Auction Academy plans to resume in-person sessions after more than a year of virtual classroom training. Since last June, Auction Academy training has taken place monthly in a virtual classroom setting after COVID-19 restrictions prohibited in-person meetings. 

The change to virtual training was made half-way through the class group’s original two-year course syllabus. The first set of in-person sessions since the pandemic will begin with a meeting of Class Group 6 in Detroit,  Aug. 2 - 4, 2021, according to Auction Academy.

“We have all experienced great success with our monthly virtual meetings, but we are eager to meet again in person,” says Penny Wanna, Auction Academy president. “We are tentatively planning to resume in-person sessions with a meeting set for August 2-4 in Detroit. COVID guidelines will play a crucial part in the meeting structure, and we will include a hybrid component for any students unable to join us, either due to their comfort level or their company’s travel restrictions.”

Wanna said that virtual classroom training will continue through June, with the Academy taking a summer break in July. Auction Academy’s Class Group 6 meets once a month using Zoom, according to the Auction Academy. The training alternates between a focus on an industry topic and leadership training.

Auction Academy kicked off 2021 with a session focused on the remarketing industry. Speakers from the top trade associations discussed current training, initiatives, committee opportunities and the 2021 conference schedule.

In March, Auction Academy is pivoting back to an industry topic focused on business development, and will feature commercial business segment managers who will discuss how they develop and retain fleet/lease business.

Topics for the balance of the virtual training for Class Group 6 will include coaching and mentoring in April, online sales in May, and diversity and inclusion in June.

Following the in-person session and auction facility tour in Detroit in August, the final meeting for Class Group 6 will also mark the class graduation, and will be held in conjunction with this year’s NAAA Convention in Chicago in September.

“Graduation will be a red-letter day for Auction Academy’s Class Group 6, and we plan to celebrate in a big way to commemorate this extraordinary group,” said Wanna. “They’ve all shown a focus and determination to complete this program which was remarkable in light of the many roadblocks thrown in their way by the pandemic, including the necessity of extending the training program from two to three years.”

Wanna said that registration for Auction Academy’s Class Group 7 is now open. Presently, Auction Academy is taking names of those who are interested in participating in the class. Official registration opens in June during the CAR Conference in Las Vegas, where Auction Academy will have an exhibit booth and moderate a panel. 

Founded in 2012 by TPC Management Company, Auction Academy marks its fifth year under the leadership of Wanna, who was named Auction Academy’s president in 2017.