Published January 31, 2023
Following the huge success of the inaugural Midwest collision repair expo in 2022, the bodybuilding associations of Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota and the Iowa Collision Repair Association are doubling the size of the event for 2023.
The 2023 Midwest Collision Repair Fair and Conference will be held May 19-20 in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, also at the Overland Park Convention Center.
To register, visit www.midwesttradeshow.org.
Co-coordinators Janet Chaney And Gina Cottonwho manage the associations involved in hosting the Midwest Show, were thrilled with the success of the inaugural event.
“As we expected, the 2022 show was truly a high-energy event focused on the future of our industry. We have helped store owners, managers and technicians by providing the information and tools needed to take charge of the next steps forward in our rapidly evolving industry,” said Chaney.
“This year’s theme pays homage to the engineer, without whom our industry could not exist,” added Cotton. “We’re calling it ‘The Year of the Technician.’ Given our current workforce development challenges, what could be more relevant?”
Training sessions, from technical to managerial, will be delivered by highly respected, senior industry leaders and professionals, including confirmed speakers Robert Grieve the Nylund Collision Center in Englewood, CO; Ron Reichen of Precision Body and Paint in Oregon; Danny Gredinberg of DEG and collision board; web marketing expert Mark Claypool from Optima Automotive and more.
The show will include industry leaders such as Solidus, Axalta, Car-O-Liner, asTech, Optima Automotive and others.
At press time, exhibit space was still available but is expected to sell out quickly, even with space doubling.
Each of the state association presidents made statements regarding this event, the Midwest’s largest trade show for collision repairers. “It was amazing to see how organized the 2022 Midwest Collision Repair Trade Show was,” he said. Jared Nicholson, president of the Missouri Auto Body Association and owner of Collision Leaders, a group of six stores located east of Kansas City. “He has far exceeded everyone’s expectations. As good as it was, 2023 is set to surpass it. Double the space, more training opportunities and a show focused on technicians! You won’t want to miss this, see you in May!”
“Success comes from knowledge and knowledge comes from education and networking and teamwork,” he said Pete Stemper, owner of Stemper Auto Body and president of the South Dakota Auto Body Association. “We experienced the best of all of these things at the 2022 Midwest Collision show. Continue on your ladder to success by learning, networking, and seeing all the new products that will be at the 2023 Midwest Collision Show.
“Our first show last year was a huge success demonstrating that our states can all work together to provide fantastic educational opportunities and a great seller show to benefit all collision repairers,” he said Dick Merron, president of the Iowa Collision Repair Association and president of Iowa Auto Rebuilders of Waterloo, IA. “We arrive, May 19 and 20, 2023, at the Overland Park Convention Center!”
“The 2022 Midwest Fair was an excellent example of what can happen when organizations come together and make an event successful,” he said Dillon Lapp, manager of Twin Rivers Body Shop in North Platte, NE, and president of the Nebraska Auto Body Association. “The year 2023 will be no different; the amount of experience and knowledge that will come this year will greatly improve every shop and every technician. The 2023 fair is based on the shop technician. We are excited to provide suppliers with the most up-to-date equipment and how-to guides. Hope to see everyone in Kansas City!”
To register as an attendee or to reserve exhibit space at the show, visit www.midwesttradeshow.org.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Contact Janet Chaney at 480-720-2565 or Gina Cotton at 402-304-2140.
Hotel arrangements can be made at the host hotel, Sheraton Overland Park At The Convention Center, on the website. A special rate for blocking the fair is available until 27 April. Cotton suggested booking rooms as quickly as possible, as the hotel filled up quickly for last year’s event, along with three hotels to spare.
Source: Midwest Collision Repair Trade Show
