Agenda
Thursday 2 May 2024
Now celebrating our twelfth year, Driving Digital has seen, and often predicted the digital transformation of the retail automotive sector. Our speakers have foreseen and, indeed, enabled digital acceleration. This year promises to be our biggest event yet as we focus on how successful retailers are maximising digital and physical channels to steer thought what many had predicted to be challenging times. We’ll look at the continuing impact of digital on both sales and aftersales. We will explore how we try and keep the customer at the centre of our business, amidst the challenges of new entrants, agency, electrification and change in consumer tastes and expectations. Teas and coffees will be ready for you on arrival from 9.30 with registration from 10 am. Please allow plenty of time to travel across London - Driving Digital will start at 10.15 and finish at lunchtime.
In More Detail
| Reception and Networking | |
| Welcome and Event Overview | Preparing the Battleground | Owen Edwards, Grant Thornton UK |
| Owen will set the scene with the economic and political background of the industry as we welcome new entrants and fathom out alternative fuels and agency. | |
| The Road Ahead: the changing role of the retailer | Catherine Faiers, Auto Trader |
| The automotive industry is going through a period of unprecedented change – a once in a century shift to electric vehicles, the growth of omni channel retailing, and changes in retailing models. The road ahead for automotive retail is going to look different, but with it will come opportunities to redefine and strengthen the role of the retailer. In her talk, Catherine will share the latest research and insights from Auto Trader, which explores the changing role of the retailer, and reveals how it’s becoming more vital than ever. | |
| Leading the Field | Mark Busby, Hendy Group |
| Mark will draw on his extensive experience to bring a real world, dealer perspective to the challenges of managing customer and colleague expectations in a changing world. | |
| Standing Out from the Crowd | Dale Wyatt, Suzuki GB |
| Dale will reveal why he believes dealers are the cornerstone of motor retailing and essential to OEM success. He’ll also give his views on how dealers can make the most out of partnerships with manufacturers. | |
| Winners & Losers | Neil Addley, JudgeService |
| Neil will present the latest research from the JudgeService Brand Tracker on what consumers are thinking about car brands, both new entrants and well-established brands and for the first time how dealers rank in consumer awareness. | The Dealer of the Future | Graeme Potts, Eden Motor Group |
| Graeme Potts, CEO of Eden Motor Group, will discuss how the dealer network adapts to agencies, new entrant brands, and electrification. How will we deal with the changes and challenges over the next decade? | |