Breaking New Ground: Texas Auto Body Trade Show Expands

by Alana Quartuccio

ABAT just may be the very reason the phrase “Everything is bigger in Texas” was coined.

September 18 and 19 mark the return of ABAT’s mighty Texas Auto Body Trade Show! Not only does this year’s show offer more than ever before, but this year’s event is guaranteed to break ground into a whole new world of knowledge, innovations and ideas to help you, your team and your business reach its maximum potential.

Everything is bigger and better this year! More exhibitors, more education and even more fun! And it all takes place once again at the ideal location of the Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel and Convention Center, which allows for everything – accommodations,  education and celebration all under one roof!

Make plans to get into town before the trade show weekend starts because the celebration really begins one day early! Join the automotive community on September 17 for the Kaizen Classic Golf Tournament, hosted in partnership with the Texas Auto Body Trade Show.

Glass and collision repair really do go hand in hand and this year’s trade show will showcase that relationship both on and off the floor.

“We wanted to partner with the trade show to bring the glass industry to the show,” states Shauna Davis, president and owner of Kaizen Glass Solutions.

In the past, Kaizen Glass has held golf outings for its alumni members, but this year they decided to take it up a notch by teaming up with ABAT to make the event part of the trade show weekend.

“We’ve had a great response from body shop members,” Davis adds. “I really believe the industry has been hungry for a golf tournament.”

The day on the green promises to be a great networking opportunity for collision repairers and vendors as well as those who have done their glass repair training with Kaizen Glass Solutions. “We are hoping to continue to bridge the gap between the collision and glass industries,” she relays. “This will be a great networking event as well as a reunion for our alumni on the golf course.”

The Kaizen Classic Golf Tournament will be held between 7am and 1:30pm on September 17 at the Golf Club at Twin Creeks in Allen, just minutes from the convention center. Shotgun start is at 8am. The agenda for the day includes networking, contests, prizes and fun on the course! Participants can register as individual golfers or as a foursome. Sponsorship opportunities are available as well. Please visit bit.ly/KaizenGolf2026 for more information and to register.

Trade show attendees will be exposed to glass repair work information more than ever before this year.

“A lot of our students come from the body shop world,” Davis says.  She identifies so much opportunity based on the alignment between glass work and collision repair.  Whether an auto body business seeks to bring glass work in house or sublet the work to a vendor, the Texas Auto Body Trade Show will have everything one needs to make it happen.

An entire area of the show floor will be devoted solely to the glass industry. Davis says initially, there was talk of bringing companies in to showcase with Kaizen Glass Solutions, but it was more ideal to allow each brand to be recognized individually. “We are calling it a glass pavilion right on the show floor. All the glass-related suppliers, vendors and live demonstrations will be done in one area, not spread out throughout the show. That way those interested in glass have one place to visit.”

ABAT’s show is always known for its elite educational opportunities and this year things have been blown out to the next level because it’s not just about picking up new knowledge – it’s about exploring new pathways toward profitability.

Several classes will be devoted to alternative revenue streams including glass repair. Attendees can earn their urethane certification (offered in English and Spanish) and get hands-on windshield repair training at this year’s show. The thinking outside the box theme will also be explored over some ice cold suds during the popular “Industry Over a Pint” segment. Panelists will share their experiences with tacking on wheel restorations, ceramic coatings and glass repair work to their auto body business.

ABAT’s mission with the show this year is to make sure that every educational class sets out to help shops be more efficient and profitable.

There’s possibly no greater tool in existence today than artificial intelligence (AI). James Spears (Tractable) will deliver “Real World AI Solutions for Accuracy, Efficiency and Service” to help repair professionals understand how it’s being used in the industry and how it can be used to grow business.

Spears says there are many misconceptions about AI. “One of the worst things that has happened is that people think that ChatGPT can do parlor tricks. They feed it silly things to see what it comes back with. But AI really IS a tool. It can take a lot of years to train AI, especially visual AI. I will share how it works and how it’s being used within the industry.”

His discussion will particularly zone in on how AI can be used to win customers. “Customers go with the shop that responds first, not the shop that they find first.” For example, AI can be leveraged to answer an inquiring customer’s intake questions in seconds.

Spears will highlight one of Tractable’s latest innovations – the LumaScanner. This technology has the ability to identify damage on a vehicle via a quick drive-thru experience. “Forty percent of the vehicles driven through these scanners have damage on them,” he notes. “We are talking about cars that are three years old or newer. These are highly repairable vehicles.”

It may feel like AI has taken us into futuristic space-age times, but according to Spears the level the technology is at now is the equivalent of “cavemen painting on walls.” This early stage is why it’s important for collision repair businesses to make decisions now about entering the world of AI. Things have come a long way in a short time, Spears points out. For example, today’s AI scanning technology can pick up on 99 percent of hail damage where just three years back it couldn’t identify more than 40 percent. “This technology is being used as a quality assurance tool. It’s catching things that a human quality assurance person won’t catch.

He stresses the importance of taking advantage of the learning opportunity to pick up new ideas and strategies in order to make decisions on how best to deploy AI. It can particularly be an asset to the front office staff. With AI doing most of the technical work, it can free one up to take the time to sell one’s certifications and services to customers.

Class time will also be dedicated to legal and legislative matters. A “Fair Repair Plans” panel is planned to focus on Texas’ new Right to Appraisal law – recognized as a huge win for consumers as well as collision repair shops. Industry leaders will be on hand to talk about how Right to Appraisal works and what shops need to know.

Industry attorney Sean Preston (Coverall Law) will make his Texas Auto Body Trade Show debut with “The Key to Getting Paid.” Preston has dedicated his entire practice to the collision repair industry. He’s designed tools such as the firm’s flagship product “The Forever Forms” a powerful repair authorization and legal toolkit. Preston will share strategies to ensure body shops are fully protected, paid and empowered to perform safe and proper repairs.

And one can’t afford to miss the most celebrated collision repair guru around –  Mike Anderson (Collision Advice). He will bring his high energy brand of education to the Texas trade show throughout the weekend. First, he will moderate a special panel discussion focused on the tools and resources available to help shops get properly reimbursed for refinishing. He’s also expected to deliver insights in negotiating and estimate writing, the latest industry trends and more!

Be sure to find time to get on over to the BIG SHOTS ring located in the center of the trade show floor and try your hand at many of the big prizes and bragging rights one can earn simply by showing off skills in welding, painting, estimating and glue pulling. Every year, the BIG SHOTS competition draws in huge crowds to compete among the four categories or to just watch and cheer on the competitors.

Winners take home amazing prizes in all four categories for first, second and third place. The first place winners walk out the door with $1,000 in cash and their photo will be featured on the cover of
Texas Automotive magazine.

So don’t wait! It’s time to break new ground and pave the way toward a bright future today. Register now at abat.us.

Want more? Check out the August 2026 issue of Texas Automotive!