The ninth annual Vehicle Service Contract Administrators Conference will be held at Paris Las Vegas on September 10-12, 2012. VSCAC will be held alongside the F&I Conference, Subprime Conference and the first-ever CRM Conference; together, these events comprise the annual Industry Summit.

This gathering of dealers, agents, trainers, industry experts and special guests is made possible by a collaboration among the dedicated staffs of F&I and Showroom, Auto Dealer Monthly, Agent Entrepreneur and P&A magazines. For VSCAC, our goal is to host a meeting of the minds for the F&I product providers, actuaries, executives and managers whose hard work drives the auto finance industry.

Personally, I can’t wait. As the new publisher of AE and P&A, this is my first chance to spend all three days on the VSCAC side. Don’t get me wrong: Working on the F&I Conference for several years and supporting the Subprime side in 2011 was an incredible experience. But I can’t help but get excited for VSCAC.

When it was launched in 2004, VSCAC was a two-presentation side track to the F&I Conference. Since then, it has grown into a standalone event with an agenda packed with workshops and panels designed to improve business strategies, internal operations and options to increase product offerings. Better yet, it’s a great opportunity to network and meet new people and old friends. And as the industry continues to grow, VSCAC attracts an unparalleled collection of candidates for new business opportunities or recruitment for open positions.

As always, the exhibit hall will include all the latest and greatest technology and products on the market. It’s an excellent opportunity for providers to size up the competition, and it’s the perfect opportunity to debut a new product for a captive audience.

The agenda for VSCAC 2011 focused on several important topics: Two panels were held discussing “Connecting Providers, Administrators and Dealers,” a four-part series that appeared in P&A magazine. Both panels focused on technology trends driving the industry, how providers are becoming connected to dealers and how far they have to go.

Another popular entry was the General Agents Panel, where leading agents took the stage to sound off on what they – and their dealers – need and expect from their providers. The panel discussed the products that F&I managers and directors depend on, which plans are working and how to increase the use of technology to benefit all parties.

Technology and connectivity issues will be revisited in September, and the agents panel will be reconvened. The schedule also will include presentations on reinsurance and claims, two subjects that are extremely important to the industry and deserve attention.

But that’s just the start. Over the next few months, we want to hear from you, our readers and attendees, to help build the VSCAC agenda. What issues are affecting your business? What topics have we failed to address in our first eight tries? What have we covered in the past that needs another look?

Let me know by e-mail at tkamal@mgigmedia.com or by submitting a comment in the space below. See you in Vegas!