters, the 2016 NADA and ATD conventions will be held in Las Vegas from Thursday, March 31, through Sunday, April 3.

For planning purposes, here are the upcoming NADA and ATD convention dates: 

• 2016 Las Vegas: March 31 – April 3

• 2017 New Orleans: January 26-29 (NADA’s 100th anniversary celebration)

• 2018 Las Vegas: March 22-25

• 2019 San Francisco: January 24-27

• 2020 Las Vegas: February 14-17

• 2021 New Orleans: January 21-24

• 2022 Las Vegas: March 10-13

Attendee registration and housing for what officials called the “Automotive Industry Event of the Year” will open in early October with an early-bird discount of $100. They added information on the keynote speakers, workshops and companies exhibiting in the expo hall will be available soon.

For more information, visit www.nadaconvention.org.