The doors of the Las Vegas Convention Center opened for automotive industry leaders from around the world to converge and drive the future of automotive business excellence. A shift in the automotive industry is reshaping how automotive repair businesses approach and enrich their operations, in turn challenging traditional cycles and norms.
The morning keynote saw over 1,500 industry executives in one room to hear from Auto Care Association President and CEO Bill Hanvey and President and CEO of MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers Paul McCarthy. NBA Hall of Famer, member of the original Dream Team and Olympic gold medalist, Magic Johnson delivered the keynote speech.
Bill Hanvey and Paul McCarthy informed the audience on the Right to Repair campaign. This is one of the most critical challenges facing the US automotive aftermarket industry. Without the passage of the Repair Act, an estimated $92 billion would be redirected from the aftermarket due to the withholding of service and repair information, while also putting at risk choice and affordability for consumers, along with the security of more than 4.7 million employees within the aftermarket industry. Unlike Australia where the Right to Repair has been federally legislated, automakers in the US are bound by a memorandum of understanding with no enforcement mechanism, resulting in significant barriers to access service and repair information.
A highlight was hearing from inspirational NBA legend Magic Johnson who has since become one of the most powerful and respected businessmen and philanthropists in the world. As a speaker, Johnson shared 'The Magic of Winning' and the real-life story of his remarkable rise, his philosophy for success, and an empowering message on how to create the best possible future.
His philanthropy and work with the young community is commendable. His dedication to continually learning and promoting automotive has elevated his status in business post-playing career, which according to Forbes is the fourth athlete to earn billionaire status, following Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tiger Woods. Johnson drew on many similarities in his career with that of the automotive industry and encouraged the audience to embrace change and grasp the opportunities that will come with the electrification of the vehicle fleet and other emerging technologies, not to mention the endless new business opportunities.
VACC Industry Policy Advisors John Khoury and Kathy Zdravevsvki spent several days across SEMA and AAPEX exploring, networking, attending educational seminars, and learning across the 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space that had over 1,500 feature vehicles, 2,400 exhibitors, a handful of OEMs, thousands of new products, and an insane amount of visitor foot traffic.