By Mike Davey
Calgary, Alberta — May 19, 2016 — The right time for change is not when things are going wrong, but when they’re going well. That was one of the messages delivered by Fix Auto President Steve Leal during his opening remarks at Fix Auto’s national conference on May 18. The conference is currently taking place at the Westin Calgary. The theme for this year’s conference is “The Next Generation.”
During his address, Leal referred to the story of Polaroid. At one time, Polaroid cameras were effectively the only way to achieve instant photos. In particular, the company’s products were widely used in the collision repair industry for estimating purposes. When the digital camera revolution came along, Polaroid refused to make a big change and ended up shutting its doors.
Leal also discussed the recent news of the Prime CarCare acquisition (for more on this please see “Fix Auto acquires Prime CarCare Group”) and Fix Auto’s global expansion. The network now operates in eight countries, with a total of 430 collision facilities expected by the end of June 2016.
Vice President of Marketing Carl Brabander served as emcee for the conference. After Leal concluded his remarks, Brabander welcomed keynote speaker Alexandre Bilodeau to the stage. Bilodeau is a retired freestyle skier, and the first Canadian to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games held in Canada. The attendees seemed to respond well to his message, which can be summed as “take nothing for granted.”
“Nothing can be taken for granted,” said Bilodeau during his presentation. “You’re only as good as your next deal.”
The first of several panel discussions followed. In this case, the focus was truly on “The Next Generation.” Moderated by David Lingham of IBIS Worldwide and Orbis Business Impact, the panelists were all apprentices who provided insight to the assembled stakeholders on why they got into the business, why they’ve stayed and why they chose to work with Fix Auto.
Following the lunch break, Carl Brabander discussed the evolution of customer expectations and announced the launch of several initiatives that build on Fix Auto’s recently redesigned web site to build Fix Auto’s mobile channels. Brabander also unveiled new brand standards that will be rolled out nationally over the next one to three years. The presentation also included an announcement of the upcoming launch of the Fix Auto Hub, an online all-in-one resource for Fix Auto operators, including an online dashboard designed for Fix Auto operators to monitor and manage their shop performance KPIs in real time, and on mobile devices.
The first day of the Fix Auto conference wrapped up at a special welcome reception held at Sky 360, a revolving restaurant located at the top of the Calgary Tower.
The second day of the conference led off with a look at Fix Auto’s community efforts, and an announcement of a national partnership with a major non-profit organisation that will be announced in the coming days. The presentation was followed by an interview with Jean Charles Dupuis, SVP and COO for Fix Auto.
The second keynote speaker was next to the stage following Dupuis. Frank O’Dea is an entrepreneur, humanitarian and author. The co-founder of the Second Cup chain, O’Dea captivated the audience with stories of his life as a homeless panhandler and how he rose from that background to found several successful businesses and international not-for-profit organizations.
The second panel discussion followed O’Dea. The panel this time was composed of insurers discussing “Next Generation DRP.” Watch for an update on this soon. Following a brief break for lunch, attendees engaged in team-building activities.
The second day of the Fix Auto conference concluded on May 19 with a Gala event and the presentation of awards to stores and individuals who have gone above and beyond in the last year.
Watch for a complete report on the 2016 Fix Auto conference in the next issue of Collision Repair magazine!
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