Orlando, Fla. – The U.S. economy is gaining momentum and new-car and -truck sales are leading the way. In fact, “Momentum” is the theme of the 96th annual National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention and Expo in Orlando which runs Feb. 8-11.

More than 21,000 new-car dealers, auto industry executives and exhibitors from across the globe are expected to attend the convention this weekend, which will be held in the West Building of the Orange County Convention Center. NADA is hosting nearly 1,500 international dealers from 36 countries.

Keynote speakers include John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America; NADA Chairman Bill Underriner; inspirational speaker Mark Kelly, space shuttle commander of Endeavour’s final mission and husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords; incoming NADA Chairman David Westcott; and former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.

For the second consecutive year, the American Truck Dealers (ATD) Convention and Expo will run concurrently with NADA. The NADA convention includes 26 dealer franchise meetings, more than 500 companies exhibiting on the expo floor, and between the two conventions, more than 158 workshop sessions covering 60 topics offered in eight time slots.

Auto industry consultant Glenn Mercer will release the findings of NADA’s Phase 2 study on factory-mandated dealership renovation programs, which require new-car dealers to collectively invest billions of dollars. The Phase 2 study analyzes the return-on-investment of these programs as well as how dealerships of the future will look and function. And Paul Taylor, NADA chief economist, and Jonathan Banks, executive automotive analyst with the NADA Used Car Guide, will highlight new- and used-vehicle market trends for 2013.