AADA Convention and Expo
MCEC Melbourne | 21-22 July 2027
Sponsor advertisement
AADA Convention and Expo
MCEC Melbourne | 21-22 July 2027
Sponsor advertisement
Not just because they book a repair order. Not just because they help keep the workshop moving. But because, over time, they can become one of the most valuable drivers of profitability, loyalty and long-term business stability in the entire dealership.
That is why this session at AADA 2026 will be such an important conversation for dealers.
At the 2026 AADA Convention & Expo, Steve Bragg and Craig Rowney, Partners at Pitcher Partners, will present:
This session is the AADA Suncorp Special Presentation and will take place on Thursday 30 July from 10:30am to 11:30am.
It will challenge delegates to think differently about fixed operations – not as a support department, but as a core commercial engine of the dealership.
For many dealers, fixed operations represent around 50% of dealership revenue, employ the largest share of staff, and provide the “fixed coverage” that helps keep the business stable through changing market conditions.
In other words, this is not just an aftersales discussion. It is a profitability discussion.
As new vehicle margins come under pressure and the automotive retail environment continues to evolve, fixed operations have become more important than ever.
The service department is where dealerships have the opportunity to:
• retain customers over the long term
• generate recurring revenue
• build trust and loyalty
• support future vehicle sales
• strengthen profitability through economic cycles
And yet, many dealerships still underestimate the true lifetime value of a service customer.
This session is designed to put real numbers, real perspective and real strategic weight behind that opportunity.
In 2025, dealerships recorded 44 million service transactions across Australia.
That number alone points to the scale of the opportunity.
Every one of those transactions represents more than workshop throughput. It represents customer contact, brand experience, potential loyalty, future revenue, and the chance to keep a customer connected to the dealership for longer.
If a dealership can retain a new car customer in its service department for five years, the value goes far beyond the immediate repair order. It can influence:
• repeat and referral business
• future vehicle purchase decisions
• retention across the ownership journey
• greater stability in dealership earnings
That makes service retention one of the most commercially important challenges in the business.
This session will also address one of the biggest strategic questions facing the industry: what happens to fixed operations profitability as the vehicle fleet changes?
With EVs growing as a share of new vehicle sales, there has been plenty of industry concern about reduced servicing requirements, particularly around traditional maintenance items like oil changes.
But the message from this session is not one of doom and gloom.
It is about adaptation.
As the vehicle mix changes, service departments will need to evolve their offer, their processes and their capability. Dealers who prepare early will be better placed to protect profitability, retain loyalty, and capture the emerging opportunities that come with new technologies and changing ownership patterns.
This presentation will explore:
• the current maths and benchmarks behind fixed operations
• the scale of the opportunity represented by service retention
• how to win five years of loyalty from every new car sales customer
• what that loyalty is really worth to the business
• how fixed operations can help future-proof dealership profitability
For dealer principals, fixed ops leaders and general managers, this is a session that goes directly to the heart of dealership performance.
Every dealer understands that service matters.
This session will explain why it matters more than many realise.
It will connect the workshop to the bigger commercial picture: loyalty, repeat business, fixed coverage, profitability, and long-term resilience.
At a time when dealers are being challenged to do more with tighter margins and more complex operating conditions, understanding the real value of every service customer is not optional.
It is essential.
Join us at the 2026 AADA Convention & Expo on 29–30 July at ICC Sydney for this important feature presentation with Steve Bragg and Craig Rowney of Pitcher Partners.
🎟️ Early Bird pricing is now available for a limited time
If fixed operations are central to the strength of your dealership – and they should be – this is a session you will not want to miss.
