When cars are connected, they’ll generate 25 gigabytes of data every hour. This “data explosion” will not only transform the auto industry, new marketplaces will form for companies able to turn this data into knowledge. Those who can’t won’t survive.

The opportunities and challenges for car rental are emerging now and will be explored in the keynote address at the 2019 International Car Rental Show (ICRS).

In “The Connected Rental Car and the New Data Economy,” a panel of subject-matter experts from across the automotive spectrum will discuss how data will be used to expand on-demand rentals, inform fleet planning, drive new ancillary sales and marketing opportunities, and make travel safer overall.

The panel will also discuss issues surrounding control and access to the data and protecting consumers’ privacy.

The keynote panel is comprised of Tomi Gerber, assistant VP, Government & Public Affairs for Enterprise Holdings; Kristie Lightfoot, Fleet Connected Vehicle & Data Services manager, General Motors; Arun Rajagopalan, cofounder and CEO, Motorq; Brian Deeley, director, product management at Spireon; and Gregory Scott, executive director of Global Alliance for Vehicle Data Access.

“As the largest fleet owners in the world, the car rental industry is uniquely poised to take advantage of the new data economy, and our blue-ribbon panel will guide us on how this will take place,” said Chris Brown, executive editor of Auto Rental News and ICRS conference chair.

The theme of this year’s ICRS is ‘Own the fleet, own the future.’ We will explore how fleet owners — our attendees — can transform their businesses to meet the demands of tomorrow’s travelers.”

The 2019 International Car Rental Show convenes April 14-16 at Paris Las Vegas Hotel. Registration is open now. The full agenda is coming soon.