Attendees at this year’s AAIA Town Hall will be treated to a lively dialogue on the presidential election from political pundits, combined with trends facing the aftermarket from Polk, and exclusive data on the aftermarket shopper from Google. Hosted by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), the Town Hall, sponsored by Polk, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 7 a.m. in the Palazzo Ballroom in the Venetian Hotel.

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The Town Hall program will feature two separate presentations and a political discussion:

• Danielle Russell, Industry Director, Automotive, Google, Inc.
• Tim Rogers, President, Polk
• Terry McAuliffe, former chairman, Democratic National Committee
• Dan Bartlett, former counselor, President George W. Bush

“The timing of the AAIA Town Hall, just one week before the presidential election, is a great opportunity to hear from two well-known and entertaining political pundits about their thoughts on who will win, why and what it will mean to our industry, the economy and our lives,” says AAIA President and CEO Kathleen Schmatz. “Preceding the political discussion will be Polk President Tim Rogers back by popular demand to present the ‘Ten Trends in Ten Minutes.’”

“We are very excited to hear from Danielle Russell of Google who will share exclusive data about aftermarket shopper behavior and what they have learned about the impact of consumers keeping their vehicles longer,” says Schmatz.

Tickets for the 2012 AAIA Town Hall include a full buffet breakfast. Individual tickets are $100 for AAIA members and $115 for non-members, and a table of 10 is $850 for AAIA members and $1,000 for non-members. For ticket information, visit www.aftermarket.org and click on “Meetings/Events.”

About Polk
Polk is a provider of automotive information and marketing solutions. Polk collects and interprets global data, and provides extensive automotive business expertise to help customers understand their market position, identify trends, build brand loyalty, conquest new business and gain a competitive advantage. Polk helps automotive manufacturers and dealers, automotive aftermarket companies, finance and insurance companies, advertising agencies, media companies, consulting organizations, government agencies and market research firms make good business decisions. A privately-held global firm, Polk is based in Southfield, Mich. with operations in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

About AAIA
AAIA is a Bethesda, Md.-based association whose more than 23,000 members and affiliates manufacture, distribute and sell motor vehicle parts, accessories, service, tools, equipment, materials and supplies. Through its membership, AAIA represents more than 100,000 repair shops, parts stores and distribution outlets.