UCN
Used Car News
usedcarnews
8/10/2020
IARA Summer Roundtable Goes Virtual By Jeffrey Bellant
karglobal.com
IN THIS ISSUE:
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The show must go….online. As the coronavirus pandemic swept over the country and forced business shutdowns, it also caused the cancellation of many live industry conferences. The International Automotive Remarketers Alliance felt the wrath of COVID-19 as the Conference of Automotive Remarketing was canceled back in March, the first big conference casualty. However, the Internet has become the new Las Vegas as trade associations move their shows online. IARA, after testing the waters with a series of three webinars in the spring, will bring its Summer Roundtable to the small screen. Tony Long, IARA’s executive director, said the interest in the webinars “proved to us how hungry our industry was for more information. “We knew there had to be an IARA Summer Roundtable, one way or another, but safety is at the forefront of any decision we make.” IARA is using the virtual event provider “Pathable” for the show and Long said his staff is doing “all the heavy lifting” for the event. “Going virtual only made sense, but we were determined that this had to be a major step up from just another webinar,” Long said, “so we first chose a professional platform provider for the delivery of this event.” Long said the virtual conference will be content-packed. “Our goals are not all that different from a live show,” he said. “Quality and content are the focus. As the ‘Voice of the Consignor,’ we know that attendees are interested in getting their information from the source. Business models and strategies have taken sudden turns, and we know that many of our at-
tendees will make important decisions based on what comes out of this meeting.” Keeping remarketers and conference attendees engaged in the event are front and center. “The Conference Management Committee has worked very hard to tightly plan the content and schedule,” Long said.
“This is really their baby when it comes to content, and they’ve delivered top-shelf topics and talent. There will be some unique interactive opportunities that include chatrooms and a virtual exhibit hall. I won’t give it all away, but we’ve added some incentives that are designed to keep everyone glued to
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