The new UK Garage and Bodyshop Event, by the organisers of Automechanika Birmingham and auto:resource, is already proving popular, with the first companies to exhibit on 8-9 June 2022 being announced.
Taking place at the NEC in Brimingham, the show will give the UK aftermarket an opportunity to connect again on a large scale, prior to the delayed Automechanika Birmingham event which will now take place in 2023. Rather than just a placeholder, the UK Garage and Bodyshop Event is designed to meet the demand of both suppliers and workshops across the country who have missed out on networking opportunities.
Bosch Automotive Aftermarket UK, Bosch Car Service, HC-CARGO, Dayco Europe, TMD Friction, Liqui Moly UK, Valeo Service UK, ZF [pro] Tech and Autogem Invicta are the first training partners to commit to the new dedicated event for training, technology and tools for the garage and bodyshop sector. There will also be a major presence from training partner Automotive Alliance Group who have confirmed GroupAuto and UAN will showcase their Garage Networks, Autocare and United Garage Services alongside the NAPA brand.
Many other suppliers have already confirmed their participation and benefited from the special rate on offer for early bird bookings. Grant Elrick, Sales Director of UK Automotive commented: “We have been amazed by the incredible response from the industry since we launched this event to market. It is clear from many conversations with major OE suppliers that face-to-face engagement with customers whether it’s training, product launches or networking has been missed. This new event will bring the garage and bodyshop sector together in a new format to meet the needs of the market.”
The event has been designed so that suppliers can deliver live demonstrations, technical seminars and high-value training to a captivated core audience of garage and bodyshop customers.
There will be live demonstrations and accredited training across three key areas: EV Hybrid, Workshop and Collision Repair, each offering technical seminars from industry experts covering ADAS, MOT, safety/service and repair, diagnostics, plus more. Other themes to be discussed will be post covid recovery, impacts of Brexit, skills shortage and recruitment.
Michael Gougeon, Marketing Director of Valeo, is already looking forward to the innovative event: “After facing multiple challenges across the past couple of years, like many, we are delighted to be supporting a national event meeting our garage customers in person and showcasing our latest developments linked to electrification, reduction in CO2 emissions and also transmission technology,” he stated.
Bob Ackroyd, Managing Director at GROUPAUTO UK & IRELAND LTD, Part of the Alliance Automotive Group added: “The services and training we provide to our networks are designed to equip garage businesses for the future. This new event is the perfect platform to showcase that, while engaging face-to-face directly, and understanding business needs at the coal face so we can continue to meet market demand.”
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