Saskatoon, Saskatchewan — The Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR) kicked off its annual Fall Conference today, which will run through Saturday, Sept. 12 in both in-person and virtual formats.
Taking place at the Saskatoon Inn and Conference Centre, SAAR’s Fall Session will feature a medley of online and in-person activities to ensure all members feel comfortable in attending. While only 150 attendees will be allowed into the in-person event, SAAR’s Fall Conference sessions will also be available online to watch and participate virtually.
The Fall Conference officially kicks off today at 11 a.m. with a burger and beer lunch followed by a round of golf at the Legends Golf Course in Warman, Sask. After hitting the green, in-person attendees will return to the hotel to watch the NFL game on the big screen and socialize.
The festivities will ramp up again on Friday with an 8:30 a.m. SAAR Executive online meeting with Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), followed by a 10 a.m. online interactive seminar with Elite Bodyshop president Dave Luehr, who will deliver a discussion on challenges facing the Saskatchewan repair market and their respective solutions.
After a 12 p.m. lunch break, the Fall Conference will continue with an online SGI session on paintless dent repair before the trade show floor opens at 3 p.m.
On Saturday, SAAR will begin its Annual General Meeting at 8 a.m., featuring representatives from numerous industry organizations, including Andrew Shepherd, director of I-CAR Canada; Dave Flockhart, COO of BETAG Innovation; Leanne Jefferies, vice president for Canada’s Certified Collision Care; Gary Lin, Certified Collision Repair Program Specialist for BMW Group Canada; Paul Stella, manager of Toyota’s Collision Repair and Refinish Program; Peter Wrong, account manager for 3M; Leslie DeBoice and Ken Campbell of Sun Life Financial and the Automotive Retailers Association, respectively; Paul Carter and Scott Kucharyshen of Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s School of Transporation and SAAR president Terry Beattie.
Ciaran Downes, senior director for SGI’s national appraisal operations and Ryan Smith, SGI’s vice president of claims and salvage, will also deliver an update on the Safe and Quality Auto Repair program.
Click here for the full Fall Conference agenda.
To access the conference’s virtual sessions, click here and enter the password saar2020.
