Mississauga, Ontario — The Paint and Body Equipment’s (PBE) 2024 trade show brought together industry members in a colourful display of print, product and passion.
The 27th annual show took place on April 11 from 1:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST at the Hilton Mississauga-Meadowvale hotel and featured 54 exhibiting vendors alongside prizes and giveaways for attendees.
According to Bruce Murray, Business Development Manager at PBE Distributors, vendor booths were at max capacity, with six new product lines represented and 88 vendors featured overall. Moreover, the hotel was “sold out with approximately 300 people–a mix of attendees, vendors, jobbers, VIP shops as well as PBE National reps present, with added staff from the London warehouse,” Murray further noted.
Among the many highlights of the event, key features included Jon Kosmoski, the founder of House of Kolor being present to sign a print that was then raffled off to Rich Slater, manager of CHC Paints, while celebrated pinstripe and airbrush artist Rob Gibbs from Burlington, Ont., displayed his custom airbrush artwork pieces at the House of Kolor booth.
Alongside Kosmoski, VIP guests from the United States also included Ryan Evans, Maverick of Colour and Premier Painter from Counts Kustoms in Las Vegas, Nevada, who was onsite to give autographs and chat with attendees.
Moreover, distributor guests were flown in from coast-to-coast and many local bodyshops attended.
The day also saw many prizes and giveaways, and towards the end of the event, Murray, took a moment during the vendor suite reception to thank and acknowledge Doug Dunning, Ontario Account Manager, Specialty Product Sales–who will be retiring in the summer—for his number of years of service and work within the industry.
Top prizes drawn during the day included a 70” 4K Smart TV donated by 3M Canada and which was won by Barry Kuehl of Bears Restoration near Eganville, Ont; another 70” 4K Smart TV donated by PBE and won by Paula Labinowicz of Carquest, Brampton; a one and only DV1 Basecoat “Gambler” themed Digital HVLP Spray Gun, donated by Devilbiss and won by Tony Le of Procolor Collision South; a complete welding protection kit donated by Prospot and won by Cathy Shouldice of Shouldice Collision, Cambridge; and lastly, Innovative Tools & Technologies Inc. donated all nine display pieces to attending VIP bodyshops.
In response to the event’s success, Ken Grieve, Director of Marketing, noted that the event’s theme, “Relevance unleashed: the power equation,” “resonated deeply with everyone involved, showcasing the dedication within the auto collision industry.”
“A huge round of applause to our PBE Team, Supply Partners, dedicated Jobber customers, and Collision Centers for contributing to another fantastic event,” Grieve further commented. “Partnerships truly make all the difference, and it’s wonderful to hear about the exchange of great stories, introduction of new products, and the addition of new supply partners. Here’s to continued success and collaboration in the future!”
Check out Collision Repair magazine’s exclusive photos and videos of the event below.
