CENTREVILLE, Va. -

On Friday afternoon — mere hours after the company sent an email out to its dealers about an upcoming interactive trivia competition — the amount of “likes” on the Carfax for Dealers Facebook page had already jumped 200 percent, said Carfax public relations manager Chris Basso to Auto Remarketing.

The company is kicking off the “Carfax Challenge” this weekend at the NADA & ATD Convention and Expo, giving dealers a rather unique trivia contest in which they can vie for $2,012 and more.

“The initial response to the email about the challenge taking place … has exceeded our expectations so far,” Basso told Auto Remarketing on Friday.

While browsing the exhibit hall at the NADA conference — which is being held this coming Friday through Monday in Las Vegas — dealers can visit Carfax’s booth (No. 942) and participate in the contest

While there, they will have three minutes to correctly answer as many questions as possible about both the company and the auto industry, in general.

Dealers are given points for correct answers and can see where they stack up against their peers through the leaderboard that Carfax will have at both its both booth and online.

Carfax will reveal the winner of the $2,012 (the amount chosen specifically for the calendar year) at the show’s conclusion.

There is also an online portion to the contest.

It has same three-minute format, but it is done completely online through the Carfax for Dealers page on Facebook. It will run from Saturday through Feb. 15.The top scorer receives an eight-foot inflatable Car Fox for their store.

“We’re really excited that attendance at the NADA convention is on the rise, especially this year. And it is Vegas, which is one of the top destinations,” Basso said. “We’re excited about the amount of people that are coming and we’re estimating probably about 1,000 people that will be taking the challenge in the booth during the convention.”

Carfax communications director Larry Gamache noted: “We’re doing something new and exciting for our dealer customers during this year’s NADA Convention.

“Plus, we’re expanding the competition to dealers through Facebook so you don’t even have to be at the show to be a winner. Our dealer customers, especially Carfax Advantage Dealers, are more engaged with Carfax and can win some really great prizes,” he added.

Participants in the Facebook portion must be Carfax Advantage Dealers, but any attending dealer can participate in the booth contest at NADA. Carfax Advantage Dealers who participate in person at NADA are allowed to do so via Facebook, as well.

Basso said the company is hoping that “as many people as possible that aren’t able to attend the show” participate online." He added: "We want to bring the same experience to people online as they would get in the booth.”

Also, every Carfax Advantage Dealer participating in the in-booth challenge has the chance to win the inflatable Car Fox in random drawings. Carfax will conduct one drawing per day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, randomly selecting a name from the dealers who participated that particular day.

Additionally, extra points are given to any dealer (CAD or otherwise) competing at the booth who completes various tasks like posing in a photo with the Car Fox or liking the company on Facebook, Basso noted.

“Our goals are to let people have fun. We want it to be an interactive experience, something unique that they can’t get anywhere else at the show and kind of a test-your-knowledge about Carfax and the auto industry," Basso said. "Something different than what we’ve done in the past and than they might experience anywhere else.”

More information can be found at www.facebook.com/carfaxfordealers. To learn more about the NADA Convention, visit www.nadaconventionandexpo.org.