Exciting Changes for NACE, CARS
New partnerships, strategies announced as event wraps
Highlights of this year’s Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW) event held Oct. 16-18, 2013, in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center include the robust conference program with more than 100 hours of management education and technical training, the largest MSO Symposium to date with 17 sponsoring organizations, two concurrent Opening General Sessions featuring industry-specific content, and a lively welcome party on the show floor.
The Expo featured more than 170 exhibitors supporting the show; the ASRW Main Stage, which featured a different industry speaker every hour, on the hour; scan tool demonstrations; PDR certification demonstrations; Recycled Rides gifting ceremonies and the First Responder Emergency Extrication (FREE) demonstration; and the ASA Marketplace and Business & Technology Pavilion.
Planning is well underway for 2014. ASA is excited to announce a new strategic partner, Stone Fort Group. Stone Fort Group’s experienced team will provide conference management, sales and marketing for NACE and CARS 2014, and will work closely with the association in a similar capacity to ASA’s longstanding relationship with Hanley Wood Exhibitions.
Stone Fort Group co-founders Sean Guerre and Brian Nessen have extensive trade show and conference experience. For more than 20 years they have managed, owned and consulted on events around the world, including co-located programs.
“We are excited to be a part of the changes taking place with the NACE and CARS events and feel the new direction of ASA will allow us to revitalize the show as well as be innovative in delivering an enhanced show experience for exhibitors and attendees,” said Nessen. “We look forward to contributing to the event by using our experience with numerous events that have the history and industry support that NACE and CARS brings.”
NACE and CARS 2014 will take place July 28-Aug. 2 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Mich., and will be co-located with I-CAR, CIC and the Collision Repair Education Foundation.
“NACE and CARS are the only events solely dedicated to those who service and repair cars,” said Dan Risley, ASA executive director. “The 2014 event will feature a week of comprehensive education and training taught by the brightest minds in the industry, a world-class trade show floor filled with the latest products and services from vendors committed to supporting the industry, and networking opportunities that have differentiated NACE and CARS since their inception.”
The International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) – the world’s collision repair event – represents the only B2B event of its kind specifically designed for collision repair industry professionals from around the globe. NACE features a comprehensive educational Conference and Exposition with hundreds of diverse exhibiting companies displaying the latest equipment, products, services and technology available to today’s collision repair industry.
The Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) – the premier event for automotive service professionals – features high-quality management and technical education led by the best instructors in the industry, along with an exhibitor showcase of automotive service- and repair-related equipment, products and services.
