TAMPA, Fla. — Prominent consumer finance attorney Thomas B. Hudson has agreed to speak at the upcoming Dealer Summit, organizers said Wednesday. The event will take place May 3–5, 2016, at the Sheraton Riverwalk Tampa Hotel. Hudson’s session, “Subprime and BHPH Dealers: How Regulators Have Changed Your Business Model,” will begin at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4.

“Tom Hudson is universally admired as a dealer advocate and unwavering voice of reason,” said Greg Goebel, president of DealerStrong. “We couldn’t have asked for a better speaker to tackle this important topic.”

Hudson is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Hudson Cook LLP and one of the automotive industry’s foremost legal minds. He a frequent speaker and prolific writer, authoring a number of legal guides and publications and serving as a regular contributor to Auto Dealer Today and F&I and Showroom magazines.

Hudson is expected to analyze recent enforcement actions by federal regulators and their effect on automotive finance, including special finance and the buy-here, pay-here (BHPH) segment. Dealers must be willing to adapt to a “new business landscape” and change their business models, he warned, or face legal action that could cost them their livelihoods.

“There are two kinds of dealers in the world — those who know that the regulatory ground has shifted beneath them and those who don’t,” Hudson said. “Dealers need to understand and conform to the new rules or get out of the business before the regulators force them out.”

Registration for Dealer Summit is open at the event’s website. Dealers who register by April 1 will enjoy a $100 early-bird discount. They will also have access to several pre-show activities, including F&I Think Tank and Jim Ziegler's Profit Masters.

For information about exhibition and sponsorship opportunities, contact show chair David Gesualdo via email or at 727-947-4027.