As always, this year’s NADA trade show was all hands-on-deck — just distanced and sitting behind a computer screen.

NADA went out of its way to provide a digitally appealing look and feel to the virtual trade show experience. Renowned speakers and vendors from the U.S. and across the globe attended and even joined some of the happy hour events as the days unfolded.

David Stringer (a Fortellis Contributor) dropped some knowledge bombs about how to properly organize and sell accessories in a post-COVID world. When he discussed creating custom accessory packages for new and used cars, I thought about the implications for increased ticket size and margins and a lightbulb went off for me. Judging by the comments in the talk, I don’t think I was alone.

Although the interactions were a little different, there were still plenty of opportunities to chat through video and chat messages.

One of the highlights from day two was the NADA Women Driving Automotive Retail webinar. Industry guru Laurie Foster of Foster Strategies Group discussed how the automotive industry is missing out by not capitalizing on the great qualities women add to a work environment.

“If 80% of car buying decisions are influenced by a woman, why don’t we have more car saleswomen?” asked Foster.

Change was in the air as attendees visited multiple workshops and learned about relevant topics like managing Millennial and Generation Z dealership employees with Jared Hamilton from DrivingSales.

As Hamilton explained, over 60% of dealership new hires are in this age bracket, so it’s important to understand how to motivate them to improve retention and performance. One tip for managers: think about dealership KPIs as a video game leaderboard, as these digital natives are used to instant feedback. 🎮 +1 for video games!

Another key insight Hamilton shared was the importance of providing a career path. This helps employees know what they can achieve at your organization and what steps they need to take to get properly trained. Setting a roadmap gives your employees a sense of longevity and a goal worth striving for.

NADA 2020 may go down as one of the most unique ever. Thank you to everyone who worked hard to make NADA’s first-ever completely virtual experience a success!

Even though the show is over, you can still stop by our NADA booth to learn more about our platform through April 11th. Schedule a meeting or create a new account to integrate with APIs, Apps, and workflows to transform your business.