GetReady_Feature,MayJune2012

Volume 14, Issue 3 - May/June 2012

Feature

Get Ready!
Auto Glass Week™ Revs to Take Off
by Ally Curran

Auto Glass Week is back for a second year and looks like it will surpass its debut last year. This year’s event will be held in Louisville, Ky., at the Louisville Marriott Downtown and the Kentucky International Convention Center, September 20-22, 2012. The Exhibition/Extravaganza will be held September 21-22 and includes the repair and replacement competitions.

Auto Glass Week again will bring together all of the major auto glass groups, including the Auto Glass Safety Council™ (formerly the AGRSS Council Inc.), the Independent Glass Association (IGA), the National Glass Association (NGA), the National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA), and AGRR™ magazine’s Pilkington Clear Advantage Auto Glass Technician Olympics and the Walt Gorman Memorial Windshield Repair Olympics.

In addition, the International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™, co-sponsored by Window Film magazine and the International Window Film Association, will again be held concurrently with Auto Glass Week.

Speaking Of …
Auto Glass Week has many educational seminars planned, including a keynote address by Captain Richard Phillips. Captain Phillips, known as the “Hero of the High Seas,” will speak about the vital importance of leadership and teamwork. He was captured by Somali pirates in 2009 when they attacked and boarded the ship he was commanding, the Maersk Alabama. The ship was a container ship ferrying food aid to East Africa when it was attacked by the small band of pirates on April 8. To protect his crew, Captain Phillips offered himself as a hostage and spent five days on a lifeboat with the pirates before being rescued by Navy SEAL snipers.

Multicultural marketing expert Kelly McDonald also will be returning to the speaker lineup. Last year, McDonald spoke about how to get to know your customers in an ever-changing business environment.

Seminars will begin on Thursday afternoon and will run through Saturday. For the full lineup of seminars, visit www.autoglassweek.com/seminars.

Network Know-How
In addition to a number of informative educational seminars, Auto Glass Week will offer a number of networking opportunities to give attendees a chance to catch up and learn from one another. Networking opportunities include an Evening of Champions, where attendees can participate in a private tour of the Muhammad Ali Center and grab a cocktail while overlooking downtown Louisville’s breathtaking views; the Gala Awards Reception and Ceremony on Saturday evening to celebrate the 2012 champions and contestants of the repair and replacement competitions; the Auto Glass Safety Council’s Silent Charity Auction; and a Friday night cocktail party on the show floor (see box on page 30 for more).

Be Prepared
Attendees can now pre-register online at www.autoglassweek.com or scan the MS tag at the right for an early-bird discounted price of $179 and save $50 per person. The early-bird discount ends June 29, 2012.

Attendee registration includes registration to all seminars, workshops, social events and admittance to the Auto Glass Week Exhibition/Extravaganza. Attendees also are able to purchase tickets to an Evening of Champions and the Gala Awards Reception and Ceremony. Both optional events require pre-registration and only have a limited amount of spaces available to them.

After June 29, the cost of pre-registration rises to $209, and attendees can register at this price through August 31. Those who wait until after August 31 will need to register with the on-site price of an increased fee of $229.

Discounted room rates are available at the Louisville Marriott Downtown. The hotel is located in the heart of downtown Louisville and is connected to the Kentucky International Convention Center. The discounted rates of $109 per night plus tax are available for show attendees until August 27. To book your reservation, call 800/266-9432 and mention that you are a show attendee or visit www.autoglassweek.com/auto-glass-week-host-hotel.

Competition Craze
This year’s Auto Glass Week event will again include the annual Pilkington Clear Advantage Auto Glass Technician Olympics (AGTO) and the Walt Gorman Memorial Windshield Repair Olympics (WRO). The competitions will be held September 21-22 in conjunction with the Exhibition/Extravaganza.

Industry veterans judge AGTO competitors’ replacements as well as their procedures, safety, cleanliness and customer interaction. Competitors are allotted 75 minutes to complete a windshield installation in the first heats of the competitions. In the finals round, technicians are required to complete a removal and re-install of a glass part, which may or may not be a windshield. Contestants are judged on ten different sections.

To compete, a technician must be employed in a bona fide operating auto glass company, must have a least one year of experience as a technician in the auto glass industry and must complete installations in compliance with the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standard (AGRSS®). There will be a cap on the number of contestants and spaces are given on a first-come, first-served basis. Owners or managers of supplier companies may not compete themselves.

The first-place AGTO winner will receive $10,000, a gold medal and trophy, as well as bragging rights as the “World’s Best Auto Glass Technician.” Second-place will receive $1,000 and a silver medal, and third will receive $500 and a bronze medal.

The WRO was founded in 2006 by AGRR magazine. In the competition, each technician has 45 minutes to complete a windshield repair. Judging is based on quality, rather than speed, and time is a factor only in the case of a tie.

The technical aspects of the competition are based on the Repair of Laminated Auto Glass Standard (ROLAGS™), and all contestants must participate in a short, ten-question test about proper windshield repair practices based on the ROLAGS.

To compete, a technician must be employed in a bona fide operating auto glass company and have at least one year of experience as a repair technician in the auto glass industry. There will be a cap on the number of contestants and spaces are given on a first-come, first-served basis. Owners or managers of supplier companies may not compete themselves.

Increased from years’ past, the first-place winner in the WRO will receive $10,000, a gold medal and trophy, as well as bragging rights as the “World’s Best Windshield Repair Technician.” Second place will receive $1,000 and a silver medal, and third will receive $500 and a bronze medal.

The pre-registration deadline for all contestants is July 27. No registrations will be accepted after this date.

Enhance Your Experience
Auto Glass Week will offer attendees a number of networking opportunities to meet with industry peers and catch up, talk shop and discuss the latest industry issues. Some of these networking opportunities include:

An Evening of Champions on Thursday, September 20 from 6 p.m.–9:30 p.m. Attendees will board buses at the Louisville Marriott Downtown and travel to the Muhammad Ali Center where they will receive access to all three levels of the center dedicated to Muhammad Ali’s life and career. Attendees will also gain access to the upper level for a view of downtown Louisville’s city skyline, as well as a cocktail party to round out the evening. All registered attendees are invited to participate for $35. Pre-registration is required, so please select the optional event on your registration form at www.autoglassweek.com. Space is limited and seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Auto Glass Safety Council Silent Charity Auction on Friday, September 21 from 5 p.m.–7 p.m. on the Exhibition/Extravaganza floor. The Auto Glass Safety Council holds the silent charity auction each year to help raise proceeds for the non-profit organization. Auction items in previous years have included a prized fishing trip with Carl Tompkins in his home state of Washington, autographed paraphernalia from celebrities, women’s jewelry, watches and more. Final bids are due by 6:45 p.m. This event is open to all.

Cocktail Party on the Show Floor on Friday, September 21 from 5 p.m.–7 p.m. The Friday night cocktail party on the show floor will give attendees a chance to relax and network after a full day of education. In addition, those in attendance will have a chance to chat with suppliers at the Exhibition/Extravaganza while also watching the preliminary heats of the Pilkington Clear Advantage Auto Glass Technician Olympics and the Walt Gorman Memorial Windshield Repair Olympics.

Gala Awards Reception and Ceremony on Saturday, September 22 from 5 p.m.–7 p.m. For the first time this year, the winners of the Pilkington Clear Advantage Auto Glass Technician Olympics, the Walt Gorman Memorial Windshield Repair Olympics, and the International Window Film Tint-Offs (both an architectural and