The Carolinas Collision Association (CCA) and the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) announced that they have partnered to host the second annual Southeast Collision Conference (SCC) April 14-15, 2023 at the Meadow Event Park in Doswell, Va.
SCC will continue to be a premier trade show and education opportunity, and now will feature elevated experiences for both attendees and vendors to take part. Following national meetings held the same week surrounding the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Richmond, Va., there will be many national-level contributors taking part in the SCC events. The goal is to have the conference move annually between regions to serve as many shops as possible, year over year.
“Our associations teaming up together isn’t just a one plus one; it’s an opportunity to multiply our resources to offer a premier event for our entire region, and even the whole country,” said Kyle Bradshaw, president of CCA and director of fixed operations for K&M Collision. “Our shared vision is for this to gather the best national-level education and networking and deliver it in a weekend package. I am excited for the future of the Southeast Collision Conference, next year and beyond.”
Added Steve Krieps, president of WMABA, owner of Collision Safety Consultants of West Virginia and shop manager with Greg Cline Automotive, “This is something WMABA has been pushing for in recent years: to offer a high-caliber education in our own region that is informative and full of up-to-date information like we see with the widely known Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ Repairer Driven Education in Vegas alongside the SEMA Show. That’s the bar, and we want to meet it for our repairers here as well as those who would travel from afar to join in. Shops can come for this two-day event and come out of it changed forever.”
With a focus on owners, managers and technicians, this upcoming year’s conference will be pulling from the national connections shared by both associations’ executive directors. Their participation in national events has built relationships with the prominent leaders in the collision industry.
“This trade show has already been growing and leaning into the needs of our area shops,” said Josh Kent, executive director of the CCA. “When an attendee can hear from multiple experts all in one place, and see for themselves a way to solve a problem they deal with day in and day out, they are grown. They have doors opened for them. Our priority is giving our shops what they need to be better, do better and be more profitable. We’re doing all this for them.”
Added WMABA Executive Director Jordan Hendler, “Associations working together for the direct benefit of the collision repairers is exactly what we’re supposed to do. It’s been a dream of WMABA’s to have a national level event — with the highest and best education — here in our own territory. Now, here we are teaming up with a great group of dedicated professionals to make that happen. We literally cannot wait for you to come!”
For more information on the Southeast Collision Conference, visit southeastcollisionconference.com.
