The 2020 JLR Retailer conference was a huge success! If you were unable to attend or just didn’t have enough time to experience all that the show had to offer (and there was A LOT), we’ve got you covered. Check out some of our favorite highlights below.
Defender Launch Event (Thursday night)
The night before the conference began, Jaguar Land Rover hosted an outdoor event to celebrate the return of the Defender to the U.S. market. With giant hills serving as a perfect backdrop for the reveal of the rugged adventure vehicle, President & CEO, Joe Eberhardt and Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern introduced the audience to the newly designed Defender, and did so with flash and flare.
First, the 10 or so Defenders maneuvered around the open field in choreographed patterns, followed by individual introductions to each of the models. While it wasn’t necessary to put on such a spectacle, it was yet another way the Jaguar Land Rover team took the time to provide an exceptional experience at the event.
Opening Session (Friday)
The conference began with a two hour session, kicked off by Joe Eberhardt (President & CEO, JLRNA). There was a clear focus on four key themes: Autonomous, Connected, Electric, and Shared.
The customer-centric vision of the session encouraged retailers to make fans out of their customers, by building long lasting loyalty through excellent experiences.
Attendees were encouraged, even challenged, to think about what they could do to help build greatness. At the same time, though, the speakers on stage had a unified message of working together to troubleshoot problems and build a roadmap for a stronger future.
The audience was very engaged and attentive throughout the session, often applauding the mix of optimism, inspiration, and innovation shared by Jaguar Land Rover’s leadership team.
Breakout Sessions
There were a number of valuable sessions that attendees could take part in throughout the conference. The topics were wide-ranging: Customer loyalty, e-commerce programs, micro-targeting, customer experience, parts, accessories, and everything in between!
A standout session that was held multiple times throughout the conference and was fully-attended each time was Customer Obsessed: What we can learn from Amazon. This was presented by Russell Lemmer, President and Founder of Dealerware, and moderated by Jaguar Land Rover.
Russell highlighted the variety of decisions Amazon has made that have transformed it into the retail giant it is today and then translated those into tactics that dealerships can implement today to begin transforming their businesses.
The session concluded with questions and interest from the audience about the ways they can create out-of-dealership experiences for their customers in order to not only stay relevant, but flourish, well into the future.
Expo Hall
In addition to the informative and insightful sessions attendees could participate, the expo hall featured a variety of Jaguar Land Rover’s valued partners. With multiple breaks throughout the day, attendees had the opportunity to learn about the ecosystem of partners that Jaguar Land Rover has created and how these partners can help move their business forward.
Closing Session
To wrap up the eventful weekend, President and CEO Joe Eberhardt shared his vision for the future and energized the crowd once more before introducing special guest, former Olympic gold medalist skier Lindsey Vonn.
An insightful conversation followed whereby Lindsey shared what it takes to not only become a champion but the mental practices necessary to block distractions and stay focused on the goal at hand.
Lindsey’s message could be highlighted by one moment where she said, “It’s never been about competing against others. It’s always competing against one’s self.”
The crowd remained enthused throughout the session and concluded with a standing ovation. It was a perfect end to a very energetic weekend. There will be many looking forward to the next Jaguar Land Rover retailer conference, and beyond.
