NACE, CARS Expand Conference to Deliver Timely Education for Industry Professionals

Bill Haas, vice president of training and education for the Automotive Service Association, conducts the class "Vehicle Technology: You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet," at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center last November during ASRW.

As the industry's educational leaders, the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) and the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) have developed an expanded 2009 conference program delivering a total of 84 sessions (or 138 hours) of compelling and relevant education focused on today's industry professionals - all for the same cost as 2008. Like previous years, there will be timely topics offered that teach facility owners and managers how to stay ahead and focus on their businesses during the current economic climate.

The NACE and CARS conference delves into topics that are dealt with by both the mechanical and collision segments of industry professionals on a daily, weekly and annual basis. Sessions will be offered in both 90-minute and three-hour timeslots. Tracks include management, vehicle repair (collision), technical (mechanical), women's professional development, train the trainer, estimating, jobber, auto glass, and the all-new tracks for lean and heavy-duty truck - due to the overwhelming request from post-show attendee surveys.

Both NACE and CARS are sponsored by the Automotive Service Association (ASA) and will be co-located at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nov. 4-7, during the second annual Automotive Service & Repair Week (ASRW).

There are NACE-specific and CARS-specific sessions, but registered attendees have access to any session they wish to attend. The entire conference program was designed to meet the educational needs of today's professional. With this in mind, all CARS technical sessions have been assigned to three-hour timeslots since more detail and instruction is required in order to achieve the level of expectation. Additional timeslots were added to the Thursday, Friday and Saturday overall schedules to provide more choices to fit individual agendas.

Management sessions are expected to be the most universal selection among both collision and mechanical professionals. These subjects generally cross the boundary of industry segmentation and pertain to both business models in a similar fashion.

"Each year the conference development and direction is created with the attendees' needs as the foremost catalyst. But with the economy impacting this industry - from both negative and positive standpoints - special emphasis was given to 2009 topics that would help them keep their businesses vital and competitive," said Ellen Pipkin, show manager, Hanley Wood Exhibitions. "We've added five new timeslots to the schedule, offering an additional seven-and-a-half hours of education. It is our top priority to provide real knowledge and skills, delivering participants with an immediate 'take-away' that makes their businesses work smarter, better and more productively."

For more event details, visit www.NACEexpo.com or www.CARSevent.com.

Nov. 4-7, 2009 Automotive Service & Repair Week (ASRW) • International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Hanley-Wood, (888) 529-1641, www.NACEexpo.com • Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Hanley-Wood, (888) 529-1641, www.CARSevent.com