The holidays have passed and now we are all focused on two things: driving business in 2026 and the NFL playoffs, which will culminate with the Super Bowl in February.  For me though, my Super Bowl takes place in April. That’s when Ignite hosts its annual Compliance Unleashed Conference.  We created this event so that car dealers would have an opportunity to learn our methodology for protecting their business and identifying legal and compliance risk.

This year, our conference is being held in conjunction with the BHPH United Summit and the LHPH Capital Conference, and takes place April 19th-21st at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  It is our eighth year putting on this important event, once again we will be tackling urgent issues and providing our attendees with action items they can implement the very next day.

I spend a good part of the year identifying the most pressing topics our audience faces and searching for the best presenters, my goal being to give our attendees immersive knowledge in a short period of time.  I want to call attention to two sessions in particular that I’m excited about because of their crucial importance to this audience:

First, in our keynote presentation, entitled “It Did Happen To Me,” two dealers will join me in exploring their real-life experiences responding to an investigation and going toe-to-toe with regulators.  We’ll discuss the thought process and strategy involved, the time it takes away from the business, the dedication of resources, and of course, the expense involved.

There’s never been another session like this. For those of you that think you are too small to get into trouble, that rely on the fact that you haven’t had issues before, or who have adopted the “hope is my strategy” approach, this presentation is for you. We’re going to take a deep dive into what it’s like to be under the regulatory microscope.  Our speakers will take you through the sleepless nights, the unforeseen impact on staff, and what they wish they’d done differently.

This is going to be a candid glimpse into what it’s like to be in the regulatory crosshairs and attendees will leave with an understanding of steps to take to avoid this predicament or be in a better position to withstand it.

The second session I want to mention is “Understanding the Risks and Benefits of Arbitration.” I’ve become alarmed over the lack of industry knowledge when it comes to this subject.  In my conversations with dealers and my following of dealer social media groups, I often find that they don’t have familiarity with the subject. Many don’t know why they’ve either chosen to use or not use arbitration agreements and don’t understand the risks their business is taking.  This is the class that’s going to clear all of that up.

We’ll explore the costs, the benefits, and the practical implications. We’ll address why some lawyers dislike the arbitration process while other experts think arbitration agreements are one of the most important steps in an overall risk mitigation strategy. Simply put, you can’t afford to miss this presentation.

In addition to these great classes, we’ve got classes on the current regulatory and litigation landscape, how consumers are using AI against dealers, collection strategies to avoid trouble, and how to build an impactful compliance management program that will shield your business from risk.  We’ve brought in leading experts like Shaun Petersen of Buckeye Risk, Maggie Pugesek of C&M Coaching, Travis Ross of Auto Collect Solutions, and Melinda Farthing of EZ Auto Sales.

By attending one conference, you get access to all three events, which means attendees have over 50 classes to choose from that focus on sales, collections, advertising, service issues, and more.  This is 360-degree learning. BHPH United seeks out the best dealers in the industry to present these sessions and it truly is an unrivaled opportunity.  The registration fee for one person is $ 599, and additional attendees from the same business receive a rate of $ 299. The room block at Caesars Palace is a bargain, and airfare and travel discounts are available.

Go to BHPHUnited.com or ComplianceUnleashed.com to learn more.

Make it a point to join us in April.  Like I said at the outset, this truly is my Super Bowl and is the best opportunity dealers have to get solutions that they can put into effect the very next day.  Please reach out to me at [email protected] if I can answer any questions.

Steve Levine is an auto finance lawyer with over 30 years of experience protecting car dealers and finance companies. He is the Owner of Ignite Consulting Partners, which offers guidance on compliance, operations and best practices. He can be reached at [email protected]. He has authored two books on auto finance sales and compliance; Winning the Fight: A Guide to Protect Car Dealers, and Counterpunch: Compliance Strategies for Car Dealers.  Both are available on Amazon. Follow Steve on Twitter @LawyerLevine for compliance and industry related content.