The 2000 International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE), held Dec. 7-10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., featured 601 exhibiting companies and more than 30 congress sessions providing solutions for the collision repair industry. The exhibitors occupied 277,800 square feet of floor space - the largest ever for the event. Now in its 18th year, NACE drew 30,752 collision repair professionals from more than 70 countries.

For the first time, individual congress session tickets were available for purchase. Galen Poss, president of Hanley-Wood Exhibitions, said more than 1,500 individual tickets were sold without any negative impact on full congress registrations. Also for the first time, education courses were held on Thursday morning and were attended by more than 1,000 delegates. Many classes were filled to capacity, largely due to this new program and an increase in the number of time slots.

These sessions catered to every aspect of the collision repair industry, providing timely subject matter for all those who attended. Sessions focused on estimating, claims handling, cycle times, organizing and marketing your shop, direct repair programs (DRPs), consolidation, aftermarket parts, performance and productivity, airbag issues, e-business and trends for the new century.

Entertainment

NACE 2000 wasn't all work and no fun. The Opening Night party was held at Disney's-MGM Studios where attendees were greeted by more than five million lights and memorable Disney characters. The Beach Boys performed in front of several thousand attendees at the Saturday Night Beach Party, singing many favorites and “automotive classics” such as “Little Deuce Coupe” and “409.” Dana Bellantone, NACE show director, said there was a lot of dancing in the aisles “and the crowd was definitely into it.”

NACE Speakers Address Issues
Impacting Future of Collision Repair Industry Using a talk-show format, Kevin Caldwell, AAM, NACE 2000 chairman, delivered the opening address to attendees. Caldwell spoke on a number of key issues that influence collision repair professionals, including insurance and repairer relationships, information providers, consolidations, direct repair programs (DRPs) and trends for 2001.

Caldwell said businesses are better off today than they were a year ago, citing a recent study that showed repair orders are up 4 percent over last year. But, Caldwell emphasized that the industry still has a way to go.

To continue to make progress, Caldwell said all collision repair professionals need to focus on making information available to everyone. He agrees with other industry experts that an increase in electronics on vehicles will have a strong influence on the repair of vehicles. He said that repairers should also count on changes in design and an increase in aluminum and plastics. “The short answer here is training, training, training,” he said.

Caldwell said his final word was “communicate!” He asked attendees to “share what they know and learn from others out there.”

In his keynote address, Daniel Burrus, one of the world's leading technology forecasters, challenged some conventional ideas about business and the sharing of information and knowledge. “It's important to know where we've been,” he said. “But it's imperative to know where we're going.”

In “Futureview: A Look Ahead,” Burrus delivered strategies for gaining the competitive edge in the collision repair business. “The No. 1 competitive advantage on this planet is speed,” he explained. “Use technology to do things faster.” He stressed the importance of knowing the competition and encouraged innovation instead of imitation. “Don't compete. Change the rules with honesty and integrity,” he said. He also explained how technology will automate education, making “just in time” training a reality.

Caldwell, Rosenthal Among Award Recipients “I love this industry and the differences we can make. And, I know I'm just one of many who have taken time away from their businesses and family to better the collision repair industry,” said Kevin Caldwell, recipient of the BodyShop Business Executive of the Year award. The award annually recognizes an individual from the collision repair industry who not only operates a successful body shop, but who also gives extensively of his or her time to improve the industry and the community.

Denise Lloyd, publisher of BodyShop Business magazine, presented the award to Caldwell and said, “With his characteristic honesty and integrity, you will find he always works for what he believes in. And, what he believes in is the collision repair industry.”

Lloyd also presented the Tom B. Babcox Scholarship during the opening ceremonies. David Rosenthal, shop manager of Roth and Miller Autobody in Portland, Ore., was this year's recipient. The $1,000 scholarship is presented yearly to enable an industry professional to continue his or her management education by taking Automotive Management Institute (AMI) courses and by attending NACE.

Akzo Nobel honored seven women who manage or are involved in running profitable businesses as this year's “Most Influential Women in the Collision Repair Industry.” This year's recipients were Camille Eber, Roth and Miller Autobody, Portland, Ore.; Angie Goff Gende, Goff's Autobody, Waukesha, Wis.; Geralynn Kottschade, Jerry's Body Shop, Mankato, Minn.; Denise Lloyd, BodyShop Business, Akron, Ohio; Patricia Serratore, ASE, Manhattan Beach, Calif.; GiGi Walker, Walker's Autobody & Fleet, Concord, Calif.; and Valerie White, White Autobody, Florissant/O'Fallon, Mo.

Each of this year's recipients will designate a vo-tech school for a scholarship specifically for a female student pursuing a career in collision repair.

NACE 2001 will be held Nov. 29-Dec. 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. ASA is the sole sponsor of NACE.

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