A Labor of Love
by Burl Richards, ABAT President
In just a few days, I’ll see a bunch of y’all in Irving for the 2024 Texas Auto Body Trade Show. As always, we have a ton in store for everybody!
The educational slate this year is filled with classes on topics you need to know more about, taught by some pretty big names that you’re bound to recognize, including industry icon and my dear friend Mike Anderson of Collision Advice along with several folks from his team. The full schedule is on page 10, but one class I’m particularly excited about is Friday morning’s “Navigating Collision Repair Regulations and Insurance Terminology,” where I’ll be joined by Robert McDorman (Auto Claim Specialists) and Attorney Travis Clardy (Clardy Law Offices) for an interesting discussion.
Do you ever wonder why insurers pay for some things but not others? I used to, too! I’ve learned a lot, and these two premiere experts have loads of experience when it comes to some of the issues shops see, so we want to share some insights. Be prepared to discuss the issues, including why insurers pay for certain items, whether it is legal when they refuse to pay and what legal recourses shops have when carriers under-indemnify their customers. We’ll definitely be discussing the options that consumers have through Right to Appraisal (read up in advance on page 14), but we’re really looking forward to answering attendees’ questions, so be sure to jot down any issues you’re seeing and be ready for an interactive discussion. I’m confident that, between the three of us, we’ll be able to shine a lot of light on this subject and help Texas shops better understand what they and their customers are entitled to under the vehicle owner’s policies.
In between classes, our world-class vendors will be showcasing everything you could possibly need to run a successful auto body shop. From standard tools and equipment to different refinishing options and ways to handle ADAS calibrations and other pending technology, we’ve got you covered!
Of course, if you know anything about ABAT, you know our events are never all business, so we are gearing up for a lot of fun, too (get all the details in last month’s feature, available at grecopublishing.com/txa0624coverstory)! From our Annual After-Party to a claw machine, a car show and even a NASCAR simulator on the show floor, there’s something for everyone, so bring the whole family. Introduce your kids to this industry that has been so good to us!
Among all the fun, the event that is nearest and dearest to my heart is our annual BIG SHOTS Competition. We planned this for years before figuring out the logistics that allowed us to debut it in 2021, and it just keeps getting better and better every year! If you’re a body technician, painter, estimator or paintless dent repair tech, be sure to sign up and show us what you can do! This show isn’t just for shop owners and managers; it’s important to get technicians, painters and estimators involved, and BIG SHOTS is a great way to recognize the folks who are amazing at what they do every single day. Big shout out to all the sponsors who help us make this competition happen and who donate tools and prizes to recognize our winners. It’s such a big deal that a picture of the BIG SHOTS winners will appear on the cover of an upcoming edition of Texas Automotive, so be sure to brush your hair if you have any left!
A big part of attending this show really boils down to surrounding yourself with other industry experts and being able to have those conversations that help you hone your skills. The Texas Auto Body Trade Show is an excellent opportunity to do exactly that. Stop by a refinish manufacturer’s booth to get some tips on your paint gun technique, or learn more about glue pulling to hone your skill set as a body technician if you’re interested in saving time, using less filler and producing cleaner work.
Get on over to the Irving Convention Center on July 12-13 for the 2024 Texas Auto Body Trade Show! If you’re a part of this industry, you cannot afford to miss this event – you’re going to have access to information and tools to help you succeed in your business when you return to the shop on Monday. Our focus is on delivering the things that matter most to auto body professionals at the original auto body trade show in Texas, hosted by ABAT, an association made up of body shops that want to make this industry better for all of us. You cannot find this type of Texas-sized opportunity anywhere else, so come on out! ABAT’s team (our Board of Directors and ABAT Executive Director Jill Tuggle) along with our vendors put a lot into making this show everything you need it to be – it truly is a labor of love – but what really makes it so successful is the industry professionals who show up and participate. That means you! Register now at abat.us/tradeshow.
Want more? Check out the July 2024 issue of Texas Automotive!