March 14, 2011 — NACE will be one of the sponsors of the International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS) this spring, NACE announced Monday.

IBIS, founded in 2001 by Bodyshop Magazine, attracts roughly 300 collision industry executives, who meet to identify and address industry challenges. This year’s theme is 20/20 Vision.

“NACE and IBIS share many common goals of uniting the collision industry, which makes this new partnership a logical next step in the evolution of both events,” said Ron Pyle, Automotive Service Association president and chief staff executive.

The sponsorship will give NACE, the flagship event of Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW), international visibility and marketing exposure among IBIS attendees, publishing partners and other sponsors, NACE said. NACE Chairman Ron Nagy will attend IBIS as this year’s recipient of the Russ Verona Memorial Scholarship and NACE also plans to host a press conference at the event.

IBIS is scheduled for May 16-18 in Barcelona, Spain. NACE is set for Oct. 6-8 in Orlando, Fla.