AAPEX wraps up another year

The two biggest events of the year have officially wrapped up.

The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo and the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show welcomed huge crowds to Las Vegas where industry pros got to see the latest from manufacturers from around the world.

At the Sands Expo, AAPEX ran from Oct. 31 to November 2, while the SEMA show ran an extra day at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Neal Ganguli delivered the first of three keynote sessions at AAPEX on Oct. 31. His session looked at the future of mobility and the aftermarket

AAPEX ran keynote sessions at the start of each day, looking at what the future of the car may look like, how the future customer will want to buy parts and what service and repair shops need to do to in order to keep up with the changes ahead in technology.

AAPEXedu sessions were held through the event and covered topics like trends in the industry, what 2018 may look like, how the connected car will impact the aftermarket, how the Asian market is growing and how to work with multiple generations. The Let’s Tech booth gave 20-minute presentations on technical information for service and repair shops.

From left: Carm Capriotto, Ryan Clo, Dave Hobbs, and Matt Fanslow.

Service provider issues were front and centre in a session moderated by Carm Capriotto, host of the Remarkable Results Radio podcast. Panelists were Ryan Clo, owner of Dubwerx, a repair shop in Cincinnati, Ohio; Matt Fanslow, a diagnostician at Riverside Automotive in Redwing, Minn.; and Dave Hobbs, lead technical trainer at Delphi Product & Service Solutions. They offered their views on a number of hot topics, including what the future of auto repair will look like, how to attract young people into the industry, and why a culture of continuous learning is so important in modern repair shops.

Upwards of 160,000 people were expected to be at this year’s event between AAPEX and SEMA.

Canada Night

Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week wouldn’t be complete without the biggest event of the year for Canadians.

The Automotive Industries Association of Canada held their annual Canada Night celebration on Oct. 31. About 1,200 people registered for the event at Caesars Palace, which has been held annually since 1971.

The gathering is the largest for Canadians, giving attendees the opportunity to network and meet with others within the aftermarket.