Albany, N.Y. – April 11th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems today announced dates for its national customer User Summit, anticipated to be the largest event to date with more than 200 Auto/Mate customers expected in attendance. The 2016 User Summit (#AMUserSummit) will be held at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center from September 19th through September 21st. This year's summit will feature two and a half days of product enhancements, best practices, industry speakers and exhibitors.

"When we first started our user summits we had no idea how popular they would be with our customers, and every year the event has grown," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. "Our goal is to make the time as productive as possible from an educational standpoint, but also to create a relaxed and fun atmosphere where people can network and have a lot of face-time with their fellow dealer peers as well as our team of executives and technical staff."

There is no charge for Auto/Mate customers to attend the event, which includes a hosted happy hour and dinner, as well as daily breakfasts and lunches. In 2015, over 100 Auto/Mate customers attended the User Summit and ten industry vendors exhibited.

For the first time this year Auto/Mate is issuing a Call for Speakers to Open/Mate and third-party integration partners, as well as to industry vendors and consultants. Speaker benefits include exposure to 200+ decision makers, complimentary registration, and a guest blog opportunity on Auto/Mate's blog, DMS Central. The deadline for speakers to apply is Monday, April 18th. More information can be found at http://www.automate.com/speakers

Additionally, Auto/Mate's User Summit has sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities for industry partners and vendors. Benefits of sponsorship include online promotion, pre- and post-show email promotions and special email campaign, networking at the Happy Hour pep rally and a raffle prize game that encourages attendees to visit all booths. More information about sponsorship opportunities can be found at http://www.automate.com/sponsor-info/

Auto/Mate's national User Summit is geared toward dealership executives and managers who want to learn more about Auto/Mate's DMS features and capabilities. Highlights include:

• Introduction: Learn Auto/Mate's philosophy on how we do business differently and what our future plans are, from Mike Esposito.
• New Feature Announcements: Auto/Mate's software development and product knowledge experts will reveal in-depth features of our recently updated accounting module and brand new payroll system, designed to streamline procedures and shave hours off of routine office processes.
• Rockin' 101 with Ken Rock: High-level feature overview of every module in Auto/Mate's Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) dealership management system.
• Break Out Sessions: Each session covers a different module/department, where customers will receive tutorials and time-saving tips and tricks, featuring Auto/Mate's advanced tech support "Go Team"
• Town Hall: Customers can ask Auto/Mate's executives and technical experts questions and discuss ideas in an open forum
• Industry Speakers: For the first time in 2016 Auto/Mate is opening the floor to vendor partners to share industry best practices in educational workshops
• Networking: Attendees will have the opportunity to network with peers, Open/Mate partners and other vendors.

"Auto/Mate's User Summit is a great way for dealers to see coming attractions for their DMS," said Mark Everly, Controller with the Donley Auto Group in Ohio. "The summit is a wealth of information not only from Auto/Mate staff, but also from the sponsor vendors that take part in the summit. I would highly recommend that dealers and their managers take part in a user summit...the time invested is well worth it."

For more information or to register, visit http://www.automate.com/usersummit/ or contact Jessica Joralemon, Manager of Events and Marketing Communications, at usersummit@automate.com, or 877-340-2677.

About Auto/Mate

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships, typically saving dealers thousands of dollars per month from their current provider. Our Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 1,200 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate has received DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 940 years of combined experience working in franchised auto dealerships, the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car PeopleTM” slogan. Auto/Mate is committed to winning its customers’ business each and every month with no long-term contracts and free software upgrades. For more information follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at www.automate.com/blog.