LAS VEGAS -

In 2017, Used Car Week transitioned its CPO Forum conference into the Pre-Owned Con.

Essentially, we adapted a conference originally focused on certified pre-owned into a more comprehensive look at the entire retail used-car market.

For the past two years, the Pre-Owned Con has focused on analytics, data and big-picture vision, strategies and technologies that are impacting the overall retail used-car market — including but not limited to certified pre-owned.

Of course, CPO remains a key component of the used-car market. And a key component of the Pre-Owned Con, which is presented by Dealer Specialties and C.A.R.SCORE.

While the score of the conference still encompasses the broader, overall used-car retail market, we’ve enhanced the CPO-specific content at Pre-Owned Con this year. 

Here are a few highlights:

Pre-Owned Con General Session: 
CPO/Used-Vehicle Industry Update

  • Speaker: Andrew Stowe, Senior Director, Vehicle Valuations, J.D. Power
  • Session description: The used market has been red hot recently, and it continues to provide profit significant opportunities at retail.  Investments from manufacturers, lenders, franchised dealers, and non-traditional challengers make this a complex but lucrative marketplace.  This session will include a state of the market overview, current trends, and the benefits and opportunities related to both Used and Certified Pre-Owned (CPO).

Pre-Owned Con Workshop
Overcoming Turnover and Partnering with Stakeholders to Drive CPO Success

  • Speakers: Benjamin Abrahams, director, training/accounts, GP Sandy; Tom Craig, associate director, GP Sandy
  • Session descripton: Whether you are part of an OEM or working in a dealership, you are spending money, time and effort trying to find the next best thing to drive your CPO business. A key lies in being able to maintain CPO processes and performance through turnover at the OEM and retail level. We have found the solutions are very simple and often obvious once your hear them and will change your perception just as it has changed ours. Stop existing on an island, partner with other stakeholders at your OEM or dealership to multiply your efforts and drive performance.

Used Car Week First Block General Session: 
Women in Retail — the Full Auto Spectrum — From the Dealership to the Analyst’s Office

  • Session description: From TrueCar and CARFAX to Infiniti USA and the Hendrick Auto Group, the first-ever group of Women in Retail honorees cover the full spectrum of the auto sales industry, including CPO. During this panel discussion, attendees will be privy to insight from these women’s journeys in vehicle retail, as well as strategies to navigate the “auto biz of the future.”

Used Car Week First Block General Session: 
SuperGross

  • Speaker: James Boening, AlphaTeam & Ourisman Automotive, Founder/Dealer Operator
  • Session description: Retrain your thought process on how you define gross for pre-owned cars. Set a culture in place that is completely unorthodox pertaining to pay, and get linear focus on CPO.

Pre-Owned Con Workshop: 
In with the Old:  Why CPO is the Future

  • Speaker: Ivan Drury, senior manager of insights, Edmunds; Matt Jones, Senior Manager of Insights, Edmunds
  • Session description: The used market looks dramatically different today than it did a few years ago, and between record lease returns, to the widening gap in new and used vehicle prices, today’s environment has never been more favorable for CPO vehicle sales. But consumers are facing a steep learning curve, so there’s a significant opportunity for dealers to better understand this shifting landscape and address customer pain points. Leveraging real transaction data and insights, this session takes a deeper dive into the figures and trends that will help inform a win-win scenario for you and your shoppers in today’s used-car market.

Used Car Week First Block General Session: 
Dealers in Focus: The Next Decade

  • Moderator: Joe Overby, Senior Editor, Cherokee Media Group
  • Panelists:
    James Boening, AlphaTeam & Ourisman Automotive, Founder / Dealer Operator
    Ron Cooney, TCUV Sales Operations Manager
    Nick Johnson, Pre-owned Director, Luther Automotive
    Ray Sanabia, General Sales Manager, Cavender Toyota
  • Session description: What will your dealership look like in five to 10 years? Whether you’re an auto dealer or not, if you’re in the industry, chances are your business has changed significantly in the past few years. And the changes are still coming. Stay prepared, and up-to-date, with insight from some of today’s top dealers, including professionals from Ourisman Automotive, Luther Automotive and more. 

Pre-Owned Con Workshop:
No Vending Machine Required: How CPO Can Revolutionize Your Dealership

  • Speaker: Jeffrey Schwartz, Founder and President, SureSale
  • Session description: As retail demand shifts to used cars, e-commerce and omnichannel models are slowly but steadily challenging the benefits of market-based incumbency for retailers as they see Carvana delivering next day in 100+ markets and CarMax lay plans to go omnichannel this year.  The heretofore advantages of location, location, location for local retailers are under assault as respected automotive analysts like McKinsey & Company predict that by the year 2030, as much as 50% of used-car sales will be conducted online. This session will show how expanding certified marketing and CPO vehicle sales offer a way for dealers to retain in-market buyers and conquest out of market buyers.

Pre-Owned Con is part of Used Car Week, which takes place Nov. 11-15 at Red Rock in Las Vegas. The full agenda for Used Car Week can be found here.