Auction Academy’s largest class, class group 5, traveled to Spokane, Wash., this summer for training held in conjunction with McConkey Auction Group’s Rock & Roll sale at its DAA Northwest location in July.

In addition to enjoying the concert event headlined by the Lynyrd Skynyrd Band, during their two days of training, the Auction Academy said the class also saw first-hand how much work and preparation goes into the large event.

Following a tour of DAA Northwest, on day one, students sat for lectures on branding, marketing and promotional events by the auction’s senior vice president of operations Greg Mahugh and vice president of marketing Mitzi VanVoorhis, followed by a presentation by AuctionEDGE chief executive officer Dan Diedrich.

“The Auction Academy sessions are well organized and executed, and I was impressed that DAA Northwest’s department managers conducted many of the training sessions,” said Matt Fetter, co-owner of Clark County Auto Auction and current Academy student.

“Auction Academy has developed a tremendous learning environment with onsite auction visits reinforcing the discussion topics.  Not only did we learn from the experts during our session in Spokane, but we had a unique opportunity to see it all in action at a top-tier auction facility,” he continued.

Training on day two included meetings with Dave Woods, head of remarketing for Harley Davidson, Gonzaga University professor Shann Ferch who led a discussion on effective leadership and Mike Antich of Bobit Business Media, who spoke to students about the do’s and don’ts of attending industry trade conferences.

“Being on-site during DAA Northwest’s Rock & Roll sale was a tremendous experience for all of us,” Penny Wanna, the president of Auction Academy, added.

“Our sincerest thanks go to Bob McConkey, Greg Mahugh and the entire staff of DAA Northwest for so graciously allowing the Academy to be right in the middle of the auction action while they handled record-breaking consignment volumes and all the extra details involved in producing such a monumental promotional event.”

This month, Auction Academy’s year will close with a trip to Baltimore for two days of training with class 5 beginning on Sept. 25.

The Academy said the visit will include a full day at NADA headquarters, followed by a day with BSC America’s president R. Charles Nichols and his team at the all-new Bel Air facility.