Our Service Dealer Conference and Awards, held last Thursday, turned out to be a great success. Excellent speakers gave inspiring talks to a captive audience. It was our second year back holding the event in real life once again, post-Covid. Delegates shook hands, chatted, ate and had the opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues.
The Conference itself began with a welcome message from Service Dealer owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke. In his opening speech he said, "It is clear that the battles and problems facing the industry have evolved from last year and you could argue that things are now actually that bit worse. Supply is still in disarray and manufacturers have pretty much all been struggling to keep some sort of consistent flow of products. This season, dealerships just didn’t have the inventory of stock to sell or even make some repairs - despite ordering last year”.
Great speakers followed Duncan’s opening address and, during the day, two breakout sessions took place, the first in the morning and the second in the afternoon.
That evening the gala Dealer Of The Year Awards dinner took place. Well done to all the winners and finalists. Your achievements have been recognised and truly deserved. I hope comedian Charlie Baker didn’t embarrass the pants off some of the delegates. You need to have a thick skin if you’re in Charlie’s firing line!!
It was nice seeing people from the same industry gather under one roof, meeting face to face. It was not that long ago when such events could not take place, due to the pandemic.
In a funny way Covid-19 has been a turning point in the way we live our lives. It's almost 3 years when the first lockdown began, which put severe restrictions on us all. No-one escaped them. We remember, back then, that our trade shows and conferences were cancelled. Some dealers thought that to be a good thing as it saved them a lot of expense in hiring stands, for not a lot of return. We certainly don't want to return to those lockdown days again.
The idea of holding a trade conference online seemed daft at the time but, with some adaptations, it did become possible. What made it particularly attractive and cost effective for the organisers, in particular, was that speakers could be sourced from anywhere around the world without incurring their travel and accommodation costs.
Dealers and manufacturers soon jumped onto the bandwagon by holding virtual demonstration days, open days and press launches.
Covid has changed the format of conferences that are held today. You could say a type of hybrid version has developed from the pandemic. Delegates can gather in real life to hear real life speakers but some speakers can give their presentations live online, with live interactions. This can be done from anywhere around the globe, without the speaker having to leave their home or place of work. Not only that but delegates can ‘tune in’ to attend the conference from their home or office. The way technology has advanced is amazing.
Three years on and we are almost back to the way we were. Real life conferences and trade shows are back again where people can meet and chat face to face, as was the case at last Thursday’s Service Dealer Conference and Awards. It’s great to be back.
