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Auto shows aren’t dead—they’re just getting started, and Jennifer Morand is helping to rewrite the playbook.

On this episode of Auto Collabs, the crew welcomes Jennifer Morand—the incoming chairwoman of the Automotive Experience Alliance (AEA) and powerhouse behind the Chicago Auto Show. She’s on a mission to make auto shows more than just shiny cars on display—instead, she’s building immersive, data-backed experiences that matter. Think ride-and-drives, EV demo tracks, overlanding zones, craft‑beer tastings, and “miles per hour” runs—all tailored to bring genuine engagement to both car lovers and the “not‑car‑people” among us.

Jennifer pulls back the curtain on how auto shows are evolving—and why it’s so much more than car shopping. She explains how shows drive real dealership traffic, why missing brands like Mazda or Buick spark concern, and how OEMs and local dealers can better collaborate through smart activations. The conversation meanders through the push–pull between tier‑one budgets and creative tier‑three marketing, touching on how human connection remains the ground floor of automotive selling.

Takeaways

00:00 – Why the first thing you do at a car show reveals everything

02:31 – The future of auto shows is experiential, not just presentational

03:57 – 20,000 consumers can’t be wrong: what the data says about ROI

06:26 – Dealers say shows work—so why are some OEMs pulling back?

07:56 – When Mazda skips a show, people think they’re going out of business

09:22 – The holy grail of auto marketing: tracking traffic after the show

10:37 – Gen Z loves live events—they just need a reason to care about cars

12:35 – Overlanding zones, EV tracks, beer tastings—this isn’t your dad’s auto show

13:33 – Want to speed up the buying cycle? Make the car experience fun

15:23 – OEMs blocking dealers from participating is hurting the brand

19:02 – Tier 1 meets Tier 3: how to stop leaving auto show potential on the table

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What if the real reason car buyers feel frustrated has nothing to do with price?

David Thomas has spent decades shaping how consumers understand and experience buying a car—from the early days of Autoblog to his current role unpacking research at CDK Global. In this episode, David joins Michael and Paul to talk about the hidden frictions of automotive retail and the disconnects that most dealers don’t even know they have.

He also breaks down why Gen Z wants more in-person experiences, not fewer, and what sports talk radio taught him about content that actually matters. With a sneak peek at CDK’s latest workforce study and a fresh take on how EV adoption is misunderstood, David brings insight without the ego.

Takeaways:

00:00 – The Case of the Missing Co-Host

01:45 – The Craigslist Ad That Launched an Auto Empire

03:29 – Why EV Riders Get Hooked Instantly

04:43 – How to Turn Boring Data Into Dealer Gold

06:27 – What Pearl Jam and Sports Burnout Taught Me About Content

10:56 – Dealers and Employees Are Not Worried About the Same Things

14:38 – Gen Z Doesn’t Want Less Human Interaction—They Want More

15:14 – EV Demand Is Real—Stop Pretending It’s Not

17:08 – Ford’s $22K EV Loss Might Be the Best News Yet

20:06 – Inventory Isn’t Just About Volume—It’s About Trust

24:13 – Millennials Are Shopping Online—But Still Want to Test Drive

Learn more about:

Connect with David Thomas at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davelikescars/

Learn more about CDK Global at https://www.cdkglobal.com

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AI isn’t coming for your job—it’s coming for your to-do list.

When Nick Askew first plugged AI into his daily marketing work, it was like flipping a switch—from a grind to a productivity cheat code. In this episode, Nick sits down with Kyle (while Paul and Michael cheer from the sidelines) to unpack why that moment in late 2023 marked a true before-and-after for how work gets done in the auto industry. They dig into how AI went from a party trick to a power tool almost overnight—and how it’s now reshaping dealership operations from the inside out.

But this isn’t just another AI hypefest. Nick and Kyle get tactical on what needs to change under the hood—from cleaning up CRM workflows to rethinking what a “one-stop-shop” platform actually means. There’s a passionate call for the industry to rally around shared API standards (ADF-XML, anyone?), a peek into Space Auto’s ambitious roadmap, and a surprisingly strong argument for why background AI agents—not flashy bots—might be the next frontier. If you’ve ever felt bogged down by your tech stack or your task list, this one’s for you.

Takeaways

00:00 – When two AI nerds find each other

02:14 – The day AI made Nick 10x more productive

05:16 – You’re already falling behind on AI

07:46 – AI isn’t replacing you—it’s freeing you

09:08 – Why unstructured data is killing AI in the showroom

10:29 – CRMs are broken, and everyone knows it

12:33 – Your fingers are the real bottleneck

16:30 – The tech debate that splits the industry

23:56 – Automotive desperately needs a new API standard

27:02 – The biggest AI breakthrough you won’t even see

30:53 – We can’t fix AI until we fix the data

Connect with Nick Askew at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-askew/

Learn more about Space Auto at https://space.auto/

⭐️ Love the podcast? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your LinkedIn or Instagram handle so we can thank you personally!

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🎧 Like and follow our other podcasts:

1. Automotive State of the Union
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