Victoria, British Columbia — CARSTAR Canada’s network and vendor partners are in Victoria, British Columbia this week for the company’s annual conference.
This year’s event, bearing the theme VELOCITY, is particularly special as CARSTAR Canada celebrates its 30th year of operations. The conference also notably features several breakout sessions on top-of-mind challenges facing collision businesses.
Festivities will kick off Tuesday morning with the annual Charity Walk in support of Cystic Fibrosis Canada. The ‘Harbour Hustle’ walk will take attendees along the Victoria waterfront and feature guests from the BC Lions along the way.
A message from CARSTAR Canada executives will lead into an Opening Night ’30th Birthday Bash’ featuring live music, custom cocktails, games and, of course, lots of birthday cake.
Wednesday will start with an early breakfast before opening remarks from co-emcees Matthew Mauro and Michele Robitaille. Collision president Sabrina Thring and senior vice president Dave Foster will deliver a leadership message, followed by a message on consumer trends and marketing performance from Melissa Kwiatkowski, vice president of CARSTAR Canada marketing.
A panel from CARSTAR’s ‘Restore the Star’ members will follow, where panellists will discuss their experience in the program. In the late morning, keynote speaker Ryan Mandell, director of claims performance and auto physical damage for Mitchell, will perform a deep-dive into industry trends.
Breakout sessions will fill the afternoon, including updates from the CARSTAR Store Advisory Council, a session on hiring, and an inside look at RepairLogic. A 45-minute breakout session with Genevieve Belanger of Tesla will close out the afternoon.
Thursday will begin with an opening message from co-emcees Mauro and Robitaille before an analytics message from Vice President of Strategy and Analytics Tony Mammone. Breakout sessions will cover estimatics improvements, the ‘future of claims’, and maximizing the services of Advantage Auto Parts.
A vendor trade show paired with lunch showing the latest advancements and enhancements from CARSTAR partners will fill the afternoon, followed by an evening 90s-themed awards gala.
Collision Repair magazine will be on-site all week in Victoria. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X for real-time updates.
