When a scheduling conflict prevented Al Tawil from attending his first NIADA Convention and Expo last year, he committed himself to making the trip to Las Vegas this June.
The general manager of Nationwide Auto Finance, Inc., in Oregon, Ohio, took advantage of the early-bird registration for the 2024 NIADA Convention and Expo June 17-20 at the Wynn Hotel.
“I was invited last year with a free ticket, and I was already going to Florida. It didn’t work out,” Tawil said. “I told myself that I was going this year no matter what. I wanted to learn some new things and attend the classes.”
While attending the largest convention and expo for the used vehicle industry, Tawil will be enjoying a stay in a suite at the Wynn. Tawil won the March 7 drawing for the suite upgrade. All dealers with paid registration by midnight March 6 were eligible for the drawing.
Tawil joins Kevin Pendergrass of Carolina Auto Sales in Myrtle Beach, S.C. as winners of the suite upgrade.
Nationwide Auto Finance has been in business since 1997. Tawil joined his father’s business shortly after high school and has been in the industry 17 years. The dealership has grown from a 20-vehicle lot to now more than eight acres, completing more than 700 transactions per year.
Tawil has attended other education sessions in the past year and has already seen results. His sales are up 27 percent year-to-date.
“I want to keep the momentum going. I am going to learn more at the convention. I want to absorb as much as I can,” Tawil said.
Several new education sessions for this year’s convention were recently added. Danny Zaslavsky of Country Hill Motors will explain how he transformed how he managed inventory to grow his business in Vehicle Lifecycle Management is the Next Horizon. Joe Keadle of Kinetic Advantage will present Mastering Dealership Profitability through Strategic Operations. Certified Ag Dealer’s Patrick Driscoll will teach dealers how to market and deliver products to farmers and ranchers in Growing Your Agricultural Book of Business. Terry MacCauley of Big Time Advertising will help dealers improve their bottom line in Avoiding Diminishing Returns. Craig Stowell of Flyin’ Wheels will tell dealers how he generates more than 30,000 visits to his website per month and more than 2 million views on Youtube during Building Your Brand Through Social Media.
The 2024 NIADA Convention and Expo will feature more than 50 hours of education led by experts in retail, buy-here pay-here, management, marketing and compliance. Members of every area of the dealership will be able to find valuable training. Each of the five tracks offers multiple sessions led by dealers and industry experts, including several panel discussions. More sessions are being added. See the lineup at niada.com/convention/learning-tracks.
In addition to the dozens of breakout education sessions, the convention will feature three general sessions, including the crowning of the National Quality Dealer of the Year at the close of the convention. Throughout the convention will be opportunities to visit the largest expo hall for the used vehicle industry and network with more than 800 dealers from across the country.
Early-bird registration for the NIADA convention and expo continues at niada.com/convention. The early-bird registration is $545 for members through May 20. The early-bird discount is $200 off the standard registration. Non-member early-bird registration is $845 and non-member standard registration is $1,045.
Registrants can also take advantage of the discounted rooms at the beautiful Wynn hotel, starting at $174 per night, plus taxes and a reduced resort fee of $25 per night.
