CARY, N.C. — While listening to the insight from a single speaker at a conference certainly can prove to be highly beneficial, industry professionals can also learn a great deal when a presentation has more of a conversational approach with several executives sharing their input. 

Bearing that in mind, a key lineup component at this fall's National Remarketing Conference and CPO Forum will be panel discussions. 

According to conference organizers, panel discussions not only allow them to present the views of even more executives, dealers and market leaders, but these discussions also add an element of interactivity to the events. 

"We want to involve attendees in the conversation," said Bill Zadeits, conference co-chair. "Rather than having a single person presenting at a time, we're asking several people to be a part of a discussion and to take questions and comments from attendees. This allows us to steer the conversation toward the topics and issues that are most important to participants, making for a truly valuable and relevant event." 

The National Remarketing Conference, presented by SmartAuction, will be held Nov. 10-12 (immediately following the CPO Forum) in San Diego and will also include seven panel discussions, covering a variety of topics.

One panel about the remarketing life cycle and its importance to the automotive industry will feature Brian Small, general manager of General Motors Fleet and Commercial; Scott McKim, senior vice president of Huntington National Bank; Linda Silverstein, manager of remarketing and rental for Ford Motor Co.; Danny Papakalos, used vehicle director at AutoNation; and Jack Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Auto Mall. 

Another panel at the NRC, focusing on online buying and selling, will feature Ralph Fisco, director of remarketing for Toyota Financial Services/Lexus Financial Services; Brent Huisman, vice president of asset remarketing at Santander USA; John Manchin, national fleet remarketing manager for Subaru; Steven Kapusta, director of remarketing operations for Ally Financial; and Kraig Quisenberry, dealer at Bay Ford. 

The CPO Forum, presented by AutoTrader.com, will be held Nov. 8-9 in San Diego and will feature seven distinct panel discussions on everything from inventory management and certified pre-owned programs to marketing and advertising. Panels will include representatives from the nation's most successful dealerships, as well as executives from Black Book, Kbb.com, DealerTrack, vAuto, FirstLook, eBay Motors and more. 

Both conferences will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. On the morning of Nov. 10, between the two conferences, event organizers will hold a golf outing at the world-renowned Torrey Pines Golf Course. 

Early registration for the National Remarketing Conference costs $795, and for the CPO Forum the cost is $395. Combined early bird registration for both conferences costs $895. Early registration ends Oct. 15. After that time, registration costs increase to $995 and $595, respectively. 

The discounted hotel room rate of $279 per night is available through Oct. 22. 

To view current agendas or to register for the National Remarketing Conference, visit http://nrc.autoremarketing.com/. For additional information about the CPO Forum, visit http://cpo.autoremarketing.com/.