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Auto Shows Are Quietly Driving ROI (But Dealers Aren’t Paying Attention) with Jennifer Morand
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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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