CADA Summit delivered at many levels
February 20, 2024
Many dealers, suppliers and partners at the CADA Summit event held last week in Toronto say this was one of the best events held to date.
They say the pace, energy and quality of presentations at this year’s event was next level.
Whether helping dealers better understand the economic and consumer trends impacting their operations, the consumer buying journey and the role of auto shows, helping dealers better see the dual threats and opportunities posed by the ascent of Chinese automakers, figuring out EV charging and gaps in charging infrastructure, getting practical advice and insight from the newest CADA Laureates, hearing directly from seven OEM leaders, or the complexities of Canada and U.S. politics — the speakers all delivered insightful and engaging presentations.
The day was capped off by global TV personality Richard Hammond, former host of Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Hammond recounted tales from the road of what it was like creating automotive television programs shot all over the world featuring some of the world’s most exotic vehicles.
He also retold some of his more challenging moments, which included a trek to find the magnetic north pole for an episode shot in Canada. Hammond then appeared at several other functions connected to the Canadian International AutoShow.
For full event coverage and a recap of all the content, Canadian auto dealer magazine has extensive coverage of the day, including an article covering all the content of the morning sessions, and another article covering the rest of the event.
This edition of CADA Newsline also contains an article with links to five videos featuring speaker interviews that were captured at the event.
“It was my first CADA Summit,” said Peter Viney, CADA’s Industry Relations Manager, and the person responsible for managing and pulling the event together. “The goal is always to educate our dealers and arm them for their future, and I believe the Summit delivered on that promise.”
The session from Michael Dunne, CEO of Dunne Insights, and one of the world’s top experts on the Chinese automakers and their global plans, raised a lot of eyebrows and questions.
Dunne told dealers the Chinese automakers are going to come to Canada, and it’s not a matter of if but when, and outlined the strategies these companies are adopting, and provided clarity on who the biggest players are, and that Canadians can soon expect to see in our market.
The dealers also heard from seven Canadian OEMs who shared their views on the industry, the year that lies ahead, and their perspectives of how the industry is doing on the road to electrification.
At the end of the full-day CADA Summit, and after months of planning and countless hours ensuring every detail was looked after, CADA President and CEO Tim Reuss gathered his team together on the main event stage to thank and congratulate everyone on a job well done.
“I have to give a big shout out to our speakers this year,” said Reuss. “They really knocked it out of the park. I got so much positive feedback from attendees. I also have to give a big thanks to our exclusive sponsor TD Auto Finance. Their support helps us bring world class speakers to the Summit and helps keep our dealers ahead of the game.”
CADA Summit is sponsored exclusively by TD Auto Finance, who have been the event’s sponsor since its inception, now more than a decade ago.