The Big Show is back this June!

After four years, Automechanika

Birmingham returns to the NEC in June for the largest UK automotive trade event, bringing an expected 12,000 visitors and 500 exhibitors together to experience the latest innovations in products and equipment as well as the training and support available to overcome the technical and business challenges facing UK workshops today and in the coming years.

Visitors can expect product launches from some of the industry’s biggest brands and the chance to secure the best prices on new equipment with exclusive deals, discounts, and competitions worth over £50,000. Exhibitors include Bosch, Hella, Snap-On, Alliance Automotive Group, Tool Connection, LKQ Euro Car Parts, ZF, Arnold Clarke Autoparts, Liqui Moly, SATA, NGK among many more.

Visitor registration is now open, offering garage and workshop professionals free tickets to the event, as well as free parking and breakfast, plus the opportunity to take advantage of technical talks, discussion on the latest trends and technology to futureproof businesses.

Taking place from 6 to 8 June 2023 at the NEC, Automechanika Birmingham 2023 will be the first UK event since 2019 and will feature a Workshop Training Hub delivering technical seminars, in partnership with autotechnician magazine, on engine fault diagnostics, MOT, diesel, Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) and more. There will also be a new Electric Vehicle

Training Hub discussing EV and hybrid technology, and how garages can make a successful transition to EV repairs.

Show feature: The Modern Garage

The Modern Garage feature will show that you don’t need huge investment to become a good modern garage and will detail the achievable changes workshops can make to enhance profitability and efficiency today and into the future.

The feature will highlight how the most impactful trends and technologies can be effectively incorporated into a modern workshop. In partnership with LKQ Euro Car Parts, the feature will demonstrate practical solutions to cover; Electric vehicle infrastructure, ADAS calibration, digitalisation of the workshop, connectivity, tools and equipment, as well as training options to provide the skills for the best technical solutions.

Andy Hamilton, CEO, LKQ Euro Car Parts, said: “Helping garages and bodyshops prepare for the future has been a key focus for our business over the past few years and will remain so for the foreseeable. Rarely has the sector faced such a significant amount of disruptive change as it does today. And things are not going to slow down.

“The key future trends that the independent aftermarket need to be across are unsurprisingly focused on technology - connectivity, driver assistance systems, digital channels and interfaces, electrification and shared mobility.

“These will not only demand investment into new skills and equipment but fundamental changes to the way garages and bodyshops interact with their customers and how they present their businesses to the world.”

An Aftermarket Conference and Supply Chain conference will highlight the latest news and advice from the sector, plus key debates on legislation for the future of the industry, and a

Talent & Skills Conference will address how to gain, train, and retain talent in the industry.

Visitors can also benefit from a comprehensive programme of more than 192 hours of free skills training, technical talks and discussions on current industry issues and new technology, as well as live demonstrations, all presented by industry experts.

Simon Albert, managing director of event organisers Messe Frankfurt UK, said: “We’re looking forward to opening our doors for 2023 and welcoming visitors. They'll have access to the very best information, training, latest products and services and will get to meet the industry’s leading suppliers.

“Set to be bigger and better than ever before, visitors to Automechanika Birmingham 2023 will be able to get a firsthand look at the latest trends, products and technologies in the market to future-proof their businesses and more.”

The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) has announced that it will be hosting its first-ever Garage Awards in partnership with Automechanika Birmingham to celebrate the very best of the garage industry and acknowledge the commitment and dedication independent garages and technicians have made to ensuring affordable mobility in the UK over the past few years.

Nominations are now open for the awards, which will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 7 June at Hilton Metropole NEC. There are eight award categories:

• Garage of the Year

• Best Independent Garage – Single-Site

• Best Independent Garage – Multi-Site

• Best Community initiative

• ‘Auto-Mechanik’ of the year

• Best marketing award

• Best customer service award

• Lifetime Achievement Award

Nominations for each award can be made at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/IAAFAwards (or scan the QR code above). Criteria on each award can be found on the IAAF website www.iaaf.co.uk and multiple entries will be accepted.

Use the following link if you are reading the digital issue (https://bit.ly/AutomechTickets) or scan this QR code with your camera to get your free ticket to Automechanika Birmingham

Shortlisted companies and individuals will receive two free tickets to the awards evening – the event will feature networking, awards and prize giving, plus a three-course meal and entertainment.

Mark Field, IAAF chief executive, said: “Independent garages are often the unsung heroes of our trade, and we hope the event will play a key part in highlighting the brilliant work the sector and individuals have done in recent years to keep UK motorists moving.”

Automechanika Birmingham is officially welcoming the next generation of aftermarket professionals to its summer show on 6th – 8th June, as the event organisers look to help bridge the ongoing skills gap and train the future specialists of the industry.

Along with aftermarket apprentices, Automechanika Birmingham is also encouraging first-year, second-year and third-year students to attend.

Alex Jones, marketing director of Messe Frankfurt UK, organisers of Automechanika Birmingham, said: “The statistics don’t lie, and unfortunately the number of dropouts in the first year of college is frighteningly high for automotive courses. Not only is it important to capture the interest of fresh talent by offering attractive apprenticeship schemes and college courses, once we have these individuals on board, we need to ensure we can keep hold of them.

“A key way to achieve this is by shining a light on the vast scale of technical innovations that our exhibitors offer, as well as the myriad of training opportunities available at the show. There are a multitude of options to explore for people wishing to kickstart their aftermarket career, from getting hands on in workshops, right through to product development at manufacturer level. And with a future based around an alternative fuelled vehicle parc and autonomous driving, apprentices and students can expect a long and fruitful career in the automotive aftermarket.”

Automechanika Birmingham has partnered with School of Thought, who will be exhibiting at June’s show, which was created specifically to address the skills and generation gap and promote all the career opportunities the industry has to offer.

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