2022 Dealer Conference: Partnering for the Future
2019 seems like so long ago. For example: in November of 2019, Tom Brady was still a Patriot, Old Town Road was in the top 20 on the Billboard Charts, and the national average for a gallon of gas was $2.60. LS Tractor also had a big 2019.
We had just celebrated our 10th birthday in the USA and we had our annual dealer conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sadly, we all know what happened in 2020 and how the world was forced to change overnight. One of the biggest changes was the cancelation of many in-person events, a change that continued until earlier this year.
Thankfully, the world has settled into a new normal (yeah, we know. We’ll put a dollar in the “Things We’re Tired of Hearing” Jar.) and we can now start having in person conferences, trainings, and events again! After searching the US, the LS Tractor Team found the perfect city to host our glorious return: San Antonio, Texas. If you have ever heard of San Antonio, you probably know it from two things: The Riverwalk, a social district winding throughout the city, or the historic Alamo, the fabled battlefield where American legends such as Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie died fighting for Texas’s freedom.
Our Conference officially kicked off on November 7 as our attendees arrived at the San Antonio Airport. Dealers were greeted by LS Tractor displays at baggage claim and were able to hop on the LS Express shuttle to be taken directly to our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk. At check-in, dealers were handed specially made room keys with our LS Tractor and Slogan on one side, and a unique Mossy Oak camo pattern on the other. After visiting our conference registration booth, where they received a welcome bag and other goodies, our dealers had a few hours to explore San Antonio before our welcome reception got the night started.
Monday evening, our dealers walked across the block to the Alamo for a private welcome reception. Attendees sampled local Tex-Mex cuisine, drank beverages that were made near San Antonio, and rocked out with Gunpowder Soup, San Antonio’s favorite party band. During the concert, LS Tractor CEO Mike Kim and Vice President of Sales Mark Oehmke welcomed the dealers and thanked them for coming to Texas. We had so much fun that the band didn’t want to leave and played five “encore” songs to keep the party going after hours.
After a good nights sleep, dealers started the morning off right with a delicious breakfast before General Session started. LS Mtron CEO Mr. Shin welcomed our dealers and sponsors before debuting a brand new video highlighting the partnership between South Korea and the USA over the years. Our CEO Mike Kim then took the stage to show everyone in attendance a look into the future of LS Tractor before Finance, Dealer Development, Parts, and Product gave updates on what they are working on for 2023. Dealers were then divided up into four groups and took turns rotating through our breakout sessions, where they heard from Product, Service, Marketing, and visited with several of our sponsors at our LS Tractor Vendor Hall.
After breakouts wrapped up, dealers attended the afternoon slate of General Sessions. Marketing kicked off the afternoon by announcing a new partnership with Mossy Oak. More information and details will be arriving this winter, so stay tuned to the LS Tractor Blog to learn what this exciting partnership means for you! Finally, our key-note speaker Lou Mongello gave tips on how to create a platinum customer experience at our dealerships.
This year, we debuted a new event for new dealers. The New Dealer Reception was held before our Awards Banquet and allowed our newest dealers time to mingle and interact with LS Tractor employees and members of the LS Tractor Dealer Council. Immediately following the reception, all dealers went to the annual Awards Banquet. Be sure to catch our next blog post announcing our winners! The night ended with a magical announcement: next years conference will be held in Orlando, Florida!
Wednesday started off with another delicious breakfast before we loaded up the LS Express once more to head to Pedrotti’s Ranch for our hands on product day. Dealers were greeted by a trick roper and his horse before heading into the rodeo arena. On the way into the arena, dealers got a first look at our new Mossy Oak Camo Tractor! Once everyone settled into their seats, our trick roper showed everyone a few tricks before handing over the reins to our Product Team. The Product Team spent all morning showing off our tractor line up and ended the session by debuting our brand new MT2 models, arriving later next year.
After spending some time riding and driving our tractors, Dealers wrapped up the conference by meeting with their territory Business Managers. Once the territory meetings were over, LS Employees lined up to show our appreciation to every single one of our dealers. We know that they are an important part of our family and we can’t wait to continue partnering with all of them in the future.
A lot can change in three years. Tom Brady moved on and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay and thankfully, America’s musical taste has advanced past Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. One thing that hasn’t changed though is how much we appreciate our dealers. Events like Dealer Conference are just one way we get to see them and show how much they mean to us. Although we can’t predict exactly what the next three years will hold (Brady to the Panthers, anyone?), we can say that LS Tractor will continue to show our dealers and our customers why they should Start Blue and Stay Blue.
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