Industry Knowledge Determines Alliance Advantage – Remarketing
The Conference and Education Committee remains busy throughout the year and relies on a group of volunteer committee members to plan and conduct educational sessions that meet the needs of IARA members by keeping them Stay abreast of trends, regulations and practices that affect the industry.
Since 2001, IARA has used education and certifications to not only help define its identity in the industry but also position itself as a pillar of industry knowledge. This busy committee plans half a day of education in time Automotive remarketing conference (CAR) in the spring as well as administering the two-day Roundtable in the summer.
About the Committee
The trio of Brent Garrett (CarLotz), Jim Jackson (Automotive Resources International) and Tom Stewart (Auction Management Solutions) co-chair the IARA Conference and Education Committee. In addition, about a dozen committee members meet weekly to discuss emerging educational topics.
The committee also relies on membership surveys to promote educational opportunities that meet the specific interests of IARA members, Garrett said. In addition, the group takes time to meet face-to-face at each of the two annual conferences. The committee is tasked with not only identifying relevant topics, but also finding expert speakers and moderators to address those topics. The Committee is also responsible for selecting the locations of the Summer Roundtable and tries to choose cities located in the heart of the United States or areas of the country that can attract the most attendees. For 2021, the committee chose conference-friendly San Antonio, Texas, as the venue for the Summer Roundtable, where they announced the 2022 conference would be held in Nashville, Tenn.
An important educational mission for IARA
Since IARA’s founding two decades ago, member education has always been one of its most important missions. The commitment to education begins with implementing the Certified Automotive Marketer (CAR) certification program. The CAR program began with what was then known as the Education and Certification Committee before the Certification Committee was split off to become a separate group.
To help inform education efforts, Garrett said, the committee surveys attendees after each educational event about what they’re most interested in, as well as what they’d like to hear at upcoming conferences. .
Two main events
The committee’s next annual mandate is to plan IARA’s March 2022 Automotive Remarketing Conference, to be held March 22-24, 2022 at Caesars Las Vegas. The CAR conference is being held in person in June 2021 just as Las Vegas is reopening after closures and slowdowns from the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CAR 2020 event is virtual. That year, the committee not only had to revolve around virtual conferences, but also had to add a number of sessions and conversations aimed at issues related to the pandemic.
Recent changes
One of the most important innovations in the recent past has been the incorporation of dealer councils into conferences. “The committee found through their surveys that participants really wanted to hear from agents,” says Garrett. Through discussions with the board, the committee found that the most important topics for dealers were emerging technologies and markets. The constant changes in the market have kept the committee on its toes as there has been a clear shift towards digital auctions.
“I don’t want to say that [digital sales] Garrett said.
Another key innovation is setting up a shipper-only meeting. Garrett emphasized the importance of this unique opportunity for shippers as IARA conventions are the only venue for such a gathering. “We allot the time and it’s just the shippers, so they can talk about what’s important to them,” says Garrett. If you’re considering joining IARA and ask yourself, “What’s in it?”, Garrett claims this is a huge membership benefit for shippers.
On the horizon
“I think people want to know the outlook and the short-term forecast to know what prices are like,” said Garrett.
The Commission will remain focused on delivering this information in a meaningful and useful way through careful planning. “Members want to know what’s coming, what’s new, what’s emerging, and what they should focus on,” says Garrett. ■
Note: This article appeared in IARA 20th Anniversary Issue published in November 2021.
Originally posted on Vehicle Remarketing