If one of your new year’s resolutions is to get involved with a trade association or other professional organization, there will be plenty of opportunities to jump in right away.
The Collision Industry Conference (CIC), for example, will hold its next meeting on Thursday, Jan. 18, in Palm Springs, Calif.
While CIC isn’t a trade association, its meetings are open to anyone working in any segment of the collision repair industry. Attendees typically include shop owners, insurers, PB&E suppliers, OEMs, data providers and others from the industry.
Coinciding with the CIC, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) will hold its next open board meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 17, in Palm Springs. SCRS members also are active in CIC committees and meetings.
Since 1982, SCRS has been the largest national trade association solely representing collision repair shops across North America, and “has provided repairers with an audible voice, a strong presence and an extensive grassroots network of industry professionals who strive to better our trade,” according to the association.
If you feel like spending more time in sunny Palm Springs, the National Auto Body Council will convene its open board meeting on Monday, Jan. 15, and will host a member reception on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
The nonprofit NABC administers Recycled Rides and other programs that showcase “the professionalism and integrity of the collision repair industry.”
Capping off the week in Palm Springs, the Collision Industry Foundation will host its eighth annual fundraiser gala on Thursday, Jan. 18. The foundation provides disaster relief to collision repairers and their families.
In the nation’s heartland, the Iowa Collision Repair Association will present the Midwest Auto Body Trade Show on Feb. 16-17 at Prairie Meadows hotel and casino in Altoona, Iowa.
The agenda, which includes a keynote presentation by attorney Todd Tracy, touches on topics such as repairer liability, autonomous vehicles, industry culture and training.
Future collision repairers will have a presence at the weekend event: Friday, Feb. 16, will be Collision Repair Education Foundation Student Education Day, and the foundation will bring busloads of students to the event. Also, the Iowa Community College Refinish Competition returns as a show favorite.
That same weekend, popular industry speakers Mike Anderson and Erica Eversman will lead sessions at the Wisconsin Auto Collision Technicians Association’s (WACTAL) 2018 Conference and Trade Show. The agenda includes a hospitality social, two I-CAR classes and a program for spouses.
The WACTAL event is scheduled for Feb. 16-17 at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
On Thursday, Jan. 11, the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association will hold its annual member dinner at McCormick & Schmick’s Harborside in National Harbor, Md. The dinner will include an election meeting.
Looking further out on the calendar, the Automotive Service Association of Ohio (ASA-Ohio) will bring in Mike Anderson for a whirlwind tour of the Buckeye State. On Friday, March 9, in Columbus and Saturday, March 10, in Independence, Anderson will present his “100% Disassemble & Parts Best Practices” workshop. ASA-Ohio encourages shop managers, estimators, parts personnel and technicians to attend. The early-bird registration discount ends Jan. 8, but anyone purchasing a new ASA-Ohio membership will receive two free tickets to the event.
On St. Patrick’s Day weekend, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) will present its NORTHEAST 2018 Automotive Services Show. The growing trade show has added a second-level pavilion as well as a new education series produced by the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association.
NORTHEAST 2018 is scheduled for March 16-18 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J.
This is just a sampling of the industry events taking place in the first few months of 2018. If you’d like to get the word about an industry event, drop us a line at [email protected] or [email protected].
