Dealers for Dealers: Why DealerConnect 2026 Is the One Event You Should Not Miss This Year | Tigra Tsujikawa & Steve Gotoski, NPDA

Most industry events are big trade shows where you get talked at all day and everyone is trying to sell you something. DealerConnect is the opposite. It is dealers sitting across from dealers, trading real numbers and real fixes, in a room built for it. I have been to every DealerConnect since the beginning, and it has a different feel than the big shows. More intimate. More real. This year it runs September 19 to 21 at the Hilton in downtown Columbus, Ohio, presented by AppOne, and it is the biggest one yet. I sat down with two people from the NPDA, the National Powersports Dealer Association. Tigra Tsujikawa is the Events Director who builds DealerConnect every year. Steve Gotoski just joined as Membership and Marketing Director after over a decade at the AMA. We get into what the event is, what you will learn, and the real reason a dealer should make the trip. **What we cover:** - Why the NPDA is the missing third leg of the stool: the MIC serves the OEMs, the AMA serves the riders, and the NPDA finally represents the dealers who connect them - What the association does behind the scenes so a busy dealer does not have to, from FTC advocacy to legislation that could hurt your business - Why every dealer belongs, from a one-person shop to a 300-employee group - What DealerConnect actually is: education and networking built by dealers, for dealers - What a day looks like: the schedule, the meals, the AppOne welcome reception, and why the moments in between the sessions matter most - 20 sessions this year, double the education, covering sales, employees, finance, AI, succession planning, pre-owned strategy, and dealership culture - The brand new FTC compliance session and why it is the most timely one on the agenda - Why the room is intentionally intimate, and how less noise means more real conversations and better takeaways - The NPDA partner ecosystem: insurance, financing, training, and legal partners who get powersports and are there to help, not just sell - The honest logistics: how to plan your trip and why DealerConnect is worth the time out of the store - The week-stacking angle: the Harley-Davidson dealer meeting starts the day after in Milwaukee, so DealerConnect ends early to make it easy to hit both - The education workbook and post-event QR code so you can catch the sessions you miss - You do not have to be a member to attend, plus a special this year: buy a DealerConnect ticket and get membership for $99 - The big beautiful bill win: how the NPDA helped get a tax write-off for financing interest on American-made powersports vehicles - Where to register and why the hotel block closes August 28th Use code MotoHunt20 for a discount on registration. Service and accessory dealers, contact [connect@npda.org](mailto:connect@npda.org) or Tigra directly about a special registration built for you. Watch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit⁠ Register for DealerConnect 2026: ⁠https://www.npda.org⁠ Connect with Tigra Tsujikawa: ⁠[tigra@npda.org](mailto:tigra@npda.org) ⁠Connect with Steve Gotoski: ⁠[steve@npda.org](mailto:steve@npda.org) ⁠Connect with Jacob: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry/⁠ Follow the Fixit Online: ⁠https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit⁠ MotoHunt for Dealers: ⁠https://dealers.motohunt.com⁠