NACE 2003 CONFERENCE OFFERS 45+ EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

The Inter-national Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) 2003 Conference will include 45+ educational sessions covering shop management, general interest, small shop, vehicle repair, lifestyle, jobber and insurance topics when it takes place in December. Sixteen of the sessions will be new to NACE and several will be “back by popular demand” with updated content. The Conference will also include a new three-hour workshop on estimating practices, and three-hour sessions on shop financials, wage and hour, management techniques and philosophies, and benchmarking. The international panel discussion, “International Issues and Trends,” has been expanded to a three-hour session. The panel will consist of experts from different countries and will cover R-CAR training, research and development, new technology, OE training and repair standards, Jaguar and other aluminum car training, legislation and its impact, and global trends—trends that will be faced by U.S. repairers within the next few years. An Insurance Track has been added for claims professionals featuring CE accredited courses and a CPCU Society executive-level session on Successful Negotiations. In addition, the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII) will give a session on insurance and auto repair issues for 2004, and there will be a new Automated Claims Processing Town Hall event. There will be advanced information system user training, two sessions in Spanish (Frames & Measurements and Welding) and seven technical sessions given by the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR). Many of the classes in the NACE Management Track will earn credit toward the Automotive Management Institute’s Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. Conference education will extend to the exhibit floor with the addition of a Claims Process Pavilion and the popular Action Demo Arena. To register for NACE and make housing and air travel arrangements, visit the NACE Web site at www.NACEexpo.com. NACE 2003 will be held Dec. 4-7, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla., and is expected to draw an attendance of 30,000+ from around the globe. It will feature more than 45 educational sessions and an Exposition with approximately 500 exhibiting companies. Bill O’Reilly, host of “The O’Reilly Factor,” will be the NACE 2003 Keynote Speaker and Wynonna will be the Saturday evening entertainment.