An Unforgettable NADA

A pool shark shooting lady, NFL football stars, virtual racing games, Playboy Bunnies, George W. Bush, a Zoltar fortune teller (think Tom Hanks, BIG), 18,000 people and an amazing menagerie of automakers all cramped into a Las Vegas convention center? Yes, it has to be NADA time. Ahh yes. NADA. The event we spend months planning for that occurs in three days over Super Bowl weekend. Such time well spent! Now that I have a couple under my belt, I must say it feels like a close family reunion. From clients to vendors to publishers, the common question from December to February is, “Are you going to NADA?” and when you hear that moment of “Yes!” you get excited that you can catch up again face-to-face. This year was Las Vegas and I must admit, my favorite.  There were more new faces and attendees than I remember last year.  We also had some great news to announce which kept me pumped each and every hour of that fast-flowing weekend.  We announced Mudd AdSuite, which in my double-digit-years of career time is the most robust measurement tool I’ve seen… (Sorry Nielsen, but it is) and more importantly, The Ad Man Book, co-authored by our near and dear Mr. Jim Mudd Sr. I am so thankful my team was standing by to help promote remotely. Seeing a photo someone took of the book on NADA’s top twitter pics gave me a sense of pride and excitement. The book was very well received and the comments from those reading it are great. I look forward to seeing more come forward as they apply the leadership skills described in the book. The whole experience of NADA is surreal.  You make new friends, you get to reconnect with many and get a fast track to seeing what everyone is working on – in every aspect. I saw new concept cars that I can’t wait to see on the road. I saw classic cars I wish could come back. And during our demos, I saw eyes widen as we showed our new platform that is…free for clients. I learned how we could vertically connect with other companies to create synergistic solutions to further help our dealerships. (Yes, and as a marketer, that is the most exciting part!) I met auto dealers from Australia, Russia, Canada and Guam.  What’s very refreshing is that because Mudd Advertising has three offices, it brings us together and we get to bond over the whole NADA experience.  Who knew about Gary and Dan’s sensitive side as they heard the uplifting presentation by Aron Ralston (the real hero of 127 Hours)? Listening to their interpretation was very encouraging. I’ve posted just a few of the photos below to share, but like Vegas and like NADA – you just have to be there and feel it for yourself. See you next year!