Digital Dealer Conference & Expo 2026

What makes Digital Dealer 2026 a two day automotive retail buying event?

Digital Dealer Conference & Expo runs September 22 to 23, 2026 at Huntington Place in Detroit, MI. It is organized by the producers of Digital Dealer News and is promoted with Over 100 exhibitors. The combination of a dealership audience, a technology floor and a two day education program makes it a focused automotive retail event rather than a general marketing conference.

Which dealership and vendor roles fit the Detroit program?

The program covers marketing, advertising, AI, digital retail, fixed ops, operations, and customer experience. The organizer specifically names Dealer Principals, General Managers, Marketing Directors and CRM Managers. Those functions span executive ownership, store operations, demand generation and lead management, so exhibitors can map conversations to both buying authority and daily workflow responsibility.

When are Hall D and registration open on September 22 and 23?

The general expo runs 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM Tuesday and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Wednesday. Registration opens Monday from 12:00 PM to 5:30 PM and runs 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM on both show days. Exhibitor move in is Monday, September 21 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, while move out runs 5:50 PM to 11:59 PM Wednesday.

How do the two days divide 15.5 expo hours and conference blocks?

Tuesday contributes 7.5 expo hours from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and Wednesday contributes 8 hours from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The conference blocks are 8:15 AM to 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM to 5:15 PM Tuesday, then 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 1:30 PM to 4:20 PM Wednesday. The sum is 15.5 expo hours. See the daily staffing reference.

Where is Hall D, and how does the a2z floor plan organize it?

The exhibit location is Huntington Place - Hall D at 1 Washington Blvd. The organizer identifies a2z/Personify as the show planner and publishes the 2026 Digital Dealer Conference & Expo - Event Map through that system. The current brand is Personify a2z Events. It connects company listings with booth placements, providing the primary source for floor research.

What does parking at Huntington Place cost and hold?

Huntington Place publishes 2,596 parking spaces, with parking starting at $25. The Roof Deck accounts for 1,200 uncovered parking spaces, while the Washington Boulevard garage provides 640 covered parking spaces. These are venue figures rather than an event reservation guarantee, so daily availability still depends on onsite demand.

Which badge matches dealers, OEMs and non exhibiting vendors?

Full conference access includes Expo Hall Access, while the expo pass includes Expo Hall Sessions on the DealerTech Live Stage. The non exhibiting vendor option Does NOT include access to view or network with Dealers through the app. Dealer and OEM groups qualify at 4+ registrations, with a 10% discount per registration for four to seven and a 15% discount per registration for eight or more.

Which badge, refund, recording and dress rules apply?

Ticket sales are final and non-refundable. Official show badges must be worn at all times during hall access, including move in and move out. Sessions may not be photographed or recorded without special permission from Digital Dealer, and the stated attire is business casual. These rules separate booth-floor photography from protected session content.

What hotel information is verified for the Detroit event?

As of September 17, 2026, the organizer identifies EvolveCon via HotelMap as the housing provider. The reviewed current pages do not publish a stable hotel list, nightly rates or a booking deadline. Those fields remain intentionally blank in this draft because an official housing vendor name does not establish room inventory, price or cutoff terms.

Which arrival and departure windows protect Hall D time?

Monday registration is 12:00 PM to 5:30 PM, and exhibitor move in is Monday, September 21 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Tuesday floor time begins at 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM, while the Wednesday floor ends at 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM before move out at 5:50 PM to 11:59 PM. Those bounds protect floor coverage. See the travel window method.

Which automotive retail vendors are already on the 2026 floor plan?

The live event map lists 700Credit, LLC, CDK Global, LLC and Cox Automotive. Podium also appears on the current plan. These named entries provide concrete account research anchors inside the organizer's broader claim of Over 100 exhibitors. The entries also support booth-specific meeting preparation before arrival.

How complete is the current a2z exhibitor directory?

As of September 17, 2026, the 2026 Digital Dealer Conference & Expo - Event Map is live through a2z/Personify and names companies such as 700Credit, LLC, CDK Global, LLC, Cox Automotive and Podium. It does not expose a stable total or category count, so no directory completion percentage is calculated.

Which four tracks, speakers and session formats shape the agenda?

The schedule has four focused tracks: Dealer Ops & Leadership, Sales & Variable Ops, Marketing & Advertising and Fixed Ops. Sam D’Arc of Zeigler Auto Group and Glenn Lundy of 800% Elite Auto are named keynote speakers. Formats include 11 incredible sessions on day one, 60-Minute Learning Labs, 45-minute sessions and 20-minute Expo Hall talks. The AI Hackathon and Women in Dealerships Power Session add floor programming.

Which floor windows remain open for pre booked meetings?

The expo opens 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM Tuesday and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Wednesday. Conference blocks occupy 8:15 AM to 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM to 5:15 PM Tuesday, then 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 1:30 PM to 4:20 PM Wednesday. A 4:15 PM to 5:00 PM (Closing Reception) also shapes the final hour. See the meeting window worksheet.

