ST. PAUL, MINN., June 2, 2015—The first-ever FenderBender Management Conference is in the books, following three days of educational sessions from top shop leaders and valuable networking that left attendees ready to return in 2016.
The conference, held in Philadelphia from May 18–20, featured a lineup of 23 handpicked speakers involved in workshops, sessions, panel discussions and keynote presentations. Topics, drawn from FenderBender magazine content on today’s hottest issues, ranged from modern marketing tactics to Theory of Constraints implementation; best practices in hiring to developing a shop culture that drives success. Attendees arrived from across the country and had opportunities throughout the event to meet with their peers and the presenters.
“The shop owners and managers that were here, a lot of them, most of them, are top-of-the-industry guys, and so the people that I met and the conversations I was able to have … were really valuable because I got a lot of really good ideas and I’ve made connections,” said conference attendee Tom Bemiller, owner of Aureus Auto Body in Zieglerville, Pa.
“I got more out of this conference than anything I have attended in a long time,” said Jason Boggs, owner of Boggs Auto Collision Rebuilders in Woodbury, N.J. “Usually, if I can come back with one action plan, one new idea, then my time was worth it. And I have many ideas from this.”
Slideshow presentations from this year’s event are available for free download and full videos of the sessions are available for purchase or rent. The FenderBender Management Conference will return in 2016, with a date and location to be announced. To be the first to get updates on next year’s event, and to receive preferential registration—along with discounts on this year’s session videos—sign up to be an insider at fenderbenderconference.com.