DrivingSales and J.D. Power and Associates bridge industry's two most authoritative marketing events, offer combo-ticket prices

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 18, 2012 -- DrivingSales today announced that the 2012 DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES) has expanded to include a joint keynote with J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable. The company also announced the dates and location for its fourth annual event: the DrivingSales Executive Summit will be held Sunday, October 21 through Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at the Bellagio Las Vegas. The J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable[1], which immediately follows the DSES, will also be held at the Bellagio. 

"J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable is the industry's top marketing event for automotive retailers, OEMs, agencies and automotive third-party websites, and the DrivingSales Executive Summit is the top digital marketing event for innovative dealers," said DrivingSales Founder and CEO Jared Hamilton. "By bridging these two premier October events with a joint keynote and special combo-ticket rates, we are creating the highest impact, profit-building experience for all levels of the automotive industry."

While the two events remain separate, each with a distinct personality and target audience, the new relationship between the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable and the DrivingSales Executive Summit makes it easier for those who want exposure to each conference's signature content.

"Industry professionals have long faced the October dilemma of multiple conferences," said John Humphrey, senior vice president of global automotive operations at J.D. Power and Associates.  "We are very pleased that, through our alliance with DrivingSales, the industry's two most authoritative digital marketing events can make conference attendance an even more powerful and convenient experience for Dealers, OEMs and other automotive professionals."

The 2012 DrivingSales Executive Summit will commence Sunday, October 21 at 3:00 pm and conclude Tuesday, October 23, after the joint keynote presentation, which will include a world-renowned speaker on digital marketing, and reception. J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable program will begin with the joint keynote presentation, move into their welcome reception and conclude on Friday, October 26.  Both events will be held at the Bellagio Las Vegas. Special combo-ticket prices for the two events will be available.

For more information about the DrivingSales Executive Summit, visit: 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 with the #DSES hashtag as preparations continue throughout the year.

For more information about the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable visit http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/Events.aspx.

About The DrivingSales Executive Summit

The DrivingSales Executive Summit is a uniquely collaborative event modeled after the best practices and information-sharing among dealers and auto industry professionals on DrivingSales.com. The fourth annual event will bring together the most progressive dealers in the country, along with world-renowned speakers, all focused on pushing the auto industry's 'innovation boundaries' and translating the latest trends and business realities into solid 2013 action plans for every dealership department.

The DrivingSales Executive Summit is 100% dealer driven and designed specifically for the most advanced dealer principals and dealership executives in the industry. The exclusive event has a vendor-neutral policy, meaning no vendor influence on presentation selection and adherence to a strict dealer-to-vendor ratio.

DrivingSales Executive Summit Media Relations:
Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 424.603.4340
Angela Jacobson (angela@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 714.454.8776

[1] Prior to 2012, the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Marketing Roundtable was known as the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable.