July 13, 2015—According to a survey given at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Atlanta this past spring, attendees found the presentations impactful and plan on attending the next meeting in Detroit, July 21-22, prior to the NACE/CARS Expo & Conference at the Cobo Center.
This is the second survey this CIC Marketing Committee has administered in its efforts to capture feedback from its attendees and improve meetings.
CIC allows collision industry stakeholders to come together to discuss issues, enhance understanding, find common ground and communicate possible solutions to the industry.
The first survey conducted gauged feedback and input from all CIC members who had attended meetings in the past. The most recent survey specifically targeted those who attended the Atlanta meeting, with 92 percent of respondents having attended the event.
Nearly 80 percent of the responders are Gold Pin participants. Most classified themselves as a repairer (22 percent), in the parts and materials segment (20 percent), or a related segment (28 percent).
Networking is still the most important aspect driving attendance with a 4.4 out of 5 importance rating, followed by information (3.9), related meetings (3.7), and business partnerships (3.6).
Survey respondents reviewed the individual committee presentations—the Marketing Committee, Technical Committee, Definitions Committee, Education Committee and Parts and Materials. An average of 73 percent of respondents attended each.
Thirty-four percent of respondents said the Definitions Committee presentation, "Class A Shop of Today," had the biggest impact, followed by the Parts and Materials Committee presentation, "A Parts Procurement Panel," with 25 percent of respondents selecting it.
Comments and suggestions were also encouraged. Many of the respondents were happy with the two-day format and open mic opportunities, and others sought improvement in presentation technology and the meeting schedule.
Eighty-four percent of respondents indicated that they would be attending the next CIC meeting in Detroit.