THE 2027 Australian Automotive Dealer Association Convention & Expo has been locked in for the 21st and the 22nd of July at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, with organisers having outlined the key focuses of next year’s event.

2027 will mark the convention’s return to the Victorian capital for the first time since 2024. It will also be only the second time Melbourne has hosted the event post-COVID. In 2022, 2023, 2025, and 2026, the event alternated between Sydney and Brisbane.

According to the AADA, day one of the event will focus on the relationship between dealers and OEMs, the franchised dealer model’s future, and Australia’s evolving car market, while day two will have a business, technology, and innovation emphasis while also playing host to workshop and expo live stage presentations. 

Day one’s focus seems to particularly align with the AADA’s key priorities more broadly, with the organisation’s CEO James Voortman having named strengthened dealer and OEM relationships as its number one priority during a presentation at this year’s event in Sydney.

Patrick Tessier

AADA convention director Patrick Tessier OAM says the aim for 2027’s expo is to create content and conversations which can’t be found or had elsewhere.

“Our objective for AADA 2027 is to create content and conversations that senior dealers and industry leaders cannot readily access elsewhere, while creating an outstanding environment for our commercial partners to engage with them,” he said.

The 2026 AADA hosted more than 76 exhibitors and sponsors, 67 speakers, and nearly 1000 delegates according to the 2025-26 AADA Annual Report.

James Voortman

Nine live stage sessions and 28 workshops were also held during the event.

Only a little over two months have passed since the doors closed on this year’s convention, yet the uptake for 2027’s event has been dramatic according to the AADA, 56 per cent of which has already sold out following an “exclusive priority period for existing sponsors and exhibitors”.

Mr Tessier said the remaining expo slots are now available to the “broader market” while encouraging prospective participants to engage with the AADA early.