Automechanika will start offering new digital networking opportunities for everyone who had been looking forward to coming to Frankfurt this September. Starting on 10 September, there will be a series of online training courses for repair facilities available online. Visitors to the website will also find updated company profiles for exhibitors, while users of the new ‘Connect’ tool in the Automechanika app will be able to contact other automotive professionals directly.
Thomas Fischer, Chairman of AAMPACT e.V., the International Independent Aftermarket Association, said: “This digital alternative presents the industry with an opportunity to showcase their latest products and services even in the year of the coronavirus while allowing them to stay in touch with their customers. Even so, our members are very much looking forward to seeing one another in person again and everyone has already announced that they will be back next year.”
Jürgen Karpinski, President of the German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK) added: “Automechanika’s digital offensive is an excellent initiative, and I wholeheartedly support it. Training in particular is essential to our industry, and the wide range of online seminars and workshops represents an excellent opportunity for workshops to obtain training this year free of charge.”
“Collision talk”, the Automechanika Frankfurt event that draws more visitors than any other, will be held as a web TV show this year. Taking place on 10 September from 5:00 pm (CET), the discussion will revolve around the pandemic’s impact on the accident repair market. For the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis in Germany, automotive insurers, claims managers, paint manufacturers, associations, experts and company owners will be joining in a public discussion of COVID-19’s impact on the industry. The event will feature:
- Thomas Geck, Director of Claims Process Management for HUK-Coburg
- Ludger Kersting, Managing Director of SPN Service Partner Netzwerk GmbH
- Matthew Whittall, CEO of the Innovation Group
- Andreas Brodhage, Managing Director of Global Automotive Service
- Peter Börner, ZKF President
- Reinhard Beyer, Chairman of the German Association of Partner Workshops
- Henning Hamann, Lawyer with ETL Kanzlei Voigt
An assessment of future trends in the automotive repair market, including a discussion with young owners, about the future of companies in the field will be provided by sales directors of leading paint manufacturers: AkzoNobel’s Benjamin Burkard BASF’s Tobias Brefeld and PPG’s Thomas Leuchten.
“Collision talk” will be followed by approx. 20 free online events planned from September to November 2020 that are being organised by Automechanika in conjunction with leading trade publishers and industry partners.
This article courtesy of Russell Thrall III, publisher CollisionWeek. Check out their website at: www.collisionweek.com.