We are closing in on the 12th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition, April 3-5, at The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando.  Will you be there?

The last conference in Las Vegas drew more than a thousand dealers and managers from almost every state and featured 94 workshops and more than 95 exhibitors.  With so much to see and do, we’ve narrowed down the must-see events at this year’s conference:

Who to See - The Must See Speakers:

Todd Smith doesn’t just have 20+ years of dealership experience – he’s also a veteran of the auto dealer speaking circuit and a self-proclaimed industry rock star. Todd will conclude his whirlwind tour with a keynote address at Digital Dealer 2012. For those of you who don’t know, Todd is the CEO of ActivEngage - a company that leads the industry in converting online visitors into real customers. At his DD12 presentation, Todd will share valuable insight into the world of automotive internet marketing.

Topic: Inbound Marketing Strategies for 2012 Developing your dealership’s inbound marketing strategies, tactics and techniques to drive more website visitors

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Jonika Hoomes has nearly a decade of online advertising experience and serves as the Head of Automotive Channel Sales Personnel in North America. Peter Leto co-leads the Dealer Jumpstart Team at Google. He is responsible for providing automotive partners with scalable business solutions to further develop their Tier 2 & Tier 3 advertising strategies. Together, these two marketing gurus will present on one of the most important marketing concepts of the digital age:

Topic: The Zero Moment of Automotive Truth The advent of online research has brought about the theory of ZMOT - has your dealership kept up, or are you still using the old mental model?

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Ralph D. Ebersole is a regional director of sales for ActivEngage. A recognized automotive digital thought leader, he brings more than 30 years of automotive industry experience, consulting and training expertise. In his role as director of training at cars.com, he was responsible for leading the organization’s dealer training program nationally.

Topic: Transform your Internet Sales with Live Chat! How live chat builds high quality appointments, leads and relationships

What Booths to Visit - Don’t Miss These Exhibitors:

ActivEngage: Of course, ActivEngage will be there in full force. Visit our booth to sign up for our party at Blue Martini. We’ll be at booth 239 - where you can finally meet the ActivEngage social media team!

HookLogic: HookLogic is best known for driving customers into a dealer’s showroom using targeted incentives, closing the loop on the mysterious lead to show metric…and nobody else does it. Check out their exhibition at Booth 414!

AutoMotionTV: AutoMotionTV is a leader in mobile apps for the dealership market. The AutoMotionTV Dealer App is a laser-focused communication channel between the dealer and customer. They’re located at Booth 112, where you can meet President Ben Anderson on Thursday, April 5^th!

Autobytel:  Autobytel is a leader in providing online consumer purchase requests and marketing resources to car dealers and manufacturers, pioneered the automotive Internet when it launched Autobytel.com in 1995. Find them at Booth 1009!

DealerSocket: DealerSocket provides the most comprehensive automotive CRM and training solution available today. DealerSocket is the complete source for all customer facing automotive dealership departments. This year DealerSocket will be at Booth 215.

HomeNet: HomeNet helps tens of thousands of dealers sell more cars with its Inventory Online (IOL) Internet Marketing Suite of automotive merchandising, management, and marketing solutions. Their DD12 exhibition is located at Booth 909, where Division Sales Manager Mike Mitson will highlight merchandising strategies that work for both new and used cars on Tuesday, April 3^rd.

Phone Ninja: Phone Ninjas specializes in the art of appointment setting. Our unique program will help your salespeople schedule more appointments with phone and Internet shoppers. President Jerry Thibeau will be at Booth 400 - and on April 4^th at 3:30, the Ninjas will be mystery shopping dealerships in real time and giving away an iPad! Don’t miss this session!

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Don’t miss out on Digital Dealer 2012! We will be there giving you up-to-date coverage on this exposition. Subscribe to our blog so you won’t miss out! You can also follow @activengage on Twitter for minute-by-minute updates on the conference!