WSIADA 2021 Education Fair West

Education Fair West
September 23, 2021

The Association, this year, decided on a different venue than previous years by having the Education Fair at the Doubletree Hilton on International Blvd in Tukwila. The location would allow for a completely enclosed facility instead of having the Vendor Fair Lunch outside under a large tent.

WSIADA Backpack Notebook ComboThe individuals pre-registered for the event in Spokane and Seattle were given a WSIADA backpack and Mini-Portfolio upon checking in with the staff.

The backpack is high-quality material with a USB port to allow you to charge your phone from your computer that is inside the pack. While the mini-portfolio gave dealers an option to write notes during the event. 

 

 

  

  

Executive Director Brian Dansel opened the event with a warm welcome to the 117 individuals in attendance. As most had not met Brian, he introduced himself and his goals for the Association before introducing the WSIADA Board of Directors in attendance, discussed the Mac Ruddell Scholarship winners for this year, and several other topics.

Our first speaker of the event was Washington State Senator Doug Ericksen. Senator Ericksen spoke about the legislative process in general before discussing the 2021 Legislative session with the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 

 

Lyamen Savy, CEO of 321 Ignition, presented the dealers with options and opportunities concerning their online sales presence with information on Mobile and Website marketing designs. These suggestions would help boost any dealership with more traffic.

MAG Auctions Seattle General Manager, Dave Blake, took time during his presentation to provide the dealers with an understanding of how the pandemic affected the auction industry. MAG Auctions was already in the process of online auctions for dealerships when the pandemic caused Washington State to shut down. 

 

 

Rose Gundersen of Washington Retail Association discussed the purpose of the WRA, the RETRO Program with WSIADA, and experience with Labor & Industries related topics. Some dealers were surprised by the requirements that Labor & Industries had for business owners.

The attendees were excused for the lunch hour and to enjoy the Vendor's Fair with the 10 Vendors who joined us. The Vendor's Fair was a great opportunity for both the attendees and the Vendors to meet each other and discuss what they could offer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the Vendors Fair Lunch concluded, we were greeted by Todd Shepard of Shepard & Shepard Insurance. Todd spoke to the crowd on the subject of Cyber Liabilities as he did with East Fair the month before. The importance of having the extra security as a benefit for customer protection against Ransomware.

Ken Krous, Department of Revenue, next presented for our attendees on the changes of aspects in the Business Tax, Pandemic-related situations and EV tax credits for the dealerships selling Electric Vehicles. The attendees were ready with questions for Ken to answer. 

 

 

Throughout the afternoon, Brian Dansel and Mila Froman presented the raffle items donated by the Vendors for the attendees. Raffle items ranged from gifts packs from Manheim Seattle, Yeti brand cooler filled with drinks and snacks by Kinetic Advantage, and much more.

Marc Worthy, Assistant Attorney General, unable to attend in person was gracious to provide a Zoom meeting for the event with the hope to return the following year. His presentation on Advertising Do's and Don't's was well-received by many of the attendees wanting to know how to properly advertise in any medium in Washington State. 

 

 

 

 

The Department of Licensing was unable to attend for their presentation at the event this year but Rick Olson, WSIADA Education Manager, presented on their behalf with information about Odometer Disclosure changes, Established Place of Business Requirement review, HB 1049 for Off-Site Delivery and answer some questions.

To wrap up the event, Brian Dansel thanked all of the attendees for joining the Association this year at the event as well as the sponsors and Vendors before closing the event. Dealers were offered to stay for a reception to unwind as others left with positive feedback for next year's event.

Next Year: June 13 through June 16, 2022 at Campbell's Resort in Lake Chelan.