Mixing Business with Pleasure

by Burl Richards, ABAT President

Our industry is difficult. As shop owners, managers, technicians, repair planners and painters, we face new challenges every day. But you know what? What we do is also a lot of FUN!

When ABAT hosted our 2024 Texas Auto Body Trade Show earlier this year, we made sure to incorporate a ton of networking and social activities into the mix because getting together with industry peers is so valuable on many levels – we learn from each other and can commiserate with one another’s struggles, and sometimes, it’s just really nice to chat with someone who understands the ups and downs we encounter day by day, someone who truly gets it.

While our show is definitely the best in the south, the largest automotive aftermarket trade event in the world is coming up in just a few weeks; SEMA 2024 is happening November 5-8, and I can’t wait to head to Vegas!

So, what’s going on at SEMA? Well, what isn’t going on?! This Show is the mecca of all things automotive, so there’s going to be thousands of manufacturers, equipment vendors, paint companies, jobbers and suppliers of everything imaginable. I’ve got my eye on a few pieces of equipment and can’t wait to check out everything coming down the pike.

SEMA always features training opportunities galore, but some of the most valuable education happens outside the classroom. I’m looking forward to meeting up with industry friends from all over the country to get a feel for what’s going on in the industry now and what they think is coming next. I’m confident that I’ll learn about more than a few things I’m currently unaware of. And I know we’ll have lots of fun. After all, there’s nothing wrong with mixing business with a little pleasure!

For me, SEMA is a great place to end the year with some ideas of where our industry is headed, but if you’re a body shop owner who isn’t planning to hop on a plane to Las Vegas, that’s perfectly okay…as long as you still recognize the need to escape your bubble so you know what’s going on outside your shop’s four walls. Connecting with like-minded collision professionals is important for the success of your business and for our collective success as an industry. 

ABAT will be offering some opportunities in the coming months for shops to “get back to basics” with classes on important topics like repair planning and other things that impact a shop’s profitability, taught by some of the leading experts in our field. I can guarantee you’ll learn something useful and have a great time if you join us with a positive attitude. 

Speaking of positive attitudes, stay tuned for an upcoming survey from ABAT. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of insurance companies referring to a “prevailing competitive rate” that they can’t back up with any data, so we’re going to be hiring a third-party company to collect data and uncover the truth about the prevailing rates in our markets. And once that information has been collected and collated, I’m going to take extreme pleasure in shoving that data in adjusters’ faces. Did I mention how fun this industry can be?

Want more? Check out the October 2024 issue of Texas Automotive!