Glad You Made the Right Choice

Posted 10/14/2010
By Ron Pyle

October 2010 marks a new era in the long and productive history of NACE and CARS. These events, well established and valuable as they have been, will continue to serve the interests of the independent automotive service industry under the Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW) umbrella.

ASRW celebrates its third successful year and welcomes a new partner, the Automotive Service Councils of California. I would personally like to welcome you to the only week designed expressly for independent shop owners and technicians! We are pleased that the preparations are complete and confident that you will reap a significant return on your investment in your attendance at this year's events!

We know you have many competing interests and priorities in addition to ASRW. But rest assured: By the time the show is over, you will clearly realize what a smart decision you made by attending this show. And let us tell you why we made the decision that we did to have ASRW be a stand-alone event in October.

First and foremost, over the past several years, attendees at ASRW have told us that the expense of attending the show was becoming prohibitive. We recognized that moving our events out of the busiest week in Las Vegas would allow us to reduce the costs to our exhibitors and attendees significantly. Comparing this year's rates to last year's will show you how much.

Attendees told us that we needed more networking and educational opportunities at both NACE and CARS, and we have responded. New in 2010 are the ASRW Association Leadership Summit, the ASRW Collision and Mechanical Forums, the ASA Town Hall Luncheon, and more technical and managerial education at this year's events than has ever been offered in the past.

Listening to our members and attendees, we learned that there was a big demand for service information, tools and equipment from the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and third-party providers. In response, we have assembled the largest contingent of vehicle manufacturers and tool and equipment providers ever presented to the independent service industry. ASRW is the only event where you will have this unprecedented access.

Of course we understand that you may be experiencing some anxiety about whether you made the right decision to attend, considering the current economic recession. Let me encourage you by pointing out that companies that invest in their core competencies during a recession are the first to recover and take market share from their competitors.

Automotive Service and Repair Week is poised for growth and ready to serve the finest professionals in the independent automotive service and repair industry at NACE, CARS and the other events that have partnered under the ASRW roof in 2010. We are glad you are here and know you won't be disappointed you chose to attend!

Ron Pyle is president and chief staff executive of the Automotive Service Association, the sponsor of ASRW. He may be reached at ronp@asashop.org.