Automotive Experience Alliance names 2026-2027 board

The Automotive Experience Alliance announced its 2026-2027 Board of Directors on Aug. 28, adding three new board members as the coalition prepares a new season of auto show initiatives. The group says the board will help push standardization, consumer research and new best practices across the industry.

Why it matters: - The Automotive Experience Alliance is steering a new auto show season with fresh leadership and new priorities for how shows collect data, run productions and engage consumers. - The board changes affect a coalition that works to align auto shows, manufacturers, dealers, suppliers, sponsors and show producers around shared standards.

What happened: - The Automotive Experience Alliance announced its 2026-2027 Board of Directors on Aug. 28 in Wilmington, Delaware. - Ahmad Halawi, executive director of the Greater Charlotte Automobile Dealers Association, was named AEA chairman. - Jennifer Morand of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association was named vice chairperson. - Mike Gempp of the Auto Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia was named treasurer. - RoShelle Salinas of the Houston Automobile Dealers Association was named secretary. - Pam Crail of San Antonio Auto Dealers, Scott Webb of New Car Dealers of San Diego County and Jeff Fishback of the Oregon Auto Dealers Association were named vice presidents. - John Capano of The Ev&Ex Agency was named executive director. - Salinas, Webb and Fishback are the three newly seated board members.

The details: - Halawi said the AEA will continue its mission of supporting auto shows and the broader automotive industry with new initiatives during the 2026-2027 season. - As chair, Halawi will oversee AEA initiatives and work with other board members, member shows and affiliates. - Morand, the outgoing chairperson and president of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, said she is excited to turn leadership over to Halawi. - The AEA said its core initiatives will continue to include Auto Show Attendance Auditing, Consumer Research and Industry Benchmarking. - The AEA will also launch initiatives focused on production best practices, standardized data collection and reporting, and closer work with OEMs on consumer engagement strategies. - The group said those engagement strategies are intended to add excitement to auto shows. - The AEA says it uses standard processes, practices, methodologies, metrics and messaging to create more value for consumers, manufacturers, dealers, suppliers, sponsors and show producers.

Between the lines: - The board refresh signals a push to make auto shows more consistent across markets while also giving organizers tools to measure performance more uniformly. - The emphasis on production standards and OEM engagement suggests the AEA wants auto shows to play a larger role in consumer attention and brand experience. - The member auto shows that participated in audits included Arizona, Austin, Chicago, Colorado, Greater Charlotte, Houston, Milwaukee, Oregon, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, Toledo and Utah.

What's next: - The AEA says the 2026-2027 board will guide the season’s initiatives and work with member shows on new standards and reporting practices. - The organization directs readers to more information and says it is active on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. - The AEA’s social channels are LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

The bottom line: - The Automotive Experience Alliance is pairing new leadership with a broader effort to standardize how auto shows operate and measure success.