The Engagement Platform: Winning in the Age of AI Agents

The automotive industry is entering a defining moment where AI agents, data, and platform strategy will determine which dealerships win and which fall behind. In this forward-looking keynote, Matt Leone, CEO of DriveCentric, will paint a clear vision for the modern dealership and outline the five critical problems dealers must solve to compete in 2026 and beyond.

Attendees will gain insight into why technology consolidation is no longer optional. Dealers must simplify their stack, not just to reduce cost, but to unlock more powerful AI capabilities, improve security, ensure compliance, and truly own their data.

Matt will also address one of the industry’s biggest hidden challenges: operational leakage caused by disconnected systems and departments. From Sales to F&I to Service through to payment, gaps in process and communication are costing dealerships revenue and customer experience every day.

The keynote will dive into the growing importance of data governance, transparency, and clean data practices, including how to unify CRM, CDP, MAP, and Agent capabilities into a single platform that works across rooftop and enterprise levels—while keeping humans in the loop for high-risk decisions.

With increasing regulatory pressure and evolving consumer privacy expectations, Matt will break down how dealers should approach compliance, opt-in strategies, and emerging platform changes to stay protected, engaged, and effective.

Finally, attendees will learn why the future “CRM” must evolve into a true engagement platform serving not just as a system of record, but as a system of context. One that captures the full history of every customer interaction to power AI-driven decisions, improve efficiency, and scale growth.

If you want to understand where dealership technology is headed and how to position your business to win in the age of AI, this is a keynote you won’t want to miss.