New details about sessions on insurer negotiations, shop operations and restoring vehicle safety ahead of the 2026 SEMA Show, taking place Nov. 3–6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
An Oct. 20 announcement confirms that Tim Ronak, senior services consultant at automotive coatings manufacturer AkzoNobel, will join Sean Preston, managing attorney at Coverall Law, for a session examining how everyday shop practices affect insurer negotiations.
The 3 Daily Mistakes Repair Shops Make That Empower Insurers runs Nov. 4 from 9:30–11 a.m. The presentation is part of Repairer Driven Education, organized by the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), a U.S. association representing collision repair businesses.
“Repairers are being asked to do more with less leverage, and improving that position starts with what happens inside the shop every day,” said Nada Jokic, AkzoNobel business consulting service manager.
Ronak and Preston will examine how operational decisions can affect payment outcomes, documentation and a shop’s negotiating position. Their presentation is organized around protection, payment and process. It includes 30 steps intended to help repairers strengthen their position and reduce friction during claims handling.
Attendees will be able to discuss real-world scenarios and how the proposed changes apply to their businesses. AkzoNobel is also returning as a sponsor of the classroom program, the IDEAS Collide Showcase and the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit.
Other classroom sessions on Nov. 3–4 address repair research, overlooked mechanical labour, financial management and bringing mechanical repairs and auto glass services in-house. Leadership sessions cover communication, accountability and turning training into changes on the shop floor.
The technical requirements behind modern repairs will receive a separate examination during the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit on Nov. 5. Its three sessions follow vehicle safety from federal objectives through engineering and into the repair process.
Lee White, deputy administrator of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will open the summit from 12:30–1:30 p.m. White will discuss vehicle and roadway safety priorities, emerging transportation technologies and research. He will then join SCRS executive director Aaron Schulenburg for a conversation about the repair industry’s role in maintaining vehicle safety.
The second session, from 2–3 p.m., will examine how manufacturers establish safety-system requirements and evaluate their effectiveness. The current SCRS program lists General Motors active safety specialists Michael Carpenter and Jameson Collins, with automotive industry executive Jake Rodenroth moderating.
The closing session, from 3:30–4:30 p.m., will address restoring those systems after a collision. Participants include GM engineers Steven Vance and Chad Zagorski, Ford body and damageability specialist Brian Perkins, and Ryan Davenport, a service engineering senior manager at electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian.
Danny Gredinberg, administrator of the Database Enhancement Gateway, an estimating information resource, will moderate. The discussion will cover how engineering requirements become repair procedures, how calibration strategies are tested and what a successful calibration establishes about system performance.
Repairers can also examine those questions around vehicles and equipment at the expanded advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) showcase.
Organizers from the Specialty Equipment Market Association, the automotive aftermarket trade association behind the show, announced the expanded showcase Oct. 15. It will operate throughout the show at booth 31200 in Upper South Hall, with representatives from GM, Ford and Rivian scheduled to participate alongside repair and calibration specialists.
Two calibration bays will support demonstrations examining sensor positioning, vehicle geometry, replacement components and modifications. Short technical discussions will be followed by time for attendees to inspect equipment and question experts. Registered show buyers and exhibitors can participate.
“ADAS performance can be influenced by a range of interconnected factors,” Schulenburg said in SEMA’s Oct. 15 release.
Those factors include vehicle geometry, sensor positioning, replacement component selection and adherence to repair procedures. Planned discussions include troubleshooting failed calibrations, determining when calibration is necessary and understanding why a successful calibration may not establish that a repair is complete.
Additional technical discussions will take place at the Collision Repair Stage, booth 32145. A Nov. 4 panel at 10 a.m. will examine how structural alignment affects sensor alignment and calibration. Participants include Jeramy Holloway of equipment supplier Spanesi, Chuck Olson of diagnostic and calibration provider AirPro Diagnostics, and Scott VanHulle of I-CAR, the not-for-profit collision repair training organization.
Refinishing discussions follow that afternoon. A 1 p.m. panel will address whether primer or filler should be applied first. A 3:10 p.m. discussion will examine blending technology.
On Nov. 6, Gredinberg and Mike Anderson of shop consulting business Collision Advice are scheduled for a 10:40 a.m. interview on “Who Pays for What.” I-CAR plans to make stage presentations available on demand the following day.
I-CAR instructors will also offer new courses covering diagnostics and scan tools, blueprinting and glue pull repair. Returning welding demonstrations will give participants in GMA/MIG courses an opportunity to apply classroom learning on the show floor with an instructor.
“I-CAR helps repair professionals build the knowledge and confidence to meet today's repair challenges,” said Kyle Thompson, I-CAR president and CEO.
Attendees can register for individual SCRS sessions or purchase a Full Series Pass covering the Tuesday and Wednesday classroom sessions, the IDEAS Collide Showcase, all three summit sessions and the SCRS Afterparty. Registration is available at scrs.com/rde. AkzoNobel representatives will be at booth 35144 in Upper South Hall.
“The programs SCRS delivers through RDE give repairers practical, actionable tools they can put to work right away,” Jokic said. “We’re proud to stand alongside SCRS in supporting education that helps businesses operate with more confidence and clarity.”
