Yes, you read that right, it says “Snow” and not “Show”. And if you were trying to get to the NADA Show and Expo, or actually made it there, you understand completely. Unfortunately, a winter strom wreaked havoc on the city of New Orleans, the host location for NADA 2025, which made it a significant challenge for the dealership team members, exhibitors and thousands of others trying to make their way there. Sadly, many were not able to attend, despite repeated efforts. Stories of multiple flight cancellations, re-routes and even road trips were a part of this year’s event.

However, despite Mother Nature’s best efforts to stall this event – the one that kicks off the start of the new year for the overall automotive space – one thing was proven out time and again during the days in The Big Easy: the people working in the dealership industry are very resourceful and hard to keep down. How else can you explain that many people actually did find a way to make it to the Expo, even if it was a day or more later than planned?

And it’s this type of resilient attitude that epitomizes the industry of which we’re all a part. With so many challenges throughout the years – the pandemic being one of the most recent – dealers, and specifically those in the commercial vehicle space, continue to not only survive, but thrive. Would it have been easy to lament the challenges we’ve seen, and perhaps those on the horizon? Certainly. But, most of the conversations on the Expo floor centered around the opportunities that lie ahead, along with ideas about how to capitalize on them, while serving customers.

As a new administration puts their stamp on the economy, there will definitely be changes. However, one constant will be that there are still thousands upon thousands of businesses who serve their customers, and something those businesses need are work trucks and vans to be successful. In turn, the dealerships who not only provide those vehicles, but are the ones who do so by being more than just a “place that sells” commercial vehicles, will be the ones who grow. These are the dealerships who will succeed in fostering long-term relationships with the business owners/fleet managers who need to both purchase and service the vehicles that are so critical to their livelihoods. And if we couple these needs with the commercial vehicle resources the OEMs have been putting in place, along with other companies offering solutions tailored to business buyers and the dealerships who serve them, the opportunities are great. Now is the time to grow your commercial vehicle business and actively seek out new revenue streams.

So, while there was “some weather” at the NADA Show and Expo, as they say, the snow show must go on – and it did.