This year’s AAPEXedu will address the most difficult challenges facing attendees by offering three, all-new customized programs and more than 40 education sessions, all at no cost to attendees. The 2014 Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nev., with AAPEXedu sessions starting on Monday, Nov. 3.
The new, customized conferences include the Service Professionals Program, which will take place throughout AAPEX, the Recruiting and Retaining Program on Nov. 3, and the REMANedu Conference, also on Nov. 3. Each new program within the AAPEXedu has been developed using input from various segments of the automotive aftermarket.
The Service Professionals Program, sponsored by MAHLE Aftermarket Inc., will feature more than 20 education sessions, facilitated roundtable discussions, and in-booth technical demonstrations and networking on the AAPEX exhibit floor. The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) Fall 2014 General Meeting on Nov. 5, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., also is part of the Service Professionals Program, as is the AVI Training Conference on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. A fee and registration is required for the AVI Training Conference.
The new Recruiting and Retaining Conference is designed to address a common challenge for many attendees: finding and keeping good employees. The conference will feature expert-led education sessions, a panel discussion on developing millennial leaders and a spotlight on highly successful outreach and recruiting programs in the aftermarket.
The REMANedu Conference will feature valuable remanufacturing sessions, an engine remanufacturing panel discussion, and remarks by representatives of the Motor & Equipment Remanufacturers Association (MERA), the remanufacturing division of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) and the Auto Care Association. To attend the REMANedu Conference, contact Kelly Glasgow at [email protected].
In addition to these new programs, the AAPEXedu will offer sessions targeted for distributors, as well as sessions on sales and marketing, aftermarket telematics and the connected car, technology, and aftermarket trends and forecasts.
A special AAPEX General Session with keynote speaker Steve Forbes will round out this year’s AAPEXedu. Forbes is chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, an expert on the global economy and author of a new book, Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy and What We Can Do About it.
His keynote address will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 8:50 a.m.
All AAPEXedu sessions will be accredited by the University of the Aftermarket toward the Automotive Aftermarket Professional (AAP) and Master Automotive Aftermarket Professional (MAAP) designations. To learn more about the AAPEXedu, visit: www.aapexshow.com/edu. Registration is not required for the sessions, however, seating is first-come, first-serve.
The 2014 AAPEX is expected to feature more than 2,400 exhibitors, 5,000 booths and 39,000 targeted buyers. More than 130,000 automotive aftermarket professionals from nearly 125 countries are projected to be in Las Vegas during AAPEX. To register for AAPEX, visit: www.aapexshow.com/register.
AAPEX represents the $477 billion global aftermarket auto parts industry, and is jointly sponsored by the Auto Care Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), the light vehicle aftermarket division of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). For more information, visit www.aapexshow.com or e-mail: [email protected].