Innovation Cup recognizes the most innovative dealership solutions of 2014; finalists CarWars, DMEautomotive, Gubagoo, LotLinx and Pearl Technologies to present their solutions at the 2014 DrivingSales Executive Summit

Salt Lake City, UT – September 16, 2014  - DrivingSales today announced that five finalists have been selected for the fifth annual DrivingSales Innovation Cup Award, which recognizes the most innovative dealership solutions of 2014. The finalists will compete onstage for the Innovation Cup Award at the 2014 DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), which will be held Sunday, October 12^th through Tuesday, October 14^th, 2014 at the Bellagio Las Vegas.  

The DSES, which had record attendance in 2013 and has sold out every year since inception, is unique in the industry because auto dealers determine the speakers and agenda, as well as the finalist and winners of the Innovation Cup Award.  

The 2014 Innovation Cup Award finalists are (alphabetically):

• Gubagoo Behavioral Engagement and Scoring Technology (B.E.A.S.T.), and Chat and Call Centers from Gubagoo
• Lead Launch from CarWars
• LotLinx Vehicle Display Network from LotLinx
• Mid-Interval Communications from DMEautomotive
• NewCarIQ from Pearl Technology Holdings, LLC

“The 2014 Innovation Cup Award finalists offer compelling evidence that innovation is alive, well and thriving in our industry! We had more applications this year than ever before -- and one of the toughest decision years ever for our panel of dealer judges,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “Analytics, dealership-control, and eye-popping results are what all five of our finalist solutions have in common, along with truly intelligent, implementable and forward-thinking technologies. For the past four years, the Innovation Cup has introduced game-changing and realistic solutions to our industry from some of its best-known and least-known companies, each armed with a solution designed to change our industry for the better.  We could not be more proud to introduce 2014’s impressive group of innovators to our 2014 DSES attendees. Congratulations Innovation Cup finalists!”

The five Innovation Cup finalists will present their solutions onstage at the DrivingSales Executive Summit on October 13th. A panel of dealer judges will ask questions of each presenter and score each product. The solution with the highest score will be presented with the Innovation Cup Award for “Most Innovative Solution of 2014” on the final day of the Summit.

The Innovation Cup Award competition is part of an exciting DSES line up this year, which includes high-profile keynotes from digital expert and best-selling author Brian Solis; SEO ‘Wizard’ Rand Fishkin; eMarketer’s lead digital auto analyst, Mike Hudson; Kellogg School of Management marketing professor Florian Zettelmeyer, and online marketing pioneer, Bryan Eisenberg, as well as dealer-selected breakout sessions which offer actionable strategies designed to improve operations, effectiveness and profitability in six distinct categories: Advanced General Marketing, Dealer Operations, Mobile, Search, Website Optimization, and Social Media, and include topics ranging from wearable technology to improving dealership culture.

For the full DrivingSales Executive Summit agenda and more information on speakers and presentations go to http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com/agenda/breakout-speakers/.

For more information about the DrivingSales Executive Summit and to register before the event sells out, go to www.drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com or contact dses@drivingsales.com.  Stay tuned for DSES news as it develops on www.twitter.com/drivingsales and on facebook.com/drivingsales. Participate in the conversation using #DSES as preparations continue throughout the year.

Check out today’s blog on DrivingSales at: http://www.drivingsales.com/blogs/DSNews/

About The DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES)

The DrivingSales Executive Summit is where the most progressive dealers gather to collaborate and learn forward-thinking trends in automotive operations. DSES features world-renowned experts on marketing, technology and retail operations from inside and outside the industry, who provide the most valuable and actionable insights for today’s dealership professionals.  The DSES agenda is dealer-driven, ensuring the content is 100 percent focused on the needs of progressive dealers.  Only the top 10 percent of speaking applications selected by DrivingSales members make it on the agenda.

To protect the quality of the event, seating is limited and always held at a 5-diamond venue.  DSES has sold out every year.  For those interested in attending, securing seating as early as possible is recommended.  For more information, visit DSES.com

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships.  DrivingSales’ mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success.

Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has a registered user in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe.  To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

DrivingSales Executive Summit Media Relations:

Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 949.307.1723

Crystal Hartwell (crystal@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 714.987.1016