Hundreds of attendees walked through the corridors of the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa during Used Car Week in Las Vegas, chatting with one another as they headed to general sessions, workshops and meetings with clients.

It was the most-attended Used Car Week in the convention’s history, and perhaps the most diverse, as well: dealers, remarketers, auctions, finance companies, fleet-lease firms, vendors, industry press and OEMs were among the many groups represented this year.

And through the week’s four conferences, the topics and takeaways from our panelists and presenters were just as diverse. 

Starting with the CPO Forum, it’s clear that the certified pre-owned segment market has been on fire — and may only be poised to grow from here. Based on the array of attendees at the event, the industry studies on CPO and rising consumer interest in the segment, the certified market is clearly moving towards the mainstream and is now an auto industry mainstay.

And Vincentric and IntelliChoice both honored the leading programs in the CPO market with their respective CPO awards.

The SubPrime Forum made significant strides in its second year as representatives from all three credit bureaus as well as experts and analysts from a wide array of service providers and legal practitioners all shared complementary viewpoints that resonated with attendees.

Fostered by the strong relationship with the National Automotive Finance Association, the SubPrime Forum hosted nearly two days of dialogue that dissected the latest industry data on originations and delinquencies as well as ending once and for all any talk about a “subprime bubble.”

Matters regarding compliance with evolving regulations orchestrated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as well as other federal and state agencies along with networking sessions that extended panel session discussions put the SubPrime Forum in position to be one of the go-to events for executives who want to thrive in the auto finance industry.

Meanwhile, the Re3 Conference continued its streak of presenting the industry with a setting to share ideas and information about mitigating risk and recovering as much money as possible when a vehicle installment contract deteriorates into a repossession.

Attendees heard from industry experts who are leveraging technology in a myriad of ways — from tracking assets to preparing for what might be coming down the pipeline next. The Re3 Conference now is firmly established as a leader in enhancing relationships that can benefit recovery departments and related service providers.

Lastly, we arrive at the anchor and flagship event of Used Car Week: the National Remarketing Conference.

Much like its three peer conferences, the discussions, networking and workshops at NRC were as lively as they were informative. But it was the signature moments that truly defined the conference.

DataScan’s Don Fowler earning a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement award from Auto Remarketing, and having members of his family there to surprise him.

The Women in Remarketing delivering sage advice and compelling stories of hard work and success in the industry.

Ally Financial’s Robert Stahl winning National Remarketing Executive of the Year, to cap a week of industry executives being recognized in our annual awards programs. He joined fellow award winners Troy Morgan, representing CPO Dealer of the Year winner Hyundai of New Port Richey; Re3 Executive of the Year Karen Nelson of Crescent Bank; and SubPrime Auto Finance Executive of the Year Ian Anderson of Westlake Financial Services.

And, yes, “Carnac.”  Perhaps no better way to end the NRC general sessions than a “magnificent” throwback to the late-Johnny Carson.

Can’t wait to see you all next year!