By CRM staff
Toronto, Ontario — January 27, 2019 –– Last week’s Canadian Collision Industry Forum event in Toronto came to a close on Friday with a gala dinner celebrating the forum’s 20th anniversary.
Held in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Airport Hotel, more than 200 industry figures listened as chairman Patrice Marcil introduced seven of the organization’s past chairmans. In turn, Ken Friesen, Glenn Hickey, Tom Bissonette, Tony Canade, Larry Jefferies and Joe Carvalho each shared their favourite memories from past CCIF conferences.
Following the dinner, keynote speaker Shawn Kanungo, a self-described disruption strategist, delivered his view of how new, game-changing technology fundamentally changes industries–from newspapers to the automotive sector.
Hosting both the tradeshow and a series of expert presentations on the state of the collision industry, close to 800 visitors representing facilities, banner groups, distribution firms and OEMs visited the international centre throughout the two-day event.
The presentations kicked-off with an address from Collision Repair contributor and author Jay Perry, who discussed how to be an effective leader in the collision industry–and the importance of mastering leadership skills.
“30 percent of people aren’t quitting the business, they’re quitting their boss,” said Perry.
The following day, industry analyst Brad Mewes held a panel which brought senior industry figures together to discuss the profitability of certification and accreditation programs. Following the panel, it was clear that the consensus opinion was that accreditation and certification programs were not a silver bullet for improving a facility’s bottom line.
Following the panel discussion, Mitchell International’s Ryan Mandell delivered an address that took a close look at the rising number of electric vehicles in operation. Mandell concluded that by 2029, EVs would be no more expensive than internal combustion engine vehicles, making them almost certain to become a common sight–both on the roads and in the bodyshop.
With more than 80 businesses participating in the tradeshow, attendees were treated to demonstrations of the latest collision-related technologies.
The next CCIF event will be held in Halifax from May 23-24.
For more photos click here https://flic.kr/s/aHsm8WgsRt
