8:16 am, March 6, 2023
The biggest forces of change hurtling towards the motor trade will be discussed in detail by leading car dealers, manufacturers and experts at this week’s Car Dealer Live.
The event takes place on Thursday (March 9) at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon with 10 per cent of all ticket sales being donated to automotive industry charity Ben by Car Dealer.
Ticket sales close on Wednesday at midday for in-person and streaming tickets. As well as watch live, streamers will be able to watch back the sessions and download accompanying material supplied by our partners after the event.
Leading the discussion will be headline partners Auto Trader who will reveal exclusive research into the biggest forces of change for car dealers in the years ahead.
Event partners Google, Cox Automotive and Close Brothers Motor Finance will also look at a topics including the importance of omnichannel retailing and the impact alternatively fuelled vehicles will have on the industry in the years to come.
Car Dealer Live, the future of the car dealer, will start with a headline interview with Mark Lavery, CEO of Cambria Automobiles.
Lavery will chat about how he took the business private and off the Stock Market in 2021 and will give an update on how his business has fared since.
This will be followed by our franchised dealer panel which features Paul Hendy, CEO of Hendy Group, John O’Hanlon, CEO of Waylands Automotive and Neil McCue, COO of Snows Motor Group.
The franchised dealers will be taking our questions on agency, EVs and online car sales.
Attendees – both in person and those streaming the event from home – will be able to also submit questions to our guests via Slido.com.
The mobile website is simple to use and lets guests submit questions directly to the hosts and vote in a series of polls that will be running throughout the day.
Our independent dealers panel is made up of Nigel Hurley, CEO of Car Shop, Jamie Caple of Car Quay, David Trigg from supercar dealer Premier GT and IMDA founding member Stuart Saunders.
We’ll be discussing the used car disruptors, used car prices and where the biggest opportunities lie for dealers in the month ahead.
And car manufacturer bosses Jonathan Goodman, from Polestar, Suzuki’s Dale Wyatt and MG’s Guy Pigounakis will be covering the changing face of car sales.
Our supporting partners – including headline sponsors Auto Trader – will be delivering exclusive research at Car Dealer Live. Below is what to expect from each of them and some further details about the even
We’re looking forward to seeing you there.
Auto Trader
The biggest forces of change facing car dealers in the years ahead will be at the forefront of an exclusive Auto Trader presentation.
We’ll hear exclusive research from Catherine Faiers, COO of headline partners Auto Trader on the forces of change that could affect the status quo in the coming years, from new EV entrants to changing consumer behaviour.
Despite the rise of online car sales, physical car dealerships are still crucial to the buying journey, says Google.
The search giant will reveal its latest research into how important a blended approach to car sales is at Car Dealer Live. Ben Gault, automotive industry manager for Google UK, will deliver the search giant’s research which will look at the growing importance of omni-channel retailing for car dealers.
Close Brothers Motor Finance
How used car dealers are preparing for the forthcoming ban on internal combustion engines in 2030 will lead an exclusive talk from partners Close Brothers Motor Finance.
The firm has commissioned a survey of hundreds of used car dealers which has questioned them on their businesses’ plans for a move to electric vehicles. In a session titled ‘The road ahead – the journey to AFV’, Close Brothers CEO of motor UK Sean Kemple will present the firm’s findings.
Cox Automotive
How much of the buying journey are car buyers prepared to do online and in physical dealerships, is a question Cox Automotive will be hoping to answer at Car Dealer Live.
Experts at the firm have surveyed both consumers and car dealers to ask their opinions on what they want from online and physical car purchasing.
Cox Automotive insight and strategy director Phil Nothard, as well as guests Michael Bell, CEO of Available Car, and Stephanie Muzzall, digital project manager for consumer digital at Volvo Car UK, will appear on stage to discuss the findings of the survey.
Car Dealer Live Detail
How to get there
The event is being held at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon. This is just off Junction 12 of the M40 in Warwickshire.
Where to park
There is plenty of free parking at the British Motor Museum. Parking for Car Dealer Live guests will be clearly marked. Park on the left hand side as you approach the main building and the Car Dealer Live entrance is around the left hand side of the building as marked in the diagram above. There will be signs pointing you in the right direction on the day.
Food & drink
There will be coffee and pastries upon arrival at 0930, followed by a coffee break at 1115, buffet lunch at 1245 and more coffee and cake in the main auditorium for the afternoon session.
Allergies
There will be vegetarian and vegan options. Attendees with any type of nut allergy should note that the museum cannot guarantee that its food or the products that it buys in do not contain nuts or traces of nuts. It does not have a nut-free kitchen or a completely separate nut-free area to prepare its catering, therefore it does not accept any responsibility for any allergic reactions. If an attendee’s allergy is that severe, they are advised to bring their own food and drink with them.
Seating
Seating positions in the auditorium are on a first come, first served basis. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of seats for guests, but there will be no reserved places apart from for the speakers taking part in the sessions on the live stage.
Audience participation
We’ll be using interactive audience participation tool Slido.com during the sessions. This will let you vote in our online polls and ask questions of our panelists. The participation code for the event will be broadcast on the screens in the venue and you can simply log on to the mobile website to take part (no app is needed). We’ll give you details on the day.
Streaming
Streaming tickets are still available and can be purchased on the Car Dealer Live event website. The tickets will give you access to the live stream of all the sessions on the day of the event and access to all the sessions to be replayed as many times as you want afterwards.
The agenda
- 09:30 – Arrivals, coffee and welcome pastries
- 10:15 – Welcome in auditorium from Car Dealer editor James Baggott
- 10:20 – Keynote interview – Mark Lavery, CEO, Cambria Automobiles
- 10:50 – Franchised dealer panel – sponsored by Close Brothers Motor Finance
- 11:15 – Coffee break and networking
- 11:45 – White Paper session with headline partner Auto Trader
- 12:15 – Independent car dealer panel – sponsored by Auto Trader
- 12:45 – Buffet lunch
- 13:30 – White Paper session with Close Brothers Motor Finance
- 14:00 – Car manufacturer panel – sponsored by Cox Automotive
- 14:30 – White Paper session with Cox Automotive
- 15:00 – Google keynote interview
- 15:30 – Event close
Ticket includes entry to museum
Your Car Dealer Live ticket includes entry to the British Motor Museum. There are some amazing exhibits on display and it’s well worth planning some time at the end of the day to have a look around.
