The full programme is locked in.  We add a FMA add-on insurance panel

AutoTalk Live! returns to Christchurch on Tuesday 15 September at Rydges Latimer, 30 Latimer Square — and this year's line-up is our strongest yet.

AutoTalk Live! has added a panel session on the Financial Markets Authority's review of add-on insurance and extended warranties to its Christchurch programme, responding to the most significant regulatory development to hit dealer F&I this year. The 30-minute panel closes the half-day event

It's a deliberately dense half day. Every session earns its place: benchmarking data, the economy, AI, and hard numbers on how fast dealers respond to the customers they're already paying to attract.

On the programme:

Lee Marshall, Motor Trade Association chief executive, opens the day with industry remarks.

Stephen Timperley, Deloitte, presents the latest Motor Industry Benchmarks — see where your operation sits against national performance data.

Steve Vermeulen, Trade Me Motors, brings market analysis from the country's largest vehicle marketplace.

Kim Mundy, ASB acting chief economist, delivers the economic update on the conditions shaping consumer confidence and vehicle demand into 2027.

Jamie Russell, Titan DMS head of marketing, translates AI for dealerships — what the technology actually does inside a dealership, not the theory. Seven years at Ebbett means he speaks dealer.

James Leong, AutoPlay, presents Five Minutes or Five Hours: What Response Time Does to Your Close Rate — NZ dealer enquiry data on how fast enquiries really get answered, what that does to conversion, and the three points where leads quietly go missing.

Mark Greenfield, Motorcentral, asks Are Your Eggs in One Basket?

Nick Johnson and Damien O'Neill, AdTorque Edge, tackle Maximising Dealer Marketing ROI in a Changing Media Landscape, fresh from the AADA convention in Australia.

Richard Edwards closes with What to Expect from the Election: who's promising what, and what it could mean for dealers.

Plus special guest Monty Betham.

The former boxer and league player joins Richard for Leadership in Conversation — an open discussion on leadership and what it really means to be part of a team. His session was the highlight of our Auckland event in May. The room told us so, and bringing him south was an easy call.

Every attendee receives the session recording and speaker slides afterwards.

This is our third year in Christchurch. We've sold out both previous years, with the room growing about 30% annually — and it's a genuine dealer room, typically 70:30 dealers to suppliers. Don't leave it late.

The full runsheet is attached.

AutoTalk Live! Christchurch is powered by MTA Assured, with thanks to UDC Finance, Auto-iT, Auction Online and Autosure.

Tables and sponsorship: Deborah Baxter, [email protected]