The 18th edition of Automotive Dealer Day has finished, and this year it has changed its appearance, evolving into an innovative digital format. We have worked to digitalize something very physical by increasing the use of technology, integrating it in the physicality of relationships between people and companies. This has led us, more than ever, to follow the payoff chosen this year, that is, “Business Explorers”.
Over the 2 days, participants interacted in a completely new exhibition area and followed the schedule characterized by a combination of sessions of the Content Program and appointments promoted by industry companies and car manufacturers.
In the sessions we dealt with the major topics of this thorny moment for a new future, starting with an international slant thanks to the greeting from overseas by NADA and then moving on to a set of voices from different backgrounds that gave us a vision of different worlds in great turmoil: Possumato and Cariss gave us their opinion on the mobility experimentation in the USA, Luca Ciferri spoke about new structures, alliances and globalization and Giovanni Palazzo made us discover the new frontiers of electrification.
The digital topic was extensively examined both by dealers (Motorsclub, Cascioli, Barchetti) and by a mix of extra-industry voices from the Moleskine and Amazon brands, and finally enhanced by the Internet Sales Award that this year was won by Trivellato dealer. However, an entire session was also dedicated to used cars, a crucial area for the dealer business, with three experiences: De Bona Motors, Special Car Group and Vernocchi auto. Two sessions focused on service, in particular on loyalty and the new solutions implemented by the carmakers, with testimonials from dealers Autosilver, Carfin, Errebi and Gruppo Zatti and from car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz Italia and Ford Italia. There was also an interesting in-depth look at non-conventional finance, with the Banca Finint Group and the dealer Autotorino.
The Quintegia Research Center also provided data on the consumer: evolving attitudes, areas of dissatisfaction on which to work and new ways of approaching the customer to avoid excessive standardization.
Finally, we were able to listen to the experiences of big dealers such as Autotorino, Di.Ba. and Eurocar Italia, and to those of medium-sized dealers such as Barbuscia, Gruppo Stav and Peragnoli Auto. We gathered insights and interpretations from several number 1 car manufacturers including Bitti of Kia Motors Company Italy, Di Silvestre of BMW Italy, Innocenti of Porsche Italy, Jelinek of Mercedes-Benz Italy, Maver of Jaguar Land Rover Italy and Gaetano Thorel of PSA Groupe Italy. As never before, this year we have been able to gather insights to work from authoritative extra-industry voices: Oscar Farinetti, Giampaolo Grossi at the head of Starbucks Italy, Paolo Iabichino, Jay Rao teacher at the Babson School, Nerio Alessandri of Technogym and Beatrice Venezi, Orchestra Director.
This year’s event allowed us to continue to innovate by exploring a new territory and a new context and to make a decisive jump forward reliving in part the pioneering spirit of the first ADD in 2003. Two days full of contents, relationships and inspirations have finished, but we are already working for the next edition: we are waiting for you on May 11th-12th-13th, 2021!
