This is our last big CONNECT before the 6th Annual Service & Warranty Lifecycle Summit and your last opportunity to decide whether you’ll be in the room.
The Summit is less than two weeks away.
If you’re wrestling with what to change, where to invest or how to get better answers from the data already in your operation, these are the conversations you’ll want to be part of:
• The dealer disconnect: When the information reaches the dealer, why doesn’t the problem always get solved?
• The self-correcting ecosystem: What would it take to connect warranty, diagnostics, technical support and AI?
• The data problem: If the data is already there, why is root cause still so difficult to see?
• The peer perspective: What can leaders learn by comparing approaches across warranty, TAC, purchasing, quality and field service?
• The next investment: Where should warranty organizations focus their next AI and process-improvement investment?
At the Summit, these aren’t hypothetical questions. They become working discussions with OEM, supplier, dealer, technology and service leaders comparing what is actually happening inside their organizations.
Inside this issue, you’ll get a closer look at Victor Garcia of Nissan, the Oct. 19 VIP Dinner and AI-SWLM experience, agenda for the 6 Leadership Xchange Groups, launch session for the new Field Services & Connected Data Xchange Group, 2 MAPconnected studies for purchase…..
If you’ve been considering the Summit and haven’t reserved yet, this is the issue to read to make the decision.
Oct. 19–21, 2026 | The Westin Southfield Detroit
Will you be in the room?
Voice Of The Speakers: When Knowledge Doesn’t Reach The Repair
“Why are you coming back to the Summit?”
We posed that question to Victor Garcia, Nissan North America, and his response was refreshingly practical.
Despite training programs, technical bulletins, and growing amounts of vehicle data, dealerships can still struggle with the same customer concerns. Victor wants to explore why that gap exists and how OEMs can better translate product knowledge into dealer action.
He’s looking forward to exchanging ideas with peers on what works today, while also discussing how AI may improve the future of service and warranty operations.
At the end of the day, Victor believes the measure of success is simple: If it doesn’t change what happens in the dealership, does it really matter?
Meet Victor and compare perspectives on what needs to change between sharing information and resolving the customer’s problem.
Victor’s Two Summit Sessions
- Moving Beyond Training: Building Dealer Capability & Warranty Accuracy
- PDCA (Plan Do Check Act): Field Bulletin Implementations
A Connected Self-Correcting Ecosystem
What would a connected, self-correcting warranty ecosystem actually look like and what has to change to get there?
On Oct 19, 2026, take that question into a room where warranty strategy, technical support, independent repair and service technology meet.
You can attend for the day without booking the full Summit.
The VIP Dinner - Sponsored By The AI-SWLM Think Tank
• 3 perspectives:
Josh Cohen of General Motors, Michael Goebelbecker of Ford Motor Company and Tyler Betthauser of The Car Conservatory.
• 4 connected responsibilities:
Upstream detects.
Circuitry.ai learns.
Pegasystems decides.
ServiceNow acts.
• AI In The Field & Shark Tank-Style Presentations:
Examine what these technologies can
make real, today.
Start Earlier: Two Workshops, 2–5 PM
• Assess Your Operation:
Warranty and Service-Contract Maturity with Jimmy Bynum of Garde Solutions.
• Find The Process Gaps:
Warranty Lifecycle Management with Mike Roberts of MR Insights, including a complimentary 2026 WARRANTY MANAGEMENT STUDY.
Choose Your Oct 19, 2026 Experience
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| VIP Dinner | $395 |
| Maturity Assessment workshop | $395 |
| Process Gaps workshop, includes free copy WARRANTY MANAGEMENT 2026 Study | $495 |
| One workshop + VIP Dinner | $695 |
Attend one event, combine a workshop with dinner, or add activities to your two-day registration.
Oct 19, 2026 activities are included for VIP guests, members, speakers and three-day bundle pass holders.
Oct 19, 2026 | The Westin Southfield Detroit
One day to examine your operation, challenge what comes next and connect with people working on different pieces of the same ecosystem.
Six Leadership Xchange Group Meetups. Perspectives Beyond Your Own Team.
The challenges on your desk are not yours alone.
Oct 21, 2026 puts you in conversation with peers tackling them from different organizations, industries and roles.
Launched in 2026 as a new MAPconnected engagement initiative, the Leadership Xchange Groups have already met virtually 3-4 times throughout the year, building relationships and sharing real-world experiences.
Now is your opportunity to join the discussion, experience the value firsthand, and explore becoming a member in 2027 to continue participating in these ongoing peer-to-peer groups.
Compare approaches to supplier cost recovery, dealer capability, technical escalation, connected vehicle data, and more.
Ask where another team’s experience could expose a gap, challenge a process, or help validate your next move.
Pull up a chair, join the conversation, and see why so many members have made the Xchange Groups part of their 2026 professional network.
