Simple, Practical Solutions

ACE 2026 is focused on delivering real world education and options for automotive retailers

As we get closer to the 2026 Automotive Conference & Expo (ACE) in Niagara Falls, one thing that really struck home was how do we deliver valuable and applicable content, particularly in a time where many of us are experiencing information overload? From constantly changing tariffs, to AI, to Chinese vehicles, to economic conditions, dealers are being bombarded with all kinds of stuff these days. That’s why, in planning ACE 2026 it was imperative for us to have a thought process that not only zeroed in on keeping things simple, educational and practical, but delivering tools and solutions that dealers could then go back to their businesses and implement without needing to hire additional third parties to interpret what they’ve learned.

Different approaches

While providing dealers with clear, concise and transparent information that they can take full advantage of has been a major criteria in planning this year’s ACE conference, we’ve also been focusing on different ways in delivering success in auto retailing. For many dealers it is very challenging to find and retain top talent. This has been further amplified by a tougher economy and those operators that are going through acquisitions or building new stores. These kinds of conditions favour different ways of thinking when it comes to recruitment and at ACE attendees will get to hear about how a Western dealer has been recruiting Special Olympic athletes to work within their retail network and how this strategy has completely changed the trajectory of the business. Additionally, we will be having life-long NASCAR fan Kolby Garrison (who is visually impaired) and driver Jeff Burton talk about their remarkable connection and how it is changing the face of motorsport and the wider automotive industry.

“For many dealers it is very challenging to find and retain top talent. This has been further amplified by a tougher economy and those operators that are going through acquisitions or building new stores.”

 – Todd Bourgon, CEO and Executive Director, MVRO

Chinese perspective

Chinese vehicles and their potential impact on Canada’s automotive sector is another highly contentious issue, and one in which we will bring unique insights via Tom Van Dillion. Tom is based in Beijing and has lived in China for 30 years, giving him a unique perspective in how the Chinese go to market, think, develop technology, expand and grow in the automotive sector. Tom brings the complete Chinese story from all aspects of their society and how it integrates and affects products that will enter into our market here in Canada. Tom is a bundle of energy and a wealth of information. When he proposed his session, our Executive Board at MVRO were floored at what he was willing to share with our members and the auto retailing sector. Tom will be our keynote and will provide a ton of value in understanding what really maters when it comes to Chinese entry into the Canadian market.

Continuous investment

While hosting events like ACE represents a great opportunity for automotive retail community, the important thing to remember is that we need to consistently push forward. The learning cycle is constant and during more challenging times it is often the best opportunity to invest in yourself and your team, instead of pulling back, which can be tempting. It’s one reason why we’ve designed and picked the breakout sessions at this year’s ACE conference with real feedback and input from dealers. We are very excited to have top notch and highly sought after speakers again this year—ndividuals whose commitment will provide results-oriented executable takeaways as part of their speaking criteria.

By Canadians for Canadians

One thing we’ve focused on from the very beginning is to ensure that ACE provides Canadian content and solutions that are applicable to our marketplace with no sales pitches. The on-site trade show also provides a unique opportunity to connect with vendors operating in the Canadian marketplace that can help you advance your business to the next level. At MVRO, our goal is to consistently deliver value to our members and we feel that ACE 2026 represents another example in helping deliver on that promise. If you still need to register, visit automotiveconferenceandexpo.ca for more details and we will see you there!

Bio:    Todd Bourgon is CEO and Executive Director of the Motor Vehicle Retailers Association, an association representing more than 1,000 new car dealers in Ontario. You can reach him at [email protected]