AI Showdown · MRC 2026
Some of the most useful AI in car dealerships right now isn’t coming from vendors. It’s coming from a BDC manager who built an appointment-setting assistant on a weekend, or a controller who automated month-end reconciliations with a public AI platform.
The Modern Retailing Conference wants to put those builders on stage.
Key takeaways
- $5,000 cash and a trophy for the best AI tool built by a dealership team
- Entries close October 20, 2026: a 500–700 word write-up plus a 2–2.5 minute video
- Finalists are voted on live at MRC in Palm Beach, November 15–17
- Vendors, agencies and white-labeled products aren’t eligible
In this article
What the Built on the Lot AI Showdown is
The Built on the Lot AI Showdown is a competition for AI solutions built by dealership teams, for dealerships. The winning team takes home $5,000 in cash and a trophy, awarded live at MRC 2026 in Palm Beach.
Who can enter
- Eligible: internal dealership teams. You can build on public AI platforms, as long as your team did the building.
- Not eligible: vendors, agencies, white-labeled products, prototypes and non-working concepts.
- Multiple entries allowed. If your store built more than one tool, submit them all.
What counts
Back-office tools such as inventory, accounting and scheduling automations, and customer-facing tools such as chatbots and appointment setters, all qualify.
Some of the most useful AI in car dealerships right now isn’t coming from vendors.
How to enter
- Write a 500–700 word explanation of what you built and the problem it solves.
- Record a 2–2.5 minute video demo. A screen recording with a voiceover is fine; production quality isn’t judged.
- Submit your entry by October 20, 2026.
How the winner is picked
Brian Pasch and Gray Scott review every entry and select the finalists. Finalist videos play throughout the conference, attendees vote live, and final votes are cast during the award ceremony on Day Two. Finalists must attend MRC, November 15–17, 2026.
Why enter
Beyond the prize, finalists get in front of a room full of dealer leaders who are wrestling with the same problems. It’s recognition for the people in your store who are already building the future of automotive retail.
What a strong entry looks like
The best entries are simple to explain and easy to prove. A strong submission usually covers four things:
- The problem. What was slow, manual or costly before? Who felt it most?
- What you built. Which platform or tools you used, and who on your team built it.
- How it’s used today. Who uses it, how often, and where it fits in the daily workflow.
- The result. Hours saved, faster response times, fewer errors or more appointments. Before-and-after numbers are best.
In the video, show the tool working on real (anonymized) data. Walk through one task from start to finish, then close with the result.
Ideas dealership teams are building
Not sure if your project counts? Here are the kinds of tools that fit:
- An assistant that drafts follow-up texts from CRM notes
- A tool that flags aging inventory and suggests price changes
- An automated deal-jacket checker that catches missing paperwork before funding
- A service-lane assistant that explains recommended repairs in plain language
- An internal chatbot that answers employee questions about policies and processes
- A scheduling tool that balances technician workload
Key dates
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Oct 20, 2026 | Submissions close |
| Before MRC | Finalists selected by Brian Pasch and Gray Scott |
| Nov 15–17, 2026 | Finalist videos play at MRC and attendees vote |
| Day Two of MRC | Final votes and winner announced on stage |
Frequently asked questions
Can we enter if we used ChatGPT, Claude or another public AI platform?
Yes. Tools built on public AI platforms qualify, as long as your dealership team did the building.
Does the video need to be professionally produced?
No. A screen recording with a voiceover is fine. Production quality isn’t judged.
Can one dealership submit more than one tool?
Yes. Multiple entries are allowed.
Do we have to attend MRC to win?
Finalists must attend the Modern Retailing Conference in Palm Beach, November 15–17, 2026.
More sessions at MRC 2026
The AI Showdown is one part of a packed agenda. Here’s what else dealers can learn at MRC 2026.
AI and data
- Building Autonomous Retail Workflows with Claude — Gray Scott, The Digerati Group. A hands-on training lab to build and launch a live dealership AI assistant in two hours.
- Building Database Applications with Claude and Supabase — Brian Pasch, Pasch Group. A training lab to build a working B2B lead generation platform from scratch.
- Building the Data Foundation for AI Success — Mike Morgan, Launch Labs. How the right data foundation turns AI into measurable dealership performance.
- We Built a Beautiful Dashboard. You May Never Open It. — Yuriy Demidko, Clarivoy. Using AI and MCP to put data inside the tools dealers, vendors and OEMs already use.
- The Final Boss of Dealership Software — Aharon Horwitz, Fullpath. How a single AI layer could replace the dealership tech stack.
Read more: AI in the Dealership: Get the Foundation Right First
Customer experience and retention
- The Service Opportunities Playbook: Bridging the Gap Between Sales and Service — Steve Roessler, Brad Paschal and Josh Overbeck, DriveCentric. Connecting the sales and service experience.
- Who Controls the Customer Conversation? — Brian Pasch, Pasch Group. Who controls the conversation after the first lead, call, text or service visit.
- Balancing AI Efficiency with Meaningful Customer Interactions — Glenn Pasch, PCG Digital, and Brock Jackson, CallRevu. When AI should move fast and when a human moment earns trust.
Read more: The Customer Experience Gap: Handoffs, Humans and Retention
Inventory and sales performance
- Inventory Health: The Next Competitive Advantage — Lance Schafer, Lotlinx. Using VIN-level insights to spot inventory risk sooner and protect used vehicle margins.
- The Used EV Wave — Ryan Osten, Lyteflo. How top EV dealers use battery certificates to build buyer confidence.
- Finding Opportunity in the Conversion Gap — Eric DeMont, Urban Science. Turning buyer defections into measurable market share growth.
Read more: Inventory, Conversion and Margin: Where Used Car Profit Hides
For auto tech founders
- AutoTech Founders Lab — David Metter, Kenektr. Building sustainable, investable auto tech companies, plus 15-minute one-on-one conversations.
Meet all the speakers · See every sponsor
MRC 2026
Join dealer leaders in Palm Beach
November 15–17, 2026 at The Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Palm Beach, Florida.