Survive to Thrive in Slow Times

Thought Leadership Summits will hold back-to-back automotive conferences on customer-centrity and social media June 14-15 in Los Angeles.

They are geared for auto executives, dealers, and captive-finance providers. Both events will be at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey.

Now in its seventh year, the theme of the June 14 Automotive Customer Centricity Summit is “Survive to Thrive — Maximizing Customer Value in a Slow Growth Economy.”

Topics will include an overview of key market and technology trends, dealer group DCH's low-stress car-buying strategy, Hyundai's success in customer engagement and Volkswagen's philosophy on loyalty.

In a keynote address, Thilo Koslowski, vice president and lead automotive analyst at Gartner, will discuss challenges and opportunities technology create.

Due to industry interest in social media, the 2011 Social Media Summit on June 15 has evolved into a full-day event, says conference organizer Jon Munzel.

This year's theme is “Multi-Task Like a Millennial — Leveraging Multiple Media Simultaneously.”

Topics include Ford's “Focus Rally America” program, Hyundai of St. Augustine's low-cost online reputation management and Volvo's use of social media to connect with young buyers.

Keynote speaker Tamara Darvish, DARCARS vice president, will discuss the dealer group's strategies to address the explosion of different social media. She will also speak on DARCARS plans to use social media to collaborate better with auto makers, employees and customers.

To register and obtain more information on the conferences, go to www.tlsummits.com.

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