More to Love at the 2024 Southeast Collision Conference
by Chasidy Rae Sisk
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you’ve probably got a list of things that need to be done, like ordering flowers and reserving a table at your partner’s favorite restaurant, but there’s another reservation you should start thinking about this month…registration is open for the 2024 Southeast Collision Conference (SCC), taking place May 16-18, 2024 at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, NC, and this year’s event promises to be even bigger and better than its first two iterations.
WMABA will once again be partnering with the Carolinas Collision Association (CCA) to host the SCC in an effort to strengthen the “professionalism and business conditions for the professional collision repairer” by curating a conference jam-packed with the education, exhibitors and excitement that is quickly becoming synonymous with this conference. And the associations are working to give attendees even more to love in May!
“Besides bringing the best possible education to our region yet again, our main focus is on providing attendees with more interactive and hands-on experiences,” said WMABA Executive Director Jordan Hendler. “It’s going to be even bigger and more exciting.”
The new venue boasts more than twice the exhibition space as the 2023 trade show, allowing for more vendors but also giving vendors the opportunity to secure larger spaces which will allow for more demonstrations on the floor (like last year’s impromptu dent-pulling demo at KECO’s booth)!
Currently, submissions for WMABA’s Collision P.R.E.P. (Professional Repairer Education Program) educational agenda are being reviewed and finalized as event organizers line up nationally known trainers for the 2024 “collision revival.” While details are still being kept under wraps, Hendler shared a few hints with Hammer & Dolly readers about what topics they can expect to see on the training slate.
“SCC attendees will definitely have a chance to take their repair planning knowledge to the next level with some of the most brilliant minds in the business, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t include information on ADAS and calibrations to help repairers stay on top of the technological advances they’re seeing in their shops,” she predicted. “You can also anticipate a look at the future of repair processes, including a glance at next generation tooling, equipment and OEM certifications.”
Another important seminar that Hendler anticipates will focus on workplace culture. “The need to work with employees to increase their happiness and productivity is a largely untapped topic in collision industry educational offerings, and we want to help shops better understand how to improve their culture so they’ll have more success when it comes to recruiting and retaining quality employees. That’s just one of the ways to build a shop’s value, which will likely be the focus of another presentation.”
After last year’s highly praised panels, it’s no surprise that Hendler believes that the 2024 agenda will also feature several roundtable discussions, including an association-led panel on current industry and market issues which will likely be an open forum format that enables attendees to interact with panelists.
WMABA and CCA promise “a premier experience with many takeaways to improve their daily lives as collision repairers, and it’s a priority that those who are instructing our participants be on the leading edge of their field,” Hendler stressed. “Our teams are hard at work on the planning and preparation of a fantastic education program with opportunities for all segments of collision repair.”
The full agenda, complete with participating sponsors and vendors, will soon be available here at southeastcollisionconference.com. Learn more about WMABA at wmaba.com, and additional information about CCA can be found at carolinascollisionassociation.com.
*All scheduled and anticipated seminars are subject to change.
Want more? Check out the February 2024 issue of Hammer & Dolly!