The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is heading to Dallas at the end of this month, and a host of new technologies, exhibits, booths, and more are coming along.
The upcoming NADA expo will run from January 27-29 and is scheduled to take place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
NADA’s 500-company expo is considered the industry’s premier marketplace and is a one-stop shop for thousands of products, solutions, and services.
The local 700,000-square-foot showcase is set to feature a host of world-class speakers and educational seminars, a premier marketplace of products and technology, and an abundance of new exhibits, booths, and workshops, according to NADA’s website.
Dale Pollak is a long-time attendee of NADA as well as an auto dealer and the founder of vAuto, an automotive company that provides inventory management software.
Pollak spoke with WardsAuto about the show’s humble beginnings as well as the many changes he has witnessed over the decades.
NADA’s shows “used to be more glamorous,” Pollak said. But he also recalls a simpler time prior to the technology-focused shift that gradually took over NADA’s annual show.
“Some early vendor booths sold things such as balloons for the showroom and flags for the car lots,” Pollak said. “Today, you see technology-related booths everywhere. It reflects a different industry and a convention that’s more intellectual and less visceral.”
Despite the multitude of changes over the years, Pollak claims that the core benefits of the annual NADA meeting remain.
“[M]aybe the bigger story is how much the NADA convention hasn’t changed. That consistency is a testimony to the dealer-franchise model,” Pollak suggested.
The 2023 list of main-stage speakers includes former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, pro football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, and Fox News commentator Greg Gutfeld, among others.
NADA educational sessions will include workshops on a variety of subjects, including “Solve Your Technician Shortage,” “Staff Your Online Showroom or Lose Sales,” “Employee Retention Equals Customer Retention,” and “Getting into the Business of Electric.” A full list can be viewed here.
Electric vehicles (EVs) were all the rage in 2021 and the expo’s main focus following the 2020 pandemic — the only show Pollak missed in his 53 years of attending.
“Dealers will sell anything,” and they are “all in” on EVs, 2021 NADA President and CEO Mike Stanton said.
NADA’s daily schedule of events for 2023 can be viewed here.
