HOUSTON — The National Alliance of Buy-Here, Pay-Here Dealers recently announced that its 10th Annual National Conference will be held May 6 to 8 in Las Vegas. The newly renovated Las Vegas Hilton will serve as the site for this upcoming event.

"More than 2,000 dealers, experts and service providers are expected to gather to hear nationally recognized speakers during the expanded 2.5-day educational program, which is exclusively for buy-here, pay-here," said Ken Shilson, CPA and conference chairman.

This year's conference theme will be "Facing New Challenges." Moreover, Shilson pointed out that this year's agenda includes several new items. The agenda includes three nationally recognized speakers: DJ Harrington, Michael York and George Dans, who will present on motivation, leadership and sales topics, respectively.

The general education sessions begin at 2 p.m. on May 6.

"With the difficult economic challenges facing the BHPH industry, this conference will prepare attendees to meet those challenges more successfully," Shilson indicated.

The general education sessions will feature a single track, and all vendor presentations have been moved to concurrent break-out sessions where attendees can choose their topics of interest.

These workshops will include subjects such as capital, software, the Internet, insurance and add-on products, sales and leadership training, payment devices, lead management and more. According to the NABD, the presentations are designed to deepen each attendee's understanding of the topic and help increase profits and cash flow.

Additionally, legal and regulatory compliance issues will be addressed by attorney Tom Hudson, who is also planning a question and answer period. Terry O'Loughlin, formerly of the Florida Attorney General's Office, will also be on hand to educate attendees on avoiding AG complaints.

This year's program features an interactive session on accounting and tax issues with several of the industry's best financial managers, according to Shilson.

He went on to say that, "New-car franchise dealers and many others now see the buy-here, pay-here industry as an exceptional profit opportunity."

In response, NABD will include a session designed for attendees just entering the BHPH industry. This session will focus on participation in 20 groups, ongoing dealer education and networking.

Continuing on, the NABD said a capital markets presentation will be offered by John Nagy, of Stephens Inc., which is a leading investment banking firm. He will identify public and private capital market alternatives, in addition to reviewing events that have impacted the capital markets during the last year.

Tom Kontos, ADESA's executive vice president of customer strategies and analytics, along with Shilson, will discuss used-vehicle market economics, important industry trends and benchmarks. They will also offer a glimpse into what the future may bring.

Furthermore, Used Car News, Auto Remarketing and Subprime Auto Finance News will provide important industry outlook information.

In another session called "Finding the Right Vehicles and Reconditioning," a panel of industry experts will discuss inventory and reconditioning.

The best ways operators can increase sales to the unbankable consumers and proven advertising strategies that increase sales will also be covered.

"Operators must find new ways to increase their traffic in the highly competitive environment of today," Shilson stated.

The general sessions will also include information on collections, recoveries, designing pay plans and best practices. In addition, financing sources will discuss ways to find capital.

More than 150 sponsors are expected in the exhibit hall, which Shilson said is nearly sold out. Two receptions and two luncheons will be held in the exhibit hall during the conference.

With the newly renovated Las Vegas Hilton serving as the backdrop for the event, NABD said said it is offering three levels of room upgrades at substantial discounts.

According to Shilson, anyone who is really serious about prospering in the BHPH industry during the next 12 months should plan on attending the conference

Register online at www.bhphinfo.com, or by calling (713) 290-8171. Seating and room availability is limited, so attendees are encouraged to register as soon as possible.