2002 NADA CONVENTION OPENED TODAY IN NEW ORLEANS

The 2002 NADA Convention hits New Orleans this weekend. The Crescent City’s Ernest N. Morial Convention Center opens Friday, January 25, at 10:00 A.M. for early registration. The event officially gets under way Saturday, January 26, with ribbon-cutting at 8:00 A.M.

The formal opening follows at 2:30 P.M. and features the Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award presentation and speakers Robert J. Maguire, 2001 NADA chairman, and Jim Press, Toyota Motor Sales executive vice-president and chief operating officer.

On Sunday, January 27, at 9:30 A.M., dealers can hear inspirational service speaker Dr. Jerri Nielsen, who is a cancer survivor and was physician to Americans based in Antarctica. The general session on Monday, January 28, at 3:30 P.M. features 2002 NADA chairman H. Carter Myers, III, and former British prime minister John Major. On Tuesday, January 29, business management guru Frank Maguire takes the podium at the 8:30 A.M.

Super Workshop, and the convention closes with the NADA Grand Finale Dinner at the New Orleans Hilton Hotel with singer Linda Eder. Workshops—held Saturday, Sunday, and Monday—will instruct attendees on various aspects of dealership operations, from hiring good employees to getting the most out of dealership computer systems. And attendees won’t want to miss this year’s expo, featuring products and services from more than 500 companies. Visit www.nada.org for additional information about New Orleans in general and the convention in particular, including a complete schedule, searchable exhibitor list, and dates and times of dealer franchise meetings.

Editors Note: The Parades have started here in NO and trying to get across town is impossible, but we made it. More in later stories