From BodyShop Business

Stone Fort Group has declared NACE | CARS July 30 through Aug. 2 as an “exceptional week” considering the celebrities, industry giants, technical experts, live demos and a wide array of leading industry associations that converged in the Motor City.

With more than 6,500 automotive industry professionals visiting the Expo and 8,000-plus throughout Detroit attending NACE | CARS and related Industry Week events, the turnout was top-notch, said Stone Fort Group.

The show organizer also stated that partnering with numerous associations, events and groups such as I-CAR, CREF, MERA, CCIF and CIC to form Industry Week was a recipe for success and clearly showed there is still significant support and benefits for an industry-specific event.

Kickoff
The 2014 NACE | CARS Conference & Expo kicked off July 30, offering a larger show floor, a rebranded MSO Symposium (now “CRES,” the Collision Repair Executive Symposium), as well as manufacturer-specific classes and a strong focus on aluminum repair.

Numerous live demonstrations on the show floor included aluminum welding, spraying in two prep booths and rivet bonding. Chip Foose, KC Mathieu and Hal Loo performed live paint/spray demos for attendees. Charley Hutton and Ryan Evans also were on-hand signing autographs.

I-CAR hosted a large center stage with presentations throughout the two-day expo. On the mechanical service and repair side of the business, CARS brought all-new content to attendees including the Auto Alliance Technology & Telematics Forum, the Young Technicians Symposium and live demonstrations of scan tool and new alignment technology.

Eecision-makers and shop owners came from throughout the U.S. and more than 20 additional countries to find the latest tools and technology for their shops. Many exhibitors reported making numerous sales throughout the show.

“The ASA board and management made some bold moves for NACE | CARS 2014,” said Darrell Amberson, ASA chairman. “We knew we were taking a risk, but we also knew changes had to be made to the event for the benefit of the automotive repair industry, our members and the association. Although we will continue to make improvements, we are very pleased with the results, and we appreciate the support of everyone involved.”

Added Dan Risley, ASA president and executive director, “The success of the show is truly defined by the feedback from exhibitors and attendees regarding their experience. The response from them has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re thankful for their support and look forward to building upon the foundation we’ve established in Detroit.”

Industry Buzz
Dan Benton, color marketing manager for North America at Axalta Coating Systems, said, “I saw people both days here come back, so I think Detroit is a great location.”

“This is definitely the best NACE show in a long time,” said Dana Alexander of CSN – Dana’s Collision, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. “It was a great lineup of education seminars and plenty of new items on the show floor. I especially enjoyed the show app that let me find booths and keep track of events. Great job!”

“The week flew by. I was busy the entire time. The floor had more pop and excitement, the venue was far better than I expected, the industry week events were informative and the networking was everywhere. Nice job! Something to build on for years to come,” said Mike LeVasseur, president and COO, Keenan Auto Body Inc., Clifton Heights, Pa.

“… By a large margin, I feel the show was our most successful in recent memory. I felt the show floor was the best laid-out show floor I’ve seen in quite some time,” said Pete Rudloff, owner, Pete’s Garage, Newark,
Del.

“Having just expanded my location, I needed new equipment. Now we’ll be prepared for aluminum repairs by year-end,” said Don Morton, Don-Mor CARSTAR, London, Ontario, Canada. “The layout of the show made it easy to find specific booths and the proximity to the education events was convenient.”

“We are very pleased with the workflow, the educational seminars and the venue,” said Jeff Kern, president of Car-O-Liner. “I especially enjoyed the CRES symposium. Many of our key accounts are here, and we’re happy to have the opportunity to spend quality time together with them.”

Kurt Lammon, Urethane Supply Co., said, “NACE is back! We’re happy to be here and are happy with the turnout of shops and distributors.”

John Brill, Steck Manufacturing, said the show offered something for everyone, which added a new sense of excitement: “It’s great to see all the training and education on aluminum. Life is back at the show.”