I challenge everyone to just set your political leanings aside. I promise, there are comments here that will make everyone with an opinion wince. Just read and think about it.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Evolution or Revolution
For the past 20 years, I've been attending the National Automobile Dealer's Association (NADA) trade show and convention. For the first 17 years, it was always a great way to kick in the new year--NADA is always held at the end of January or early February, rotating through four major cites.
In New Orleans in 2009, the mood was palpably different as I'm sure you can imagine. Winds of change were in the air. Many Dealers did not yet know if they'd survive the economic shift, coupled with the major contractions within their own manufacturers. Vendors were waiting to see how much their own universe of clients and potential clients would shrink. The pipeline wasn't just stagnant, it was literally contracting, hard. Traditional celebrations of the industry were fewer and some companies who were once the major players, didn't even attend. It seemed as if all of us were quieter and less enthused. An industry full of optimists and Type A chargers had been shaken to its core.
2010 in Orlando was yet smaller but the mood not quite as dire. As an old friend was fond of saying, "Success is sometimes measured by just being able to survive and hang in." I had that phrase rolling around in my head the entire time I was walking the show floor and attending classes. The conference was shortened a bit to allow focus on business at hand. The mood was better but there was a bit of continued hesitance, or perhaps, it was awe that we as dealers, vendors, manufacturers were still there, viable and able to regroup and rebuild. The freight train had passed and the light at tunnel's end was in fact sun.
2011, what a difference a year makes. In San Francisco, survival, while not assured seems likely. Optimism is back. Organizations have relearned and aggressively pursue success rather than avoid disaster. Discussions center around the future, growth and capitalizing on this new age. Apprehension still remains but direction is changed. A new industry emerges, one in which even the vernacular is changing. Is this an evolution of the Automotive Industry or the consequences of a consumer revolution across all industries begun a few years ago? More on that tomorrow.
In New Orleans in 2009, the mood was palpably different as I'm sure you can imagine. Winds of change were in the air. Many Dealers did not yet know if they'd survive the economic shift, coupled with the major contractions within their own manufacturers. Vendors were waiting to see how much their own universe of clients and potential clients would shrink. The pipeline wasn't just stagnant, it was literally contracting, hard. Traditional celebrations of the industry were fewer and some companies who were once the major players, didn't even attend. It seemed as if all of us were quieter and less enthused. An industry full of optimists and Type A chargers had been shaken to its core.
2010 in Orlando was yet smaller but the mood not quite as dire. As an old friend was fond of saying, "Success is sometimes measured by just being able to survive and hang in." I had that phrase rolling around in my head the entire time I was walking the show floor and attending classes. The conference was shortened a bit to allow focus on business at hand. The mood was better but there was a bit of continued hesitance, or perhaps, it was awe that we as dealers, vendors, manufacturers were still there, viable and able to regroup and rebuild. The freight train had passed and the light at tunnel's end was in fact sun.
2011, what a difference a year makes. In San Francisco, survival, while not assured seems likely. Optimism is back. Organizations have relearned and aggressively pursue success rather than avoid disaster. Discussions center around the future, growth and capitalizing on this new age. Apprehension still remains but direction is changed. A new industry emerges, one in which even the vernacular is changing. Is this an evolution of the Automotive Industry or the consequences of a consumer revolution across all industries begun a few years ago? More on that tomorrow.
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