LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 5, 2026--
DAS Technology, the automotive industry’s AI-native Customer Data and Experience Platform provider, today announced it has been named Best New Product at the 2026 National Automobile Dealers Association Convention following a live pitch competition held during NADA 2026 in Las Vegas.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205141224/en/
Selected from more than 600 exhibitors, DAS Technology emerged as the top solution among ten finalists in the NADA Exhibitor Best New Product Pitch Competition. The award was determined by a panel of dealer judges evaluating solutions based on real world dealer impact, innovation, and measurable outcomes.
DAS Technology extends its sincere appreciation to the dealer judges who evaluated this year’s competition, including Scott Dube, Dealer Principal of McGovern Hyundai Route 93; Bobby Sight, Vice President of Rob Sight Ford; and Savannah Simms, Director of Business Development at Ford Lincoln Fairfield. The company also thanks Anthony Rinaldi, Senior Manager of Digital Communications at National Automobile Dealers Association, for moderating the session.
The winning presentation was delivered by Alexi Venneri, Co-founder and CEO of DAS Technology, alongside SVP of Marketing Krys VanSlyke, showcasing the company’s newest solution, Power AI Search. The solution is designed to help dealers win visibility in AI-driven and generative search experiences while strengthening reputation performance and consumer trust.
Power AI Search combines AI-driven review generation, sentiment analysis, and one-to-one AI video to expand consumer generated content and elevate dealer visibility across emerging AI-shaped search platforms. While existing DAS solutions already deliver more positive reviews than competing platforms, Power AI Search pushes that performance to beyond seven times, lifting overall star ratings and driving higher AI search rankings that convert into increased lead volume.
“Dealers are no longer competing only on traditional search results,” said Venneri. “AI platforms are deciding which retailers are visible to consumers. Power AI Search was built to ensure dealers are found, trusted, and chosen in this new environment. We are honored that the dealer judges recognized the real-world impact of this solution.”
As part of NADA 2026, DAS Technology will host a live presentation of the award-winning solution today:
Winning Visibility in AI-Driven and Generative Search
(Full Presentation by Winner of the NADA Exhibitor Pitch Competition)
Thursday, February 5th at 2:20 PM PST
NADA Live Stage, West Lobby - Las Vegas Convention Center
This marks the second time DAS Technology has won the NADA Best New Product Pitch competition, making the company the first two-time winner in the history of the event. The recognition reinforces DAS Technology’s continued leadership in delivering AI-native innovation built for measurable dealer outcomes.
During NADA 2026, DAS Technology unveiled four new AI-native capabilities, including Power AI Search, AI Video Inventory Mover, Smart Quote AI, and expanded AI-driven use of more than 270 data integrations. Together, these innovations form what the company calls the DAS X Factor, a measurable unfair advantage for dealers navigating an AI-first automotive marketplace.
Dealers, partners, and media attending NADA 2026 are invited to visit DAS Technology Booth 1311W to see live demos of the award-winning solution, meet the team, and learn how DAS Technology is helping dealers win visibility, engagement, and revenue in an AI-shaped future.
For more information or to schedule a demo, visit dastechnology.com/get-demo.
About DAS Technology
DAS Technology is an AI-native customer data and experience platform built to drive results for dealers, groups and OEMs. For more than sixteen years, the company has enabled retailers to turn data and technology into better consumer experiences with measurable ROI. Its platform connects AI-driven search, engagement, lead response, social and reputation management, and customer intelligence into a single integrated one-to-one solution. DAS Technology is trusted by thousands of retailers and partners, integrates with more than 270 automotive and marketing platforms, and supports approximately 37% of U.S. automotive retail transactions. More information at dastechnology.com/nada.
DAS Technology SVP of Marketing Krys VanSlyke and Co-founder and CEO Alexi Venneri present Power AI Search ver. X during the NADA 2026 Exhibitor Best New Product Pitch Competition in Las Vegas.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — World Cup fans in a growing number of U.S. cities won't have an issue finding a well-poured pint to go with their late-night match.
State leaders across the U.S. are signing off on extending bar and restaurant hours during the world’s most-watched sporting event. They want to help businesses and improve fan experiences, particularly for those who may have been priced out of tickets. Others see the move as a last-ditch effort to boost sales as expectations for a World Cup economic boon have dampened.
So far, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington — states either hosting World Cup matches or adjacent to the activity — have all approved various measures to extend hours for alcohol sales during the tournament. Similar proposals are being considered in New York and Massachusetts.
The changes mean that closing time won’t come until 4 a.m. in Philadelphia during the World Cup and America 250 celebrations. In Kansas City, some bars can stay open as late as 5 a.m.
Many of these changes are dependent on municipality approval, and no business would be required to extend business hours. But for the hospitality industry, already struggling under waning sales and inflation, the option to stay open later is welcomed.
Mark Prinzinger, owner of Lion Sports Bar in Philadelphia, described watching soccer with fans from all over the world as a “magical experience." Now that he has the option to keep his bar open two hours longer, he’s hired extra staff, streamlined the menus and planned late-night programming.
“People want to have a beer with other soccer fans and the great thing about the World Cup is that it brings people together from all over the world into one place to watch a sport that everybody loves,” he said.
Prinzinger and other bar, restaurant and nightlife venues in Pennsylvania will be allowed to move their closing times from 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. during the World Cup and the America 250 anniversary celebrations, between June 11 and July 20. Gov. Josh Shapiro approved the legislation by releasing a video showing him cracking open a beer, signing off the social media post with a cheeky warning to the City of Brotherly Love's reputation for getting rowdy: “Celebrate responsibly, Philly.”
With more hours available to drink, some critics have raised concerns about public safety and potential strain on law enforcement even as the effort has received bipartisan support from lawmakers.
In Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas initially stated that his city “doesn't need bars operating 23 hours” during the World Cup and joked, “Worry not, if you want to drink a ton, bars can open quite early.”
Yet bar owners bristle under such opposition, saying that most businesses prioritize training staff to prevent patrons from being overserved.
“Just because people are hanging out at the bar watching a soccer game doesn’t mean they’re getting blitzed,” Prinzinger said. “In fact, I would say it’s completely the opposite. I think people want to watch the game. People want to be engaged.”
Rhode Island Rep. Teresa Tanzi agreed.
“Not everybody that’s going to walk into a place is going to be chugging drinks and getting loaded,” Tanzi, a Democrat, said earlier this month on the House floor. “There are going to be families who are going to want a cheeseburger, an American cheeseburger, and a Coca-Cola."
Rhode Island, which is closer than Boston is to World Cup matches host Gillette Stadium, is weighing whether to extend alcohol sales to 3 a.m. and closing times to 4 a.m. Currently, last call in the smallest U.S. state is 1 a.m., with some exceptions for its capital city of Providence.
Even Lucas relented, eventually submitting a plan allowing Kansas City restaurants and bars to remain open until 3 a.m., and certain establishments to remain open until 5 a.m. if they submit a security plan to the police department. Currently, alcohol sales can generally be made between 6 a.m. through 1:30 a.m.
The extended hours aren't entirely a U.S. trend. Pubs in England and Wales will be able to stay open as late as 2 a.m. if the English or Scottish teams are playing in the knockout stages after the U.K. government relaxed its licensing rules.
In Scotland, which has its own semiautonomous government, local authorities can allow pubs to stay open until 30 minutes after matches end.
According to the World Cup schedule, a majority of games will be held from early afternoon through early evening. But a handful start later, with four games starting at midnight and eight games starting at 10 p.m. for those watching in the Eastern time zone.
Just how big of a demand there will be for late-night bites and drinks is somewhat unknown. In the U.S., consumer habits have shifted drastically ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people choosing to go out earlier in the day and spending less overall, said David Henkes, senior principal at Technomic, a firm that monitors restaurant and food industry trends.
“It’s so hard to stay open late night or overnight just because it’s hard to find labor,” Henkes said. “I applaud the effort to give restaurants an opportunity to earn more revenue, but I’m not sure that there’s going to be significant enough demand for it to make sense for a lot of operators to do so.”
Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed from London.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Lion Sports Bar owner Mark Prinzinger poses behind the bar as fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans arrive to watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
