The International Bodyshop Industry Symposium adopted a redesigned format at its recent Middle East event, held at the Avery Conference venue at the Conrad Dubai on Feb. 10–11.
Aligned with the 2026 IBIS theme, “Connecting Changemakers,” the event moved away from traditional keynote PowerPoint presentations, remote dial-in speakers and large panels delivered to a darkened, classroom-style auditorium.
In their place came a brighter, more open indoor-outdoor setting and a multi-dimensional event space designed to encourage dialogue rather than passive listening. The intention was clear: to create an environment where industry leaders from across the Middle East collision repair sector could engage directly and constructively.
A central feature of the new format was the IBIS lightning conference session. Representatives from across the ecosystem — insurers, repairers, suppliers and OEM stakeholders — each spoke for five minutes without slides, graphics or video support.
“Speaking with passion not PowerPoints, each highlighted either a proposed solution to one issue facing the industry, one untapped opportunity, one area of frictional inefficiency that could be removed or one new innovation that would mean a positive stride forward for the industry,” said conference director Robert Snook. “Each individual outlined the idea, then proposed a practical solution and explained why the industry would benefit from adopting the new approach, finishing with a call to action to join them in making it happen.”
For Snook, one of the most notable contributions came from a dealer who challenged regulations common across much of the Middle East requiring collision repairs to be carried out at an authorised agency bodyshop during the first year of a vehicle’s life. While the precise mechanics differ by country, the principle is widely applied across the region.
The dealer argued that this time-based structure is increasingly misaligned with today’s vehicle technology profile, particularly as EV, ADAS-enabled and connected vehicles move beyond their first year in service.
“We should change it to a capability based system, where repairs are deployed to a tier based model based on international best practices and standards, that ensures the right repair goes to the right repairer every time, based on capability to repair correctly, so that consumers can be assured their car will be repaired accurately, regardless of whether it is repaired at the agency of that brand or a capable independent workshop,” he said.
Snook acknowledged that implementing such a model would require regulatory reform, but described the proposal as potentially “a game changer for regional stakeholders, for consumer choice and for future improvements to road safety in second accidents.”
While capability-based repair allocation is well established in Europe and North America through OEM certification programmes and tiered insurer agreements, the Middle East market remains less mature. In many countries, structured accreditation, insurer-repairer alignment and audited capability frameworks are limited or inconsistent.
Road safety formed the foundation of the opening session. Speakers framed repair quality not as a commercial differentiator, but as a public safety obligation.
“Manufacturers spend millions developing safer vehicles, but if a car isn’t repaired properly, it doesn’t protect the consumer in the next accident,” Snook said.
“The conscious and unconscious decisions we take in the claims management, repair deployment and repair processes have either positive or negative consequences downstream from that point in the process.”
He added that the liability implications are significant. “Choices have consequences and it is our responsibility and our accountability to take ownership of trends and changes to ensure a safety led culture prevails above commercial only considerations.”
With high-voltage EVs and increasingly sensor-dense ADAS systems entering the region in growing numbers, post-repair calibration accuracy and structural integrity are no longer secondary technical details.
“It’s really important to understand our responsibility and potential liability in the next accident,” Snook said. “These are now global cars that must be repaired to the same global OEM standards.”
EV imports into the UAE have risen sharply in recent years, while the regional ADAS market continues to expand at double-digit rates. Regulatory frameworks governing calibration standards, technician qualification and high-voltage safety, however, remain uneven across the Middle East and Africa and are struggling to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the vehicle parc.
Snook acknowledged the disparity. “The spread between the best and the least capable is wider across the region here than in more mature national markets,” he said, noting that rapid technology adoption is outpacing repair controls, technician skills development and quality assurance in certain segments.
“IBIS wants to be the neutral platform for roundtables to design solutions, involve authorities and regulators and agree solutions that will benefit everyone and leave a positive legacy for all,” he added.
The IBIS DNA — serving as a discussion and debate platform to improve safety, skills and standards — underpinned the Dubai agenda. An insurer-led session presented regional data and examined how carriers are adapting to changes in mobility models and vehicle complexity. A subsequent roundtable, chaired by Eman Mojali, CEO of Mada Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers, extended that discussion with audience engagement.
Another session explored the implications of these themes for the future of repairability in the region, featuring Wim Van Loo, general manager of MENA operations at MSX International, and Grant Greef, accident damage management and programs manager at VWG ME, in discussion with Snook.
Future IBIS events in 2026, beginning with IBIS USA in March, will continue the lightning session format and expand dedicated discussions on repairability and technology, focusing on the most pressing obstacles and opportunities in each market.
For IBIS, the revised structure is designed to accelerate practical change. For delegates, the message was direct. As observed during the Dubai event, “If you are not sat at the changemakers table, you’re probably on the changemakers menu.”