Choose the Leadership Xchange discussion most relevant to your work:
Parts Return & Quality
Purchasing & Supplier Cost Sharing
Field Services & Connected Data
Technical Assistance Centers
Warranty Administration
Recall, Customer Campaign & Legal
Working Discussions, Not Sales Presentations
The 1st hour will include examining high-impact AI opportunities through facilitated OEM benchmarking discussions followed by a member determined 2nd topic.
Make Oct 21, 2026 Your Summit Day
Half day: $395. Xchange Groups, roundtables and lunch.
Full day: $995.
You don’t need to book the full Summit to join these conversations.
Explore the agenda and ticket inclusions to choose the option that fits your priorities.
The Data Is Already There: Why Can’t The Industry Connect The Dots?
A warranty claim, a diagnostic finding and a field-service report may describe different parts of the same failure. What could your team understand sooner if those pieces came together?
On Oct 21, 2026, explore that question through deep-dive presentations from General Motors and American Battery Solutions:
- Tomlin Abraham, Assistant Director Warranty Performance, General Motors
- Phillip Shmaon, Customer Warranty Engineer, American Battery Solutions
- Salman Khalid, Service Methods and Tools Engineer, American Battery Solutions
- Jennifer Jones Wheeler, Former Global Lifetime Warranty Chief, Ford Motor Company
The discussion examines the move from
“we have a failure”
to
“we understand what happened and what we should do about it.”
Take The Root-Cause Discussion Beyond The Presentation
Later in the day, join the inaugural Field Services & Connected Data Xchange Group during the Summit’s Xchange sessions to continue the root-cause discussion.
Map out the goals and benchmarking topics of interest as the Field Services & Connected Data group will continue beyond the Summit, with 3–4 virtual meetings starting in February 2027.
We Need 2-Minutes For Our Connected Data Survey
Where does information connect across your operation, and where does it stop?
Take the survey so we can use these results at the Summit.
A summary will be presented at the Summit, and the full results will be sent to survey participants.
2 Studies. A Stronger Case For Your Next Investment.
Where should your next warranty investment go?
Examine today’s process friction alongside tomorrow’s AI opportunities before deciding.
AI OPPORTUNITY MAP
Evaluate 10 AI opportunities against 5 decision factors, with a phased 36-month roadmap to help your team assess where to begin.
WARRANTY MANAGEMENT STUDY 2026: From Operational Burden To Strategic Advantage
Examine warranty operations through the dealer perspective, with 34+ OEM warranty claim-flow screenshots that make process gaps and friction points more tangible.
Two distinct products.
Complementary perspectives on what needs attention and where investment could make a difference.
Sold separately. Price per study: $195 members | $395 non-members.
Prefer to examine the findings in a working discussion?
Receive a complimentary copy of WARRANTY MANAGEMENT STUDY 2026 in the 10/19 Workshop.
The Summit Conversations Don’t End When The Sessions Do
The people you want to meet will not all be on stage. Make time for the conversations between sessions, across the Tech Expo and around the dinner table.
On Oct 20, 2026, continue the day with a Tech Expo networking reception, 5:45–6:30 PM, followed by sponsor-hosted dine-around dinners, 7:30–9 PM.
Meet peers and sponsor hosts in a smaller setting, follow up on a discussion from the day and build connections beyond your own team.
Explore The Dine-Around Options
Request Your Dinner Invitation
Meet The Partners Behind The Conversations
• Republica: Sedgwick
• Prime 10: Circuitry.ai
• Fishbones: WarrCloud
• Nikolas: ServiceNow
• The Beverly: Syncron
Fully booked: Vinsetta, hosted by Advantage Technical.
Contact info@mapconnected.com to request an invitation and confirm availability and access requirements.
The Tech Expo gives you another opportunity to meet the technology and service partners taking part in the Summit. Connect during the day, then continue the conversation at the reception and dine-arounds.
3 Next-generation Technology Companies Have Just Become MAPconnected Marketplace Sponsors
Welcome To:
Vistral: One camera link. Video AI runs the whole claim.
Certum: Every warranty claim, resolved with certainty. Clearer insights. Better decisions. Lower costs
Predictive Horizons: Earlier insights. Faster root-cause identification. Fewer failures.
Put Your Team In The Room
In a competitive industry, your team cannot afford to make its next move with a narrower view than its peers. OEM, supplier and service leaders are gathering to compare strategies, examine AI opportunities and build relationships across the warranty lifecycle.
Will your team be part of those conversations, or catching up afterward?
Oct 19, 2026–Oct 21, 2026 | The Westin Southfield Detroit. Put your team in the room.
Travel Budget Available, But The Ticket Is A Barrier?
A limited number of complimentary sponsored tickets are available for eligible OEM, dealer, aftermarket and warranty providers. Contact info@mapconnected.com to ask about eligibility and availability. Travel costs remain your responsibility.
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