2023 Exhibition Seminar Programme

10:00 – 10:30

Digital

Changes to consumer behaviour bring fresh opportunities to win. Join us to discover how distinctive experiences are shaping the automotive industry, driving relevance and profitability for retailers and OEMs. We’ll share key insights into the innovative strategies that are reshaping the future for retailers and OEMs in this era of disruption.

 

Sponsored by:

Chairperson: Jonathan Manning, Industry Expert

Speakers

10:00 – 10:30

Digital

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is transforming how automotive retailers market vehicles digitally. This session will give an overview of how automotive businesses are working smarter to take advantage of the latest AI technology to help automate sales processes, digital marketing and video content to help assist with selling more cars.

Sponsored by:

Chairperson: Steve Briers, Group Editor, Fleet News, AM & Smart Transport

Speakers

10:00 – 10:45

Aftersales

Aftersales departments need to be prepared for a substantial change to their business model in the coming years as plug-in vehicle sales create a complex world with lower maintenance and new skills and equipment needed. This session will explore the ways garages can meet that challenge and evolve into EV service and battery repair specialists, while protecting their aftersales revenues for years to come.

 

Sponsored by:

Chairperson: Jeremy Bennett, Head of Digital Operations, Bauer Media

Speakers

10:45 – 11:15

Digital

CitNOW Group will provide a range of unique insights into the performance, revenue, and profit opportunities that many dealers have available to them today, highlighting the operational processes and behaviours that can make all the difference in meeting key business objectives.

Reviewing real-world sales and aftersales data, Callum and Oliver will explain how business intelligence can be used to evaluate performance in a more holistic and meaningful way, ensuring it can positively impact your bottom line. Those joining the session will be offered advice on simple changes they can make within their own businesses to unlock business wins.

Sponsored by:

Speakers

10:45 – 11:30

Aftersales

This best practice session will focus on how workshops can effectively target owners of older cars and keep this price-sensitive segment satisfied through the right communication, discounted MoTs, increasing through-put with smaller jobs, offering the option of using certified recycled parts, service plans and buy-now-pay-later finance for major bills.

 

Sponsored by:

Powered by:

Speakers

11:00 – 11:45

Sales

The best used car operators are battling stock shortages by pairing their buying experience with intelligent data and an openness to new profiles of vehicles. Over-age vehicles, previous high prices paid to acquire stock, coupled with increasing holding and operating costs and competition for vehicles from all sides of the automotive sector present big challenges. This session will focus on how retailers are finding new sources for stock, intelligently predicting market trends and using the best digital tools to accelerate stock turn and boost used vehicle profits.

 

Sponsored by:

 

Chairperson: Andy Whitehair, CEO, Autofinity

 

Speakers

11:30 – 12:15

Strategy

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being positioned by some as the death of the sales executive. This special strategy session will look at how transformational AI will be from an operational and customer service perspective in the coming years, as well as how and why dealer groups will have to adapt their medium-term investments and long-term strategies as AI permeates motor retail. All this will have to be delivered without losing the personal touch in the customer journey.

 

Sponsored by:

 

Chairperson: James Leese, Director, Impel

Speakers

11:45 – 12:30

Sales

This special panel will address all the areas impacting automotive finance today, including facilitating and building finance journeys online, the key role finance plays in facilitating EV ownership and how residual values can affect APRs, as well as how interest rates are impacting affordability. The session will be introduced with an overview of the UK’s automotive finance market by Rachael Jones, Auto Trader director of automotive finance, who will also share key data and analysis of consumer behaviour and attitudes on funding. Rachael will then chair a panel made up of key stakeholders from lenders like BlackHorse and Credit Agricole to discuss key market trends and open up further debate with delegates at AM Live.

 

Sponsored by:

Speakers

12:00 – 12:30

Digital

Marketing Delivery will provide a holistic view on how the change to an agency model for some new car brands, as well as the move to electric vehicles is influencing automotive retail communication and marketing strategies.

The session will include an in-depth case study from Keith Jackman, Sandown Mercedes-Benz marketing director, as well as detailed tips on eCRM sales, aftersales, data cleansing, social media, lead management and customer retention.

 

Sponsored by:

Speakers

12:30 – 13:00

Digital

AM100 dealer groups are being increasingly targeted by cybercriminals looking to hold their businesses to ransom. Eddie Hawthorne, Arnold Clark chief executive, will share his experience of the business being attacked at the end of 2022 and how the company worked to recover and prepare its defences for the future. Mark Rodbert, chief executive at Idax Software will also provide advice on reviewing a company’s internal processes and systems to make sure they aren’t caught out.

Chairperson: Tim Rose, Editor, AM

Speakers

13:00 – 13:45

Aftersales

Retaining and recruiting technicians is one of the biggest challenges facing the sector. The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is predicting a shortfall of 35,700 technicians to service electric vehicles by 2030 if retraining isn’t addressed urgently. The UK automotive sector has just over two years before the skills gap starts to materialise and so a collective effort is needed across the industry to retrain the existing workforce and ensure school-leavers and those changing careers are excited about the prospects of working in such a fast-moving sector.

Sponsored by:

Chairperson: Jeremy Bennett, Head of Digital Operations, Bauer Media

Speakers

13:15 – 14:00

Sales

Values remain higher than 2019, despite any small market corrections, however the margins available and the lower levels of stock, particularly 0-3yr cars, have to be managed carefully. Experts will share their expectations of the future used car market, the implications for dealerships and action points that attendees should address in order to increase sales and profits.

 

Sponsored by:

 

Chairperson: Jonathan Manning, Industry Expert

 

Speakers

13:45 – 14:30

Strategy

Emerging Chinese brands are entering the UK en masse and seeking to be the new Kia and Hyundai for the 2020s and 2030s. Successful franchised dealers can see through the charm offensive and bet on brands with the most potential. This session will explore all the opportunities and disruption new entrants will bring to the UK market over the next 24 months.

Chairperson: Aimee Turner, Deputy Editor, AM

Speakers

14:00 – 14:30

Digital

Join the Reputation team at AM-Live 2023 as they’re joined by Jardine Motors Group for an interactive and informative session to discuss how small changes and improvements in a dealer group’s online presence can result in more inquiries and leads. Whether it’s a focus on improving online listings, the accuracy of your profiles online, or a commitment to gathering customer feedback via social media or reviews - and responding to each and every one - true CX encompasses it all. By focusing on these, dealer groups will, over time, see more sales - and the data proves it. The team at Jardine will join Reputation at AM-Live at the Digital Theatre to discuss their CX journey, and what they’ve learned along the way.

 

Sponsored by:

Speakers

14:15 – 15:00

Aftersales

This session will explore data on aftersales consumer behaviour and how self-service options at workshops across the UK are boosting the bottom line at a time when overhead absorption rates are under pressure. This session will also include detailed case studies about how enabling customers the freedom to choose their own additional services and products ahead of their visit are adding up to £50,000 in additional revenue for some aftersales departments.

 

Sponsored by:

Speakers

15:00 – 15:45

Strategy

This session will examine the desire of many prestige and mainstream brands to control the new car sales process and have closer relationships with consumers while moving their retail partners onto agency-type agreements. Automotive retailers will have to carefully navigate the split between franchised and agency models within the next 12 months. This session will examine the benefits of agency, but will also prompt some healthy debate on the challenges it creates for the sector too.

 

Sponsored by:

Chairperson: Tim Rose, Editor, AM

Speakers

15:00 – 15:45

Sales

Second-hand electric vehicles (EVs) are an interesting proposition for used car specialists. Those able to successfully navigate any price shocks could take advantage of increasingly affordable zero emission vehicles just as more used car customers are considering making the switch for the first time. This session explores the recent market price fluctuations and how retailers are getting to grips with battery degradation, pricing and advice for used EV customers.

Chairperson: Jonathan Manning, Industry Expert
 

Speakers

15:15 – 15:45

Digital

This session will explore how automotive retailers can offer a digital end-to-end electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem for customers. Retailers, energy providers and key stakeholders from the industry will look at how the current EV customer journey can be fragmented and how dealers can help to offer class leading support for customers all the way from pre-point of sale, to helping manage the home charger installation and guidance on engaging with smart energy tariffs.

Sponsored by:

 

Chairperson: Raj Lyons Chohan, Chief Executive, Affinity EV

Speakers