Feature

See You in September
Get Ready, Get Booked for Auto Glass Week™ 2011

Have you struggled in the past to choose an auto glass event to attend? Has the question “Vegas or Florida?” weighed on your mind for the last few years? Well, this year, the choice is simple—as all of the major auto glass groups have agreed to hold one joint event and that event is Auto Glass Week™ this September in Memphis, Tenn.

Auto Glass Week 2011 will bring together the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standards (AGRSS) Council Inc., the Independent Glass Association, the National Glass Association and the National Windshield Repair Association—all in one spot at the same time. In addition, AGRR™ magazine’s Pilkington Clear Advantage Auto Glass Technician Olympics (AGTO) and the Walt Gorman Memorial Windshield Repair Olympics (WRO) also will be held. The International Window Film Tint-Off and Conference™ also will be held concurrently. The event is managed by AGRR magazine.

All of the groups will meet September 15-17 at the Memphis Cook County Convention Center.

Book Your Hotel Room—Today!
Discounted rooms for Auto Glass Week are available at the Memphis Marriott Downtown, which is connected to the Memphis Cook County Convention Center via a covered walkway. The discounted room rate is $99 plus tax per night. Rooms can be booked by calling 888/557-8740 and mentioning that you are with Auto Glass Week. If you’d rather book online, visit www.autoglassweek.com and click on the hotel tab.

What to Expect
The event not only has a new location (it’s been held in Las Vegas for the last several years), but also a new format. It will begin on Wednesday, September 14, with AGRSS Council committee meetings and a board meeting, along with preliminary meetings for WRO and tint-off participants.

On Thursday, September 15, an informative line-up of educational seminars for the entire auto glass industry will be held throughout the day. The tint-off will be held in the afternoon, along with the first heats of the WRO, while attendees will have a chance to visit with sponsors and view their latest offerings. The annual AGRSS Charity Auction and Cocktail Party will top off the day; take this chance to mingle with industry colleagues and bid on some fun items in support of a good cause. AGTO participants also will get started with their preliminary meeting.

Attendees will have the opportunity to attend several more hours of educational sessions on Friday, September 16, and will have a chance to mingle with one another and suppliers from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. during a cocktail party on the show floor. The AGTO will kick off during the afternoon as well, while the WRO will wrap up with finals.

The last day of the event, Saturday, September 17, also will be filled with more educational sessions designed for the auto glass industry, and the final hours of the AGTO competition. Exhibits will be open from 9 a.m. to noon as well, and afterwards the winners of all three competitions—the AGTO, WRO and tint-off—will be revealed during a special luncheon.

Among the seminars already lined up for Auto Glass Week is a session by renowned speaker Kelly McDonald who will conduct a session called “Who is Your Customer? Understanding the Customer of the Future.”

McDonald is a recognized expert on multicultural marketing and business trends and has spoken to many major groups including Toyota, Sherwin-Williams, Harley-Davidson, State Farm Insurance, Mattel, AAA Travel, and BlueCross BlueShield.

In addition, Lauren Fix, “The Car Coach®,” will provide a session called “All the Automotive Information You Need to Know.” Fix is considered an automotive industry expert and will discuss trends in marketing, production, promotion and delivery of vehicles—and how these affect the industry on a daily basis.

Lastly, the industry’s own Carl Tompkins, global marketing resources manager for the Sika Corp. and long-time AGRR columnist, will present a session called “The Ten Commandments for a Successful Business.” Tompkins, who has consulted for a number of businesses on topics such as growing profits, diversifying and more, also will unveil his own business management book for the first time during the event. Be sure to visit www.autoglassweek.com for more details as they become available.

Schedule at a Glance*
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. AGRSS Committee Meetings
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. AGRSS Board Meeting
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. WRO Mandatory Contestant Meeting
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Tint-Off Mandatory Contestant Meeting

Thursday, September 15, 2011
7:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Registration
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Event Welcome and Opening
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Joint Auto Glass Educational Sessions
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Joint Auto Glass Educational Sessions
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sponsors’ Set-Up
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Window Film Tint-Off Preliminaries
4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Auto Glass Week™ Exhibition/Extravaganza
4:15 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. Repair Competition Preliminary Heats
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Window Film Tint-Off Finals
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. AGRSS Charity Auction/Cocktail Party

Friday, September 16, 2011
7:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Registration
8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Joint Auto Glass Educational Sessions
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. AGTO Mandatory Contestant Meeting
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Joint Keynote Speaker
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Joint Auto Glass Educational Sessions
3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Auto Glass Week Exhibition/Extravaganza
3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. AGTO Preliminary Heats
3:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Repair Competition Finals
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Cocktail Party on Show Floor

Saturday, September 17, 2011
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Joint Auto Glass Educational Sessions
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. AGTO Finals
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Auto Glass Week Exhibition/Extravaganza
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Awards Luncheon
* Schedule is tentative and subject to change. For the most up-to-date schedule visit
www.autoglassweek.com.

AGRR
© Copyright 2011 Key Communications Inc. All rights reserved.
No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission.