Tom Webb, chief economist at Manheim, will deliver the keynote address for the 2015 Auto Rental Summit, to be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., Nov. 9-10.

Webb’s keynote, “Planning for the New Normal: Macro and Micro Drivers Affecting Car Rental,” will focus on factors affecting the automotive and car rental industries such as new vehicle sales projections, the residual value outlook, incentive spending, model mix trends, risk car penetration and more.

Auto Rental Summit (ARS) is a two-day conference featuring seminars, speakers, exhibit hall interaction and networking opportunities. Now in its fourth year, ARS is designed to improve customer service and enhance revenue of car rental operations. Last year, some 260 registrants converged on the Hard Rock Hotel.

“Are you ready to rock?” asks Chris Brown, executive editor of Auto Rental News. “Tom Webb’s high-level analysis of the trends directly affecting car rental operations — combined with our educational agenda and unique networking events at the Hard Rock Hotel — reaffirm Auto Rental Summit as a high-value, can’t-miss event.”

Program Highlights

The 2015 ARS features two full days of speakers, seminars, exhibit hall interaction and networking opportunities.

The Fleet Jam Session returns for 2015 and will kick off the event. This three-hour workshop, devoted specifically to fleet issues in car rental, will cover topics such as the current lending environment, repurchase programs, how to maximize auction sales and fleet planning for today’s market.

ARS seminar highlights include:

• A presentation by Facebook on how car rental companies can better leverage Facebook to acquire new customers.

• Operators share their visions on achieving success as an independent brand and making the transition to a franchise system.

• Proven profit ideas from the Tennant Group Roundtable.

• Results of an industry survey defining the top challenges facing car rental companies today. 

• How to motivate your top managers to share your company’s vision.

• Best practices regarding impounded vehicle recovery, electronic rental agreements and GPS tracking.

• A special seminar for Latin American attendees on combatting car rental piracy.

This year, the Rental Car Professional (RCP) certification program will be offered to both English- and Spanish-speaking operators. A Spanish translator will be on hand for the workshop, while the course materials and final exam will be presented in both English and Spanish.

To conclude the 2015 ARS, Manheim has arranged to give attendees a personalized private tour of the Manheim Fort Lauderdale auction, situated next door to the Hard Rock Hotel.

The 2015 Auto Rental Summit full schedule is posted here.

Celebrating Excellence

A highlight of the event is the awards presentations. ARS will once again present the Auto Rental NewsProfessional of the Year Awards, which honors associates who demonstrate and promote outstanding customer satisfaction within the car rental process. Entries will be accepted soon for the 2015 Professional of Year Awards.

As well, CarRentalExpress.com will present its third annual Renter Rated Awards, given to the independent car rental agencies that score the highest in various metrics based on the Renter Rated Program.

To register for Auto Rental Summit, visit www.autorentalsummit.com. For the exhibitor prospectus, contact Joni Owens at joni.owens@bobit.com.