The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) Repairer Driven Education (RDE) series at the SEMA Show tracked a nearly 300 percent increase in year to date (YTD) registrations through July for the collision repair education series, compared to the same time period last year.
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"The first two years of the RDE program brought a lot of very positive response from the attendees, and we believe that the numbers clearly indicate that our program at the SEMA Show is delivering exactly what the industry is looking for right now," said SCRS Chairman Aaron Clark. "We have worked hard to put together a program that specifically addresses solutions to existing business conditions, and are glad to see the industry responding with early approval!"
SCRS also has reported an interesting expansion in the participant demographics. In addition to a largeRDE LOGO 2012 independent collision repair attendee base from the U.S., 2012 numbers have indicated notable additional growth in participation from multi-shop operators (MSO), as well as from international automotive businesses currently representing more than a dozen different countries. SCRS said the growth in these areas illustrates the universal relevance of the issues addressed in the sessions provided by RDE, and the tangible benefit the information holds for collision businesses, regardless of location, business model or business size.
The RDE series isn't the only area of the show where the collision industry is demonstrating early spikes in activity. Show management numbers through the end of July indicated an increase in both collision industry exhibitor counts, as well as double digit growth in square footage occupied by exhibiting collision industry companies.
In addition to the Collision Repair & Refinish section of the show, there are many collision industry companies that have taken advantage of space that is available in other areas of the show such as in Tools & Equipment (North Hall), Restyling & Car Care Accessories (North Hall), Racing & Performance (Central Hall), Hot Rod Alley (Central Hall), and at the First Time & Featured Exhibitors (Upper South Hall) section.
