RALEIGH, N.C. -

Next month’s Automotive Intelligence Summit will have at least three of North Carolina’s most well-known and digitally savvy dealership groups on hand for a panel on “Auto Dealerships & The Digital Revolution: What’s Next?”

The session, moderated by North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association president Bob Glaser, will include:

  • Eric Flow, President of Management Services, Flow Automotive Companies​
  • Erick Kirks, Marketing Director, Johnson Automotive
  • Chris Vester, COO, Hubert Vester Auto Group
  • Potentially more

The session will delve into the digital revolution in the auto industry and what it means for dealerships.

It will examine how dealers are evolving to address the digital retailing needs of their customers, while also focusing on how dealerships are using fintech to improve their customers experience inside and outside of the physical dealership.

The panel is set for 1:45 p.m. (ET) on July 24.

The Auto Intel Summit, owned by Auto Remarketing parent Cherokee Media Group, will run from July 23 through July 25 at the Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley in Raleigh, N.C. In addition to being the state capital, Raleigh is part of the same Research Triangle region of North Carolina where CMG and Auto Remarketing are headquartered.

It was announced last month that NCADA had joined the Auto Intel Summit as an industry partner.

AIS will focus on the future and evolution of the auto industry, keying in on such core topics as connectivity, compliance and regulations, mobility, digital retail, predictive analytics, investment capital, automotive M&A, auto fintech and economic forecasts.

“The Automotive Intelligence Summit will cover the most important emerging issues facing our industry today,” Glaser, the NCADA president, said. “Therefore, we are excited to support it and offer our members a chance to interact with and learn from the some of the most notable names in the industry.”

The association said the partnership with the Auto Intel Summit is a reflection of its commitment to offering members the most current educational and professional development opportunities available in the industry.

 “We are really excited about the NCADA partnership. When we look at how quickly innovation and new technologies are impacting the industry, the benefit of having the dealer body involved and invested in the content of the event really strengthens the agenda,” CMG president Bill Zadeits said.

“In addition to providing great content from the dealer perspective during AIS, we’ve worked with NCADA to provide a block of tickets for NCADA members.  We’re looking forward to hosting them in July,” he said.

Amid the onset of digital retailing, a plethora of new fintech tools available and the potential for machine learning and AI to automate processes within their business, there is plenty for dealers to consider. In fact, one of the focuses of AIS 2019 is the evolution of digital retailing.

The agenda will include various angles on the evolution of digital retail presented during the three days of the second annual AIS.

See full descriptions for sessions and the AIS 2019 agenda here.