Automechanika Birmingham has given 2023 body shop visitors a taste of things to come by launching its official event preview.
The Bodyshop and EV Training Hubs event calendar is now available, enabling visitors to plan their days at the show. Subjects covered will include ADAS, body repair, electric vehicle repair, paint, dent pulling, welding refinishing and BS10125 legislation.
In an Automechanika Birmingham first, the event will host a keynote conference, where visitors can debate the industry’s biggest challenges such as rising costs, insurance, margins and supply.
The event will also host its first Paint & Spray Live, allowing visitors to experience demonstrations in a fully ventilated and operational spray booth, courtesy of Masterflo UK.
Another brand-new feature for 2023 will be Detailing Live, with education partner and curator of the programme, The UK Detailing Academy. Body repairers are invited to view practical demonstrations and discussions that will allow them to discover how they can add services to their business offering, including leather repair.
Repairers can also visit Collision Repair Live where they can test and compare the latest tools and techniques for paint, spray guns, polishing, plastic repair, dent pulling, welding (including plastic welding), and more.
Additionally, Automechanika Birmingham will host the National Paint Championships, with the winner announced in a live ceremony at the show on 6 June.
Exclusive on-stand training and demonstrations will also be available from more than 500 exhibiting brands, including Elcometer’s SagolaSPRAY virtual reality training application which offers a fun, cost-effective training aid to accelerate spray painter training before they enter a spray booth. There will also be hands-on demonstrations of PPG LINQ’s technology, PPG VisualizID and PPG DigiMatch.
Attendees will receive a first look at some of the latest product launches for the body shop repair industry, including the latest spray guns from Walcom and SATA, PartsXchange’s app for buying and selling parts, new ProXL curing products, and the latest curing system and automatic mobile catalytic IR dryer from MasterFlo.
Repairers will have the chance to take home up to £50,000 worth of exclusive show deals and discounts on the latest body shop equipment, and access competitions and giveaways, offering significant savings to people who are first through the doors.
For example, visitors to the Mipa Paints stand can try an F1 racing experience. The top three fastest lap times will win a selection of prizes including a magnum of Moet Champagne, Hampshire’s finest Hambledon Premiére or Classic Cuvée (sparkling). Additionally, visitors can enter a prize draw for a chance to win an experience at Mipa’s state-of-the-art, IMI-approved training centre.
Visitors can also test their spray skills at the SagolaSpray virtual spray booth, with the daily highest quality scorer winning a range of Sagola merchandise and the overall highest scorer winning one of its new special edition guns valued at more than £600.
In another competition, a special edition gun will be given to people who share the best on-stand ‘selfie’ with Damage Undone’s Wayne Beardmore to SagolaSpray’s social media channels.
Other attractions include attendance by industry legends Craig Bourke (Specky Painter), Jordan Salt, and Sunny Yip, as well as free parking and breakfast to all body shop and garage professionals.
“We know time is money and money is tight, but you will learn, test and try more here in just a few hours than you can in months away from your place of work,” said Alex Jones, Marketing Director at event organiser Messe Frankfurt UK. “And don’t forget, Automechanika won’t be back in the UK until 2025. I know it’s a big decision to take time out from work, but you really won’t regret it as this investment in you, your team and your business is how you’ll not only survive but thrive. Don’t get left behind.”
Automechanika Birmingham will take place from 6 to 8 June 2023 at the NEC.