Does the published 2026 audience match a dealership technology ICP?

The organizer reports 75% influence or make buying decisions, 39% are owner or C suite level, and 85% are management level or higher. It also reports 488 qualified dealership attendees. These promotional figures indicate buying influence and seniority, while overlapping percentages should not be added together or treated as a complete demographic distribution.

What does the organizer's 488 to 100 plus ratio mean for account targeting?

The published scale is 488 qualified dealership attendees and Over 100 exhibitors. Dividing 488 by 100 gives an upper bound of 4.88 qualified dealership attendees per exhibitor before accounting for traffic concentration or repeat conversations. Because the exhibitor claim is greater than 100, the actual simple ratio is lower. See the account coverage calculation.

What is currently verified about the Digital Dealer event app?

As of September 17, 2026, the registration page describes Networking Tools, Schedule Builder for the event app. The reviewed organizer pages do not name the current app product or platform vendor. This draft therefore records the verified functions without assigning software, download links, release timing or capabilities that the organizer has not published.

Where does the a2z planner stop and Grip begin?

a2z/Personify, now branded Personify a2z Events, is the verified show planner behind the 2026 Digital Dealer Conference & Expo - Event Map. Grip is separately identified as the lead retrieval vendor. The source roles distinguish floor planning from lead capture, but the organizer does not publish enough Grip detail to infer badge fields, export formats or device limits.

Which verified costs and service deadlines exist for exhibitors?

As of September 17, 2026, Freeman is the decorator and Freeman is the exclusive material handling provider. Materials must arrive by Thursday, September 10, 2026, direct shipments begin Monday, September 21, 2026, and the discount deadline is Mon, Aug 24. The COI deadline is Mon, Sept 14 with $1,000,000 each occurrence coverage. Booth prices remain gated.

How many reps cover 15.5 hours across two show days?

The floor runs 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM Tuesday and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Wednesday, totaling 15.5 hours. Two reps across two productive days at B2Brain's 31 scans per rep day benchmark provide capacity for 124 scans. That equals 8 team scans per floor hour, or 4 per rep hour. See the booth capacity formula.

What is verified about Grip for Digital Dealer 2026?

As of September 17, 2026, the organizer identifies Grip as the 2026 lead retrieval vendor. The public organizer sources reviewed for this draft do not state a license price, order deadline, included devices, capture fields or export method. Those implementation details remain an evidence gap rather than being borrowed from another Grip event package.

Which Grip capture fields and limits are publicly documented?

Grip is confirmed for lead retrieval, but no current Digital Dealer source reviewed by September 17, 2026 publishes its captured contact fields, qualification fields, note behavior, export formats, offline behavior or device limit. The draft therefore names the vendor without presenting a feature checklist that cannot be tied to this event's package.

Can exhibitors compare B2Brain with Grip from current evidence?

The only event specific product fact available as of September 17, 2026 is that Grip supplies lead retrieval. A reliable comparison needs published fields, exports, license terms and device rules for the 2026 package. Because those inputs are absent, this draft does not score, rank or claim replacement equivalence between the two products.

Can Grip and B2Brain be evaluated as a combined workflow?

The organizer confirms Grip as the lead retrieval vendor, but does not publish event specific capture fields or exports. Without those interface facts, a combined workflow cannot be validated for Digital Dealer 2026. The page therefore leaves integration and product fit unresolved instead of assuming that two tools exchange data or divide duties cleanly.

Which fields fit a Digital Dealer booth conversation?

The published topics include marketing, advertising, AI, digital retail, fixed ops, operations, and customer experience. Named roles include Dealer Principals, Marketing Directors and CRM Managers. A relevant event record can therefore capture dealership, role, operating area, current system, buying priority, timing and agreed next step without claiming unsupported badge fields.

What scan pace fits the published audience and floor scale?

The organizer promotes 488 qualified dealership attendees and Over 100 exhibitors. The simple upper bound is 488 divided by 100, or 4.88 qualified dealership attendees per exhibitor. B2Brain's 31 scans per productive rep day benchmark is capacity, not a traffic forecast, so account selection matters more than filling that maximum. See the lead quality benchmark.

Which follow up dates follow the September 23 close?

The event runs September 22 to 23, 2026, and Wednesday's floor window ends at 5:00 PM within 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. A two hour follow up point falls at 7:00 PM on September 23, 2026. The one week point is September 30, 2026. These are planning calculations, not organizer deadlines. See the follow up timing model.

Which verified inputs exist for a 2026 ROI calculation?

Verified operating inputs include Freeman is the exclusive material handling provider, the Thursday, September 10, 2026 advance freight deadline, the Monday, September 21, 2026 direct freight start and the Mon, Aug 24 service discount deadline. Current booth spend, conversion, meeting value and pipeline value are not public, so this draft does not invent an ROI result.