By James Kerr
Toronto, Ontario — January 1 2018 — The Canadian collision repair industry is small enough that you know your neighbouring shops, you know all the local reps, you know the company leaders—it’s one country-wide community of collision repair. A convention of the collision repair industry is a get-together of old friends, but it’s also the times of the year when the industry does its most sincere self-reflection.
Any smart owner knows keeping your head down and just moving forward is not the best way to keep a collision repair shop going. The industry is changing so much that just surviving to the next day won’t help you survive into the next year. You need to stay on top of all the industry trends, new materials, products, and more. One of the best ways we at Collision Repair magazine like to keep people informed is by our convention coverage.
SEMA: October 30 till November 2, 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center located at 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV. Widely regarded as the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, SEMA is worth the trip. The 2017 SEMA Show drew more than 70,000 domestic and international buyers. The New Products Showcase featured alone nearly 3,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components. SEMA draws the industry together on a national level with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, networking opportunities and more—and if you’re coming to see fellow Canadians, be sure to check out the annual “Canada Night” event. You can view our wrap-up gallery of the 2017 SEMA event here. For more information please visit: semashow.com/the-sema-show
NACE Automechanika Atlanta: August 8, 2018 until August 10, 2018 in Atlanta, GA at the Georgia World Congress Center. Promising hundreds of exhibiting companies and thousands of attendees, NACE Automechanika Atlanta positions itself as a leading event for the collision repair industry. For the second year now this show promises to bring the best of NACE together with the best of Automechanika to form one super-show. Check out our coverage of last year’s event here. For more information please visit: naceautomechanika.com
CCIF: On a shoe-string your business can attend the event closest to you—the more ambitious can take them all! CCIF happens at three locations throughout the year: CCIF Toronto 2018: January 25-26, Mississauga, ON. CCIF Montreal 2018: May 24-25, Dorval, QC, and CCIF Vancouver 2018: September 27-28, Richmond, BC. This is a chance to talk with your peers in a more intimate setting, share your perspective and gain insight on businesses like yours from all across the country. See our gallery frolast year’s CCIF Fredericton here. For more information on the best event please visit aiacanada.com/ccif-registration-january-2018/
Keep reading Collision Repair magazine and this daily e-zine for in-depth coverage of each of these conferences and more throughout the year. We’ll also be covering the regional banner events, bringing you THE voice of the Canadian collision repair industry.
2018 is something to look forward to with Collision Repair magazine.
