One of the highlights of this year’s convention will be a presentation by Miranda Pyette of Purpose Automotive, who will discuss how dealerships in 2026 are being reshaped by social media, artificial intelligence and the growing creator economy. During her session, Miranda will explain how dealership visibility has evolved and how today’s consumers research vehicles before ever stepping onto a lot. She will also explore how artificial intelligence tools increasingly search and scour dealership content and why social media now functions as infrastructure — not just marketing. Miranda will go deeper into how dealerships can refine and strengthen their social media strategies. She will unpack how entertainment-driven, staff-led content builds trust faster than traditional inventory posts and why successful dealerships integrate both organic and paid strategies to generate measurable results. By the end of the session, attendees will have a clear, high-level understanding of how to increase visibility, build authority and position their dealership for the next era of automotive retail. In addition to Miranda’s presentation, we will also be offering a special two-hour executive training session on Saturday morning led by Todd Smith, Founder of QoreAI. This session will focus specifically on how artificial intelligence will shape the future of dealership operations, and I strongly encourage you to attend — and bring your key decision-makers with you. Please bring your laptops, as this will be an interactive working session designed to deliver practical insights you can apply immediately. Todd’s session is built specifically for dealership decision-makers. It is not a vendor pitch, a chatbot demonstration or a theoretical conversation about AI. Instead, it is a practical operating framework focused on the decisions inside your store that directly impact profitability. During the training, Todd will break down four key decision zones that move the needle in dealership performance: customer prioritization, inventory risk, fixed operations retention and manager productivity. Participants will leave the session with specific Monday-morning action steps, measurable benchmarks to evaluate their current performance and a clear understanding of how to move from vendor-controlled AI tools to dealer-controlled intelligence. Together, these sessions represent exactly what the annual convention is designed to deliver — forward-thinking insights that help Montana dealerships adapt, grow and remain competitive in a rapidly changing environment. Beyond the formal presentations, the convention offers opportunities to exchange ideas with fellow dealers and managers who face many of the same challenges and opportunities in their own markets. Some of the most valuable conversations happen outside the meeting rooms — between colleagues who understand the unique realities of doing business in Montana’s diverse communities. If you have attended in the past, you know how valuable this event can be. If you have not attended recently — or if members of your management team have never experienced the convention — I encourage you to make this the year you join us. Thank you for your continued support and for the important role you play in communities throughout our state. I hope you enjoy reading this issue. Together, we will continue driving Montana’s automotive industry forward. As always, please reach out to me at (406) 461-7680 if you have any questions or concerns. See you at convention! Bruce 7 MONTANA AUTO DEALER
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