They were two full days! The #DCDW Events in Antwerp and Houten

It’s over: two full days with #DCDW Events in Antwerp and Houten, and I can say it was a great success! The feedback from the participants was particularly positive, the turnout was good, and the content we delivered certainly stood out!

I even received one complaint — which I secretly liked — namely that there was too little time to network, because there were so many presentations. And I actually see that as a compliment!

We do this as a team at #DCDW – Digital Car Dealer Workshop – to make online automotive better! To share the best knowledge with everyone who wants to get better in online automotive. And we do this not to promote our own products, but precisely to share other concepts, ideas, and visions. Because only then do we all improve!

Jonathan Dawson

Jonathan Dawson was our keynote speaker from America — and that has now become tradition! The very first edition of our #DCDW (then still called #ISG20G) had friend and mentor Brian Pasch as guest. Since then, every #DCDW event has welcomed an American speaker. And judging by the reactions of the past few days, Jonathan certainly belongs in the top 3 of the best speakers we have ever received!

Jonathan — as he calls himself, a “wierdo” — took the audience into the psychology of sales, or rather: the reverse appointment. Not that you make an appointment with the customer, but that you do it in such a way that the customer actually wants to make an appointment with you!

The examples he gave, with email addresses like snoopdoggiedog1989@hotmail.com, were hilarious, but also so true! The interaction with both Belgian and Dutch participants was fantastic to see. This was partly because Jonathan himself is also a Mitsubishi dealer, so he could share examples directly from his own practice.

The four portals

Another highlight was, of course, our panel with the four major portals in the Netherlands. I think we can be happy with four strong parties, which ensure freedom of choice in where we can advertise. And let’s be honest: the cost per advertisement per portal is still a fraction of what people pay abroad. If there is no choice, the dominant player will never be cheap! Marktplaats, AutoScout24, AutoTrack and viaBOVAG.nl; Alexander Prinssen, Dorianne Richelle, Jan-Paul Poldervaart, and Joep Hendriks.

Under the leadership of Bart Kuijpers of BKAN Bart Kuijpers Automotive Nieuws, an engaging discussion emerged between the portals and the participants in Houten, but also with those watching live on LinkedIn. See above for the broadcast! (The quality is of course a bit lower, we are not RTL…;)

Other presentations

Of course, there were other strong presentations. For example, Johan Verbois on the hidden fruit of the online portals, provided the right content per car is delivered. So not just selecting a color labeled “other”!

AMI – Automotive Marketing Intelligence for you was also present and clearly showed how you can use data — and unlock it — to make the right marketing decisions. Hugo van der Sman demonstrated how the virtual assistant of Calldrip and Novaco AI works on the 2dehands.be website.

Autotelex painfully highlighted that it takes an average of 14 days before a car is actually listed online after clearance. Fourteen days in which a car costs money!

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CX is no longer a side issue — it is the difference

If there is one party that shows that customer experience is measurable and manageable, it is Multi-Value and CARMEN Automotive BDC. The way they conducted the CX research and organized the Automotive CX Awards 2025 deserves all praise. Thanks to their work, dealers and brands now know exactly where they score — and where they can still grow.

And of course, thanks also to my colleagues Stefanie van Dijk-Meenink and Stefaan Vandroogenbroeck.

Brand and dealer winners of the CX Awards 2025 – in cooperation with #DCDW and CARMEN Automotive BDC:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🏅 Total experience – Van Mossel Belgium (Opel Antwerp) & Toyota Namur
📞 Online & lead follow-up – Tesla
🚗 Showroom & follow-up – Toyota Belgium
🥇 Gold Award 2025: XPENG Belgium (Hedin)

🇳🇱 Netherlands 🏅 Total experience branch – Zeeuw & Zeeuw Kia Schiedam
📞 Online & lead follow-up – Fiat Netherlands
🚗 Showroom & follow-up – ŠKODA Netherlands
🥇 Gold Award 2025 – Ford Netherlands

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Google My Business and the panel

In Belgium, I had the opportunity to give a presentation on one of my favorite topics: Google My Business!

There were still some questions I couldn’t answer immediately. For example: a photo taken with an iPhone versus a normal camera — which has more value? Answer: the iPhone photo, because the GEO location is sent along. Femke Valckenier And linking multiple accounts into one is done by clicking on the address in your GMB account when you are in Maps.

RDC with Hein

A personal highlight for me was the presentation by Hein Balesar of RDC. He showed how you can use data based on test drives — not only for privacy purposes and legal requirements, but precisely: what do you do AFTER that test drive? Do you follow up? Call? Email? In short: do you leave the lead, or do you really work on it? Hein has always supported our events, and it was great to see him on stage!

Panel

Finally, a word of thanks to the other panel! Four companies, eight statements, four stools: a panel discussion not with each other, but with the chairperson and the audience, about statements that provoke and challenge. Thanks to Melvin Ester from #marktplaats, Frans Huetink from PowerKraut Rick Zielman from #autotelex, and Jeroen Dols from Automotive Intelligence for their contribution!

Thanks to the team and our sponsors

It was two full days that we could never have realized without our amazing team! Bernike van Laar, Monique van Kesteren, Gerben Beck, Hugo van der Sman, Joris Vos, Willem Hendriks, and Stefanie van Dijk-Meenink — you all did more than asked to make it a fantastic event.

And of course thanks to our sponsors, who make it possible to keep the event free for our target audience: dealers, car companies, importers, and leasing companies.

Marktplaats, 2dehands / 2ememain, Calldrip, DriveTogether, Walcu, BKAN Bart Kuijpers Automotive Nieuws, CARMEN Automotive BDC, GO Remarketing Solutions, Vinacles, Hexon, AMI – Automotive Marketing Intelligence for you, Automotive Intelligence, RDC PowerKraut, ikwilvanmijnautoaf® | driven by dealerdirect®, BCA Autoveiling, CarQall – Voice AI, Novaco AI, AutoFacets (A Gateway Group Company), Autotelex

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2026 #DCDW Events

The next #DCDW Events will be on March 31 in Belgium and April 1 in Houten with our keynote speaker Russell Richardson!