Calgary, Alberta – The CCS Calgary regional conference, hosted October 4 and 5 at the Hotel Clique, was all about community and connections, as well as a day full of training and fun.
The theme of the conference was “Full Stride,” with the CCS team wanting to bring the best possible training to the network as well as bring everyone together for some fun. The goal of the event was to discuss how to achieve the best foot forward while continuing to stride into the future of the automotive industry.
The event began at 6:00 pm on the 4th with a CCS President’s Dinner where all guests were welcome to attend the Craft Beer Market to catch-up with old and new faces in the industry.
In attendance were over 40 guests with approximately 20 being from shops with current and prospective CCS members, as well as 20 vendors and CCS staff.
Thursday’s event hosted insurers, vendors, those with connection to CCS, as well as a few special guests and speakers in attendance.
During the event—which featured talks on the industry, training tips and networking opportunities—Stu Klein of AIA and vice president of collision programs, gave an important update on some of the changes and alignment that is happening in the automotive industry to help shops reach their training goals.
Following this, Stefano Liessi, senior consultant at Canadian Collision Specialist offered an engaging presentation on “Auditing Your Appraisals for Success,” which left even the best estimators and managers in attendance walking away with some great tips and tricks.
Executive Director of SAAR, Tom Bissonette, noted that “Stefano did an amazing job of explaining how to complete an accurate damage assessment that was literally a repair plan for the job. For me, this was the best training that I have seen on estimating and repair planning.”
The CCS operations team were stars with their “Platinum Rules” presentation focusing on accurate and upfront damage assessment, parts management, the production calendar and following processes. During the presentation, the team even shared some helpful real life results and examples.
Following a networking lunch, Christina Christopher, Vendor Relations Manager from Aviva Insurance, presented on Aviva expectations and priorities.
She revealed to the audience that CCS is Aviva’s most OEM certified partner with over 90 percent certification in Alberta, and this was a great compliment to all locations in attendance for their efforts in continuously investing in training and achieving certifications.
The event also featured the CCS Awards which were presented to specific members within the industry for their outstanding service and achievements.
Overall, the whole event received tremendous feedback from those in attendance—especially from speakers. The event was described as intimate and with lots of opportunities for facetime and moments to network and catch-up.
Vendors were able to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with their customers, thus allowing everyone to learn alongside each other.
The event ended with a CCS optional afterparty and a CCIF optional networking reception.
Calgary was just the first of three stops on a fall tour in which CCS hopes to continue reaching out to the network and promoting connections.
One Response
The hospitality and graciousness of the CCS group is second to none, what a fantastic group. I even got to meet some celebrities of the industry. The experience was my pleasure. Thank you for having me out, see you again soon!
👍🏻👍🏼👍🏽👍🏾👍🏿&👍