Follow the money — or more specifically, the investment capital.

I became convinced during my 10 years as a reporter and editor at WardsAuto that the investment community fuels much of the vendor growth and strategy in automotive retail.

But it is an under-reported and underserved — and often, misunderstood — component of the industry. That belief is what led me five years ago to create AUTOVATE, an annual conference focused on advanced technology solutions driving the automotive retail industry forward, including the innovators behind the solutions, decision-making dealer executives, and investors financing the industry’s entrepreneurs and their ideas.

After a year hiatus (blame Covid for the year off), AUTOVATE is returning to Austin, TX at the Kimpton Van Zandt on December 1st & 2nd.

This will be the fifth event held by The Banks Report — the fourth in Austin. Our first event was in 2016 (a precursor to AUTOVATE) held with Sheldon Sandler and his team at Bel Air Partners.

AUTOVATE is designed around conversation, not presentation.

In fact, conversations leading to at least five of the industry’s acquisitions and capital raises over the last three years began at AUTOVATE.

Over the course of a day and a half, audience members can participate in moderated Q&A sessions with investors, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and dealers. We’ve created an environment at the Kimpton that is intimate and conducive for conversation with an audience that is exclusive.

Topics include:

• Investment opportunities for dealers
• Follow the money – what do the investors think?
• New entrants to the market
• Where the true “disruption” is happening
• How connected vehicles will impact the retail business
• Ideas for dealers preparing their facilities for the EV transtion
• The latest in online transaction models
• The changing DMS landscape and what that means for vendors, dealers, and OEMs
• The impact on vendors and dealers of a record breaking year in dealership buy-sells
• Over-the-Air Service Updates are coming. Learn how to turn those into increased service revenue.
• How to interpret the vendor M&A landscape and determine what it means for your dealership
• The inventory shortage — how has it impacted dealership advertising?
• When to raise capital, when to sell — hear from the folks who have done it
• The inside scoop on some of the industry’s biggest deals

For more information and to register, Click Here.