This year’s AAPEX Show in Las Vegas will feature a host of informative education sessions, trend and tech forecasts, plus some 2,500 exhibitors of course. Here’s a short list of must-see sessions to go alongside your long list of booth visits.

RECOMMENDED SESSIONS

AAPEXedu is the show’s premiere series of training seminars, illuminating some of the most relevant and cutting-edge information available in the industry. Topics highlighted include trends, the market outlook, technology issues, tariffs, and much more. A special industry summit geared to service providers is also planned.

The Auto Care Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association, co-owners of AAPEX, will provide special training and education presentations as well.

AAPEX exhibits number in the thousands, and you’ll be sure to put many kilomotres on your shoes visiting suppliers and future prospective suppliers. But there’s also a great educational program. Jobber Nation has scanned through the available offerings and picked out four sessions that jobbers and distributors should put at the top of their list to attend.

Tuesday 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

2020 Aftermarket Outlook
Room: The Venetian, Bellini Ballroom

At this year’s Aftermarket Outlook, NPD’s Executive Director and Industry Analyst, Nathan Shipley, will reveal how sales in 2019 are measuring up to expectations, share insights into consumer attitudes that will shape the coming year, and provide his outlook on sales for 2020 and beyond. Insights and analysis will be derived from examining a wealth of economic trends, consumer research (including a new way to understand online purchase behavior) and product sales data, including the 2019 Consumer Outlook Survey. These survey results will once again be unveiled for the first time exclusively to AAPEX attendees.

NATHAN SHIPLEY
Executive Director, Industry Analyst, The NPD Group
Nathan Shipley is Executive Director, Industry Analyst, for The NPD Group’s Automotive Aftermarket division. With more than 15 years of experience in the automotive industry, Nathan works closely with manufacturers and retailers to help them better understand marketplace dynamics through leveraging NPD’s vast array of data resources and expertise to better run their businesses. Nathan was also the recipient of 2018’s Auto Care Association Impact Award: Four for the Future, which annually recognizes four people under the age of 40 who have made remarkable contributions within the auto care industry. 

Wednesday 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Recruiting & Retaining the Next Generation of Top Talent
Room: The Venetian, Bellini Ballroom

Recruiting and retaining top talent is a priority for aftermarket businesses, but it can be a challenge to know where to start. In this session, you’ll learn about innovative ways the aftermarket is finding and keeping great employees. Hear directly from industry leaders on the initiatives they’ve implemented, and lessons learned along the way. Walk away with new ideas on how to implement these strategies in your own business from those who have walked in your shoes. 

Attendees will learn:

• How the macro U.S. retail environment is performing relative to past years
• What is trending in the e-commerce channel
• What macro factors will have the greatest influence on 2020 aftermarket sales
• Which changing consumer attitudes may represent opportunities for growth
• Expected 2020 automotive product sales performance

Wednesday 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

2025 and Beyond: The New Retail Frontier, The Future of the Aftermarket and How to Win
Room: The Venetian, Bellini Ballroom

Digital disruption and consumer expectations are changing the automotive aftermarket and opening a new retail frontier. In this session, Barry Neal, partner, Roland Berger GmbH, will discuss the coming transformations caused by the intersection of three trends:

• New technology that is underutilized in the U.S. aftermarket but embedded in other industries and countries
• Development of successful business models based on these new technologies
• Consumer migration to these business models driven by more convenience and lower prices

Find out how this disruption creates opportunities throughout the aftermarket’s value chain and how aftermarket suppliers can win in this new retail frontier.

Barry Neal
Partner, Roland Berger
Barry Neal is a Partner and member of Roland Berger’s North American management team. He has over 18 years of experience working with automotive and industrial clients on operations strategy and transformation topics with an emphasis on the aftermarket. Within the aftermarket Barry supports OEM aftersales, dealers, independent aftermarket suppliers, distributors, service providers, and retailers on supply chain strategy, channel management, operating model transformation, and growth. Barry is also a member of Roland Berger’s private investor leadership team, supporting private equity, buying groups, and strategic clients with target identification, commercial and operational diligence, portfolio value capture, and exit support. Barry studied business and industrial engineering at the University of Michigan (BBA) and holds an MBA from the Saїd Business School at Oxford University. He is a Six Sigma Blackbelt and Certified in Production and Inventory Management. 

Thursday 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Service Professionals Summit – Aftermarket 2030: Consolidation Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges for the Independent Service Professional
Room: Mobility Garage, Titian Ballroom

This year’s AAPEXedu Panel will tackle a very hot and trending topic that is reshaping the aftermarket and will have an big impact on the service professional.

• Learn about the opportunities to be a seller or buyer.
• What are consolidators looking for?
• How will consolidation at all levels impact the service professional?
• What do you need to do to prepare?
• What will be the impact of technology on consolidation?

Keynote Speaker: George W. Bush

Attend the AAPEX 2019 Grand Opening Keynote session for a fireside chat with Special Guest, George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States and Founder of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. At this ticketed event, you’ll first hear from Bill Hanvey, President and Chief Executive Officer, Auto Care Association and Bill Long, President & CEO, MEMA and President & COO, AASA on the State of the Aftermarket Industry, then Special Guest George W. Bush will engage in “An Exclusive Conversation with President George W. Bush: The Challenges Facing Our Nation in the 21st Century and the Power of Freedom.”

For more information, visit www.aapexshow.com