Award recognizes the most innovative auto dealership strategies of 2013; finalists are Megan Barto of Ciocca Honda, Mark Brady of Fisher Honda-Kia Zack Freed of McCombs Automotive Team, Robert Karbaum of Weins Canada Inc. / Don Valley North Lexus and Jason Sturn of LaFontaine Automotive Group

Salt Lake City, Utah – September 10, 2013 – DrivingSales today announced that five auto dealer professionals have been selected as finalists for the 2013 DrivingSales Dealer Best Idea Award, which recognizes the most innovative auto dealership strategies of 2013. The finalists will compete onstage for the award, as well as for $10,000 in cash and prizes, at the 2013 DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), held Sunday, October 13^th through Tuesday, October 15^th, 2013 at the Bellagio Las Vegas.  This year’s award is sponsored by Cobalt.

The DSES, which had record attendance in 2012 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 finalists and winners of the Dealer Best Idea Contest.

The 2013 DrivingSales Dealer Best Idea Award finalists are:

-          “Picture Perfect Reputation Management” – Megan Barto, Marketing Director, Ciocca Honda

-          “True Internet ROI” - Mark Brady, CTO/CMO, Fisher Honda-Kia

-          “Sell My Car” - Zack Freed, E Commerce Director, McCombs Automotive Team

-          “Appointment Boarding Pass” - Robert Karbaum, E-Commerce Manager, Weins Canada Inc. / Don Valley North Lexus

-          “How to Visualize Big Data in the Dealership” – Jason Sturn, Digital Marketing Manager, LaFontaine Automotive Group

“We are very excited about our 2013 Dealer Best Idea competition and congratulate our finalists for the ideas that are moving our industry forward. Each struck a chord with those who are best at recognizing the innovative ideas capable of making a real difference in the dealership – auto dealers themselves,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “We anticipate a lively competition as they go head-to-head for 2013’s Best Idea Award.  But, regardless of who the winner is - from Reputation Management to Internet ROI to Big Data - these are ‘best ideas’ that our attendees can take home with them and put to work in their dealerships.

The 2013 DrivingSales Dealer Best Idea Award finalists, selected by a dealer panel, will present their strategies onstage at the DrivingSales Executive Summit on Monday, October 14th. The dealer panel will determine the winner and runners-up.

The Dealer Best Idea Award competition is part of an exciting 2013 DSES line-up, including high-profile keynotes from former U.S. Navy SEAL Officer and decorated combat veteran, Leif Babin; global search marketing authority Danny Sullivan, Yelp, and The Walt Disney Company^®, as well as nineteen dealer-selected breakout sessions from industry experts and dealers on topics ranging from CRM, digital marketing, fixed ops, hiring, creating a culture of success, selling pre-owned vehicles, leveraging ‘big data’, video, and more.

Focused on providing the most relevant profit-building information to help auto dealers formulate their business plans for the following year, the DrivingSales Executive Summit includes three days of collaboration and fresh, leading-edge information from special-topic breakouts, expert panels, dealer and vendor contests, and world-renowned speakers.  The DSES is 100% dealer driven and designed specifically for the most advanced dealer principals and dealership executives in the industry. The summit has a vendor-neutral policy, meaning no vendor influence on presentation selection and adherence to a strict dealer-to-vendor ratio. 

To read more about the DrivingSales Dealer Best Idea Award finalists, go to:  http://www.drivingsales.com/blogs/DSNews/2013/09/09/dsesbest-idea-c...

For the full DrivingSales Executive Summit agenda and more information on speakers and presentations go to http://drivingsal.es/2013-breakout-speakers.

Each year the DrivingSales Executive Summit automotive conference sells out. Tickets are still available at http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com/registration/. For more information about the DrivingSales Executive Summit and to register, 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 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:
Elizabeth Johnson (Elizabeth@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 213.713.4865

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