IAAF Annual Conference and Dinner

The Glen Callum Team were delighted to attend the IAAF Annual Conference and Awards Dinner at the Hilton, Milton Keynes.   The evening was hailed as the best ever with over 600 aftermarket professionals socialising at the event, the largest of its kind in the automotive aftermarket.   Widely regarded as the industry’s premier networking event the team enjoyed catching up with industry faces both old and new.

The 2019 IAAF Conference highlighted the massive technology-led transformation in the global automotive industry and how every business in the independent aftermarket can take full advantage.   The opportunities and threats highlighted by new technologies were discussed and from a recruitment perspective the following areas of concern were brought to the fore as being areas for which the industry needs to prepare and evolve:

• Industry training and qualifications for servicing hybrid and electric vehicles.
• Digital disruption with some garages being unable to diagnose faults and the expansion of skillsets to adapt to changing needs in the independent aftermarket.
• Access to ever-changing technology for garages to ensure the knowledge isn’t only available to vehicle manufacturers.
• Training and legislation are put in place to protect all parties with regards to autonomous vehicles.

Neil Pattemore from FIGIEFA, the industry’s European federation and political representative, brought the conference to a close with his talk on the immediate threats affecting the automotive aftermarket, such as protecting Block Exemption, the risks surrounding the extended vehicle and the importance of cyber security.

The awards successfully closed off a year of events for IAAF Members offering superb networking opportunities and information relevant to the industry.

The Glen Callum Team will be meeting fellow members at regional meetings throughout 2020 to ensure we continue to keep abreast of the latest industry developments.

Contact our offices on 01384 485274 to arrange a meet up with a member of our team at the next IAAF event.