Reynolds and Reynolds announced the winners of its 2026 Automotive Amplifiers Contest and celebrated another completed retail summit.

Amplify 2026 was a two-day gathering of automotive dealers and industry leaders to the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad, Calif. for hands-on technology experiences, workshops, and a look at what's next for automotive retail.

The event focused on helping dealership teams turn artificial intelligence, unified data, connected workflows, and operational best practices into measurable business results.

"Amplify 2026 was a tremendous success because dealers from across the country made it one," Reynolds President and acting CEO Chris Walsh said.

"Dealers came ready to ask great questions, share what is working in their stores, and experience new technology firsthand. The energy in Carlsbad reinforced what makes this summit special: practical ideas, honest conversations, and a shared commitment to moving automotive retail forward."

Sessions by Reynolds executives focused on moving from question to action with Reynolds agentic AI assistant, Rey, solving sales efficiency through unified customer data, and simplifying fixed operations with Reynolds Flex.

Rey uses the Spark AI Unified Data Layer to help dealerships turn trusted information into immediate action. During hands-on workshops, guests explored how it can deliver complex reporting, strategic recommendations, customer communication, deal structure, operational analysis, workflow automation, and support through a single command center.

Additional workshops gave guests practical takeaways on compliance, paperless service processes, clean data, transportation and fleet opportunities, responsible AI adoption, inventory strategy, accounting efficiency, and warranty optimization.

The Amplify expo complemented the sessions with demonstrations of how connected solutions and AI-enabled workflows can improve efficiency and business outcomes across the dealership.

The summit also celebrated dealership professionals through the 2026 Automotive Amplifiers Contest. Five finalists presented best practices that challenged long-held assumptions and addressed difficult operational pain points. Each winner received a trophy and a $5,000 donation to his charity of choice.

Chris Lasko of BMW of Pittsburgh received the Innovation Award for building a fully remote finance department that challenged the assumption an F&I manager must work inside the store. The approach helped close coverage gaps caused by vacations, illness, and turnover, expanded dealership access to nationwide talent, shortened customer wait times, and lowered fixed staffing costs.

Randy Carlton of Volvo Cars Bellevue, a member of the Swickard Auto Group, received the Impact Award for his initiative requiring all his salespeople to send a video walk-around of the vehicle they’re interested in to every lead, via email or text. According to Carlton, that builds customer connections with his salespeople and helps customers identify the associate when they arrive, making the buying process feel seamless from online to in-store.

Together, the finalist presentations reflected the broader purpose of Amplify: giving dealership professionals a place to share practical ideas, learn from one another, and turn innovation into stronger performance.

"Amplify 2026 reinforced how innovative our industry is – from the new products and features on display, to the best practices developed by the Automotive Amplifiers contest finalists," Walsh said. "We are carrying that momentum forward as we continue building the most connected, intelligent solutions available that turn trusted data into action and help our customers create stronger results for their businesses."

Next year's Amplify is scheduled for Aug. 19 to Aug. 20 at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. Registration for it is open.

Get more information about Reynolds Retail Summit here.