From Kansas to Georgia to across the Atlantic Ocean over to England, attendees evidently received what they wanted when the National Alliance of Buy-Here, Pay-Here Dealers hosted its Best Practices Conference in Orlando, Fla., at the beginning of this month.

President Ken Shilson highlighted that approximately 60 percent of attendees surveyed afterward had never been to an NABD conference previously. What they told Shilson and the NABD team about the three-day event dubbed “Best Practices to Succeed Now” left organizers excited about how the gathering unfolded.

“Attendee evaluations unanimously indicated that the program will help them succeed in 2017 and beyond,” Shilson said. “Our speakers and sponsors did an outstanding job helping attendees achieve their learning objectives.”

One person who gained significant amount of knowledge was Ciara Kimsey of Momentum Motorcars in Marietta, Ga., who might be considered a “green pea” in the BHPH space.

“As a dealer about to convert to BHPH, the information has been beyond helpful,” Kimsey said.

Taryn Meier of Affordable Transportation Co. in Abilene, Kansas, added, “This conference was very informational and helped bring my focus back to what’s most important in BHPH. Loved it!”

Along with attendees from elsewhere in the U.S. as well as Canada, Gavin Leach made the trip to Florida from Berkshire, England.

“I travel 6,000 miles to come to the convention. Need I say more; I always learn something valuable to take back,” Leach said.

The conference opened with 14 different workshop sessions covering vendor compliance, recoveries, millennial marketing, new technology, deal jacket compliance, reconditioning, F&I best practices, tax refunds, payment devices, capital solutions, lease-here, pay-here and the latest accounting and tax developments. All these workshops were interactive so attendees could ask questions and get answers on all these important topics.

General education sessions began with a highly inspirational keynote presentation by Harris Rosen, owner of Rosen Hotels and Resorts in Orlando. His keynote presentation was followed by sessions covering current developments, sourcing and financing inventory using digital channels and a benchmarks and trends update.

The event concluded with sessions on customer communications, an operating best practices dealer panel as well as a collection best practices panel and presentation. The conference also included a first-timer reception with more than 150 attendees and a sold out exhibit hall with more than 70 exhibitors who offered all the latest products and services to make attendees more profitable.

“NABD Orlando did not disappoint as the trend of improved success continued in our exhibitor space,” TaxMax founder Bill Neylan said. “It’s nice to have the ability to get in front of BHPH dealers who are decision makers that are there to take action. We meet new attendees every year who come to NABD with the goal of improving their business.”

NABD also announced that it will hold its 19th annual National BHPH Conference at a new venue — Encore in Las Vegas on May 23-25. Encore is a premier Las Vegas hotel and casino facility, and NABD has arranged unprecedented discounted room rates with no resort fees. The conference will focus on the “changing world of BHPH and of NABD” with an entirely new and exciting program agenda.

“This is a must attend for both new and experienced operators who want to compete successfully in the subprime auto finance market,” Shilson said.

For information or to register, visit www.bhphinfo.com or call (832) 767-4759.