Conference Keynote Speaker at a Dealer Services Network Retreat
When Dealer Services Network reached out looking for a conference keynote speaker to close out their annual Manager’s Retreat, the brief landed in three words: “magical service.” They wanted the room hyped up, motivated, and walking out with a customer-service mindset that would carry through the next year.
About the Event
DSN’s Manager’s Retreat took place on September 19, 2025, at the Lago Mar Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company is 70 years old, processes more than two million title transactions a year for the automotive industry, and prides itself on being a family-style culture in a sector that often feels purely transactional.
Around 55 managers traveled in from across the country. The full day was packed – strategy sessions, breakouts, leadership updates. My session was the closer, scheduled from 4:00 to 5:30pm. The deal was simple: send the team home energized.
My Role at the Event
For this conference keynote speaker engagement, I worked with Audrey Ring and the DSN leadership team to anchor every routine to a customer-service insight. DSN’s whole pitch in their market is that they beat free – meaning faster, friendlier, and more innovative than any local competitor, even ones with no fee. So the show was built around that “best in class” identity.
The pacing landed right between a Vegas show and a college lecture – entertainment-first, but with a takeaway in every beat about service, attention, and what makes someone come back. We threaded in references to the company’s 70-year story, the family-business culture, and the “Better Together” idea that came up repeatedly in prep.
Why Hire a Conference Keynote Speaker as a Closer
Closing slots are the most underrated speaking position at any conference. A conference keynote speaker who can close out the day well can:
- Send attendees home with the meeting’s theme front-of-mind
- Re-energize a room that’s been in chairs for eight hours
- Create the conversation pieces that fuel the bar afterward
- Tie back to opening-day themes in a way that makes the whole event feel cohesive
- Deliver a measurable shift in mood right before travel home
When the day has been heavy on slides and breakouts, closing entertainment isn’t a luxury – it’s the punctuation that makes the rest of the conference stick.
Client Feedback
In our organization, like in many, our people are our lifeblood – they’re the most valuable asset we have, along with our customers. Christophe’s event is genuinely teamwork-driven. You’re bringing people up on stage, everyone’s together, and afterward they’re all talking, wondering ‘how did that happen?’ That interaction strengthens the relationships and the bond within the company.
We’re 100% going to do it every year. If someone’s on the fence about bringing Christophe in, I’d tell them to pick up the phone and call me. I’ll give them the best recommendation. You absolutely have to do it!
-Jason Strochak, Dealer Services Network
Thank you for the kind words and most of all for such a wonderful presentation at the Manager’s Retreat!
-Audrey Ring, Dealer Services Network
Takeaways
- A theme is a gift. “Magical service” gave us a single phrase to bend every routine toward, and the audience left the room with a hook they could repeat in Monday’s huddles.
- Know what to avoid. The “don’t talk about private equity” note shaped the entire framing of the show. Good prep means asking the no-go questions as deliberately as the go questions.
- Closing slots favor entertainment-forward content. The 50/50 Vegas-to-lecture brief was the right call for a Friday-afternoon room – and it’s almost always the right call when you’re the last act before travel.
- Family-business culture is real currency. Honoring the 70-year story made the customization land. Audiences can feel when a speaker actually read about them before showing up.
Planning Your Own Annual Manager’s Retreat?
If you’re planning a leadership offsite or retreat and want a conference keynote speaker who can close the day with energy and on-message moments, I’d love to talk. Use the form at the bottom of this page to get in touch – let’s build something the team will still be quoting next quarter.
