THE Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) has added some star power to its national dealer convention line-up by securing social media giant Facebook as one of its presenters.

Taking place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney from September 19-20, the convention will also feature sessions from Google representatives, with one of the main focuses of the event being the changing digital landscape and how it affects dealers.

The change towards a digital marketplace and its effect on dealers will be one of the main themes of the convention, with AADA CEO David Blackhall pointing out that the buying trends of younger generations are changing rapidly.

“We live in an increasingly digitalised world,” he said.

“With millennials on average visiting 10.1 websites and zero physical dealerships before making a purchase decision, having a strong online presence is absolutely vital for dealers.”

Facebook’s session will aim to highlight that the social media site is a valuable tool for dealers and goes beyond producing likes by generating leads, using targeted advertising, and using the right sort of content.

The Facebook session will run on the first day of the event, while Google will run its digital event twice on September 20.

Google’s workshop will aim to help dealers transition into the digital age, showing how to create an online presence that captures attention, as well as the best practice solutions from inside and outside the automotive industry.

The workshop will also cover video content and re-marketing, as well as the five key questions dealers need to ask their digital partners.

Other areas of discussion for the convention will include focusing on hiring women and attracting female buyers, creating customer loyalty, employee retention, understanding digital technology and it’s potential for personalisation, and how to incorporate video into the sales process.

Nine Entertainment Corporation CEO and former federal treasurer Peter Costello will feature as keynote speaker, while other presenters will include federal minister for urban infrastructure Paul Fletcher, Google Australia head of Automotive Cathy Collins, DrivingSales founder Jared Hamilton, Deloitte Motor Industry Services partner Philip Hardy and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Rod Sims.

By Robbie Wallis