For the first time, the 26th annual International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) and the Congress of Automotive Repair & Service (CARS) were co-located in one area, and officials from both sides have reported this year’s three-day event was again a success.
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Together, NACE and CARS attracted a total audience of 23,327 collision and mechanical industry professionals, representing the cornerstone of the recently created Automotive Service & Repair Week (ASRW), sponsored by the Automotive Service Association (ASA).
"The first ASRW certainly met my expectations and more, but what excites me most is the potential we have created with this event," says Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff executive. "There is no question that it can grow in numbers and in stature to be the pre-eminent service and repair event in the world. The key to achieving this goal is to continue to carefully listen to the attendees and exhibitors, and make the necessary adjustments to provide the value they are seeking. ASRW has established the concept of a ‘shop show’ for automotive shops of all disciplines and we welcome the opportunity to expand the horizon.”
The NACE exhibits finished at 127,800 total net square feet and the CARS portion of the floor finished at 6,600 total net square feet — plus an additional 26,900 square feet of demo, theater and attraction space. There were 362 NACE exhibiting companies (64 of which were new) and 47 CARS exhibiting companies. Exhibitors sponsored an array of “Expo Extras” that provided free on-floor education to all registered attendees. These included live demos, presentations and the all new CARS Exhibitor Theaters which featured full-day education each of the three show days.
Jerry Raskind, Wholesale Programs Manager, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. reports that his company’s participation in CARS 2008 was a great success.
“By combining CARS with NACE under the Automotive Service Repair Week banner, we enjoyed an increased number of quality contacts with repair shop owners and technicians,” he says. “We were able to highlight our business partnership with independent repair shops by featuring new, competitively priced parts and real-time demonstrations of online parts ordering and access to factory repair information. We are looking forward to next year’s event.”
With an educational conference geared to providing high-level sessions and expert speaker line-up, NACE featured 56 sessions; CARS featured 37. Additionally, there were nine I-CAR Technical Training courses, one PCI course, four ASE Test Prep Classes (mechanical and collision focused), the new TRAIN the TRAINER session, as well as eight on-floor I-CAR Technology Showcase clinics and the numerous exhibitor sponsored on-floor educational opportunities each day within the exposition.
“The results gained from our inaugural ASRW events were significant, providing excellent momentum moving forward with plans currently underway for 2009. By combining a comprehensive educational program, a compelling general session line-up and the addition of many new features on the show floor, this year’s NACE and CARS delivered outstanding events for collision repair and automotive service professionals. From these solid results, many exhibitors are already requesting exhibit space and sponsorships for the coming year,” says Galen Poss, president, Hanley Wood Exhibitions (the shows’ producer for ASA).
Based on a quick pre-show survey to registered NACE 2008 attendees, the co-location of CARS with NACE was welcomed by NACE attendees. When asked “Do you value the co-location of CARS?” – 63 percent indicated yes; “Do you perform mechanical repairs in your collision facility?” 58 percent indicated yes. With more collision repair facilities keeping the mechanical service repairs in-house, they are clearly seeking information on increasing their skills through educational offerings, as well as seeking time with exhibitors.
ASRW 2009, featuring NACE and CARS as co-located events, will again take place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center from Nov. 4-7, 2009 in Las Vegas.
For more information, visit www.NACEexpo.com or www.CARSevent.com.
