FAQs

HDS is designed primarily for automotive dealers, repair and performance shops, installers, eCommerce businesses, distributors, and other industry professionals who want to grow their businesses and become better at selling and supporting the products they carry.

If you sell, install, recommend, or support automotive aftermarket products, there's something here for you.

Absolutely not.

The terrain gives us an incredible place to demonstrate products, but High Desert Summit is about much more than off-road vehicles. Manufacturer education, business training, product knowledge, relationships, website and SEO education, demonstrations, and dealer development apply across the automotive aftermarket.

You don't need to own a Jeep to belong here.

At a traditional show, you may get a few minutes with a manufacturer before someone else walks into the booth.

At HDS, the relationship is the event. You'll spend three days learning from brands, experiencing products, eating together, driving together, and sitting around fires together.

We want you to leave knowing more than what a manufacturer sells. We want you to know who they are — and we want them to know who you are.

Yes.

There will never be another inaugural High Desert Summit. The brands and dealers who join us in 2027 aren't simply attending another industry event — they're helping us prove that there's a better way for manufacturers and dealers to learn from each other, build relationships, and grow together.

If you're there from the beginning, you'll always be part of where HDS started.

High Desert Summit is an industry event rather than a general public festival. Attendees must be at least 16 years old, and some driving or vehicle activities may have additional age or participation requirements.

Each morning from 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM, dealers attend scheduled training sessions with participating brands.

These are focused sessions where manufacturers teach you about their products, applications, and differentiators — with time to ask real questions.

We also want you to learn how to do business with the brand: where to buy, who distributes their products, who to contact when you need help, and who the people are behind the logo.

Yes. As we get closer to the Summit, attendees receive information about their scheduled manufacturer training sessions along with the complete event schedule.

We want you arriving knowing where you're supposed to be — not spending your first morning trying to figure it out.

That's when the classroom opens into the desert.

Afternoons include live product demonstrations, vehicle experiences, one-on-one time with manufacturers, dealer business training, and activities throughout the property.

Some activities will be scheduled, while others let you wander, explore, and spend more time with the brands and experiences that interest you.

HDS isn't only about understanding products — we want to help you sell more of them when you get home.

ASAP Network will host dealer-development sessions covering websites that sell, SEO and search behavior, how customers actually look for automotive products online, content strategy, and practical ways to improve your business online.

We'll talk about what works, what doesn't — and why.

Exactly what it sounds like — we're taking vehicles up the side of the mesa.

The Mesa Crawl gives attendees a chance to experience vehicles and products working on real terrain rather than sitting on a display stand.

We'll also offer Crawling Tips & Secrets for attendees who want to learn the fundamentals or improve their skills, including line selection, spotting, vehicle placement, throttle control, and understanding what your vehicle is doing on the terrain.

No. Some experiences are designed specifically for people who have never crawled before; others appeal to experienced drivers looking to improve their technique.

Participation in driving activities is optional. You can watch, ride along where permitted, or simply enjoy the demonstrations.

Yes — and we hope you do. Dealer and attendee vehicles will be a big part of the Summit atmosphere, particularly if you've built something you're proud of.

Certain trails, demonstrations, and activities may have separate vehicle requirements or participation rules, which we'll provide before the event.

If you've built something worth showing off, bring it. Registered builds will be displayed throughout the Summit, with designated areas where vehicles can be staged against boulders, dirt mounds, and the natural high-desert landscape.

This isn't a polished-car-behind-a-rope competition. We want to see the vehicles our industry actually builds.

Winners are announced immediately before the Closing Ceremonies on Day Three.

Yes. Professional photography and video will take place throughout High Desert Summit.

One benefit of attending is access to event imagery afterward — content participating businesses can use on their websites, social media, and marketing.

And if you bring a great build, we're going to have some pretty spectacular places to photograph it.

The Summit doesn't shut down when training ends. Evenings are set aside for bonfires, rides, entertainment, food, and relaxed networking.

This is intentional. We want dealers and manufacturers to have time together when nobody is standing in a booth wondering who they need to talk to next.

Day Three ends with Brand Recognition, Build Competition Awards, Prize Drawings, and our Closing Ceremonies.

Every participating brand in our inaugural year will be individually recognized for helping launch a new approach to dealer education and manufacturer relationships.

We'll announce Build Competition winners and hold drawings for brand-donated products and parts, event prizes, cash giveaways, and other surprises. And remember: participating in activities throughout the Summit can earn you more drawing entries.

Think high desert, not convention center. Comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes are strongly recommended. Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat, and dress in layers.

New Mexico can give you sunshine and warm temperatures in the afternoon and have you reaching for a jacket around the bonfire that evening. Keep a jacket in your vehicle — you may laugh at us at 2:00 PM and thank us at 9:00 PM.

HDS takes place outdoors in the high desert, so weather is part of the experience. Activities may be adjusted, delayed, relocated, or modified when necessary for safety.

Come prepared for changing temperatures, wind, and the occasional surprise from Mother Nature. We're going to work with the desert — not pretend we're in a convention center.

Yes. Meals and food service are planned throughout the Summit, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with additional snacks and refreshments during the day.

We'll also accommodate vegetarian and vegan options.

You have choices. Attendees can stay on the HDS property using their own tent or RV, with rental camping options also available. For a conventional bed and shower, hotels are available in surrounding communities.

See the full breakdown — on-site camping, RV spots, furnished tents, and area hotels — on the Accommodations page.

No. But if you enjoy camping, bonfires, evening rides, and waking up in the New Mexico high desert surrounded by automotive people, staying on-site gives you the fullest HDS experience.

Yes. HDS takes place on private land, and protecting that land matters. Attendees receive property and safety rules before arrival.

Among the basics: respect designated areas and trails, don't cut or damage trees or vegetation, clean up after yourself, follow vehicle and fire restrictions, and respect the people camping and working around you.

We want to have a ridiculous amount of fun without leaving the desert worse than we found it.

Because attendee and brand fees are committed quickly to infrastructure, logistics, and event preparation, cancellations are only eligible for a refund within 36 hours of registration. After 36 hours, payments are non-refundable.

Read the complete Cancellation Policy.