As we prepare the program for the 12th Annual Dealership Minds Summit, being held Aug. 4-5 in Springfield, Ill., I need your help on a new idea for this year's event. 

With a theme of Maximizing Operational ROI, we thought this was the right year to introduce a 'Shark Tank' panel to the event. We're looking for new-to-the-world ideas in dealer software, applications, estimating, etc.

What are some of the new software options out there that have the potential to take a dealer's business to the next level? We need your ideas on who you want to see present their ideas to our judging panel of "sharks." 

We introduced this fun and unique concept to our grower audiences at the 2026 National No-Tillage Conference.Several cutting-edge no-tillers gave brief presentations about new products or services they’ve had a hand in developing and testing, followed by questions from a panel of “ag experts.” Attendees voted live on the “Best New Innovation at the NNTC” from among the presenters and a winner was announced on stage.

Ideally, we're looking for tools that aren't commercially available yet, but could be in the short-term. Send me your ideas for this brand-new addition to the Dealership Minds Summit at kschmidt@lessitermedia.com.