The news comes after speculation regarding the future of NACE, the Automotive Service Association's event, and its partnership with Messe Frankfurt and Automechanika.
NACE launched during the 1990s, when the industry's technical challenges revolved around matters like the introduction of the first emissions control systems, disc brakes and electronic ignitions, says Tony Molla, Automotive Service Association vice president. NACE attendance numbers had largely dwindled since the show split from the SEMA Show in 2009, and the latter experienced a continual rise in prominence.
In 2013, NACE hit an attendance low, with fewer than 5,000 attendees. In 2017, a partnership with Messe Frankfurt brought NACE to Chicago.
Now, NACE will take a break in 2019 and return in 2020 with a still unknown look and schedule for the event. In the past, NACE was held during the same time as other industry events like the MSO Symposium, the Collision Industry Conference, the Technology & Telematics Forum (which focuses on advanced automotive technology) and the Collision Repair Education Foundation's annual golf tournament. Last August, the MSO Symposium was held in Atlanta in conjunction with the Technology & Telematics Forum and other industry meetings at the NACE Automechanika Show.
For 2019, the MSO Symposium will be held in July in Indianapolis, and Lenk said tentative dates for that event are July 25-26. The Collision Industry Conference will also take place in Indianapolis, running July 24-25.
