SALT LAKE CITY -

Since both events strive to reach similar audiences, DrivingSales decided to expand the 2012 DrivingSales Executive Summit to include a joint keynote with J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable.

The company also announced the dates and location for the events. The fourth annual DrivingSales Executive Summit will be held Oct. 21 through Oct. 23 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The J.D. Power Automotive Marketing Roundtable, which immediately follows the DSES, will also be held at the Bellagio. 

The 2012 DrivingSales Executive Summit will conclude after the joint keynote presentation, which will include a world-renowned speaker on digital marketing and reception.

J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable program will begin with the joint keynote presentation, move into its welcome reception and conclude on Oct. 26.

Officials highlighted special combo-ticket prices for the two events will be available.

“J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable is the industry’s top marketing event for automotive retailers, OEMs, agencies and automotive third-party websites, and the DrivingSales Executive Summit is the top digital marketing event for innovative dealers,” explained DrivingSales founder and chief executive officer Jared Hamilton.

“By bridging these two premier October events with a joint keynote and special combo-ticket rates, we are creating the highest impact, profit-building experience for all levels of the automotive industry,” Hamilton continued.

While the two events remain separate each with a distinct personality and target audience, officials insisted the new relationship between the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable and the DrivingSales Executive Summit makes it easier for those who want exposure to each conference’s signature content.

“Industry professionals have long faced the October dilemma of multiple conferences," stated John Humphrey, J.D. Power’s senior vice president of global automotive.

“We are very pleased that, through our alliance with DrivingSales, the industry’s two most authoritative digital marketing events can make conference attendance an even more powerful and convenient experience for dealers, OEMs and other automotive professionals,” Humphrey continued.

For more information about the DrivingSales Executive Summit, visit DrivingSalesExecutiveSummit.com or send a message to dses@drivingsales.com.

More DSES news is slated to develop through www.twitter.com/drivingsales and on facebook.com/drivingsales. Dealers can participate in the conversation on Twitter with the #DSES hashtag as preparations continue throughout the year.

For more information about the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable, visit http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/Events.aspx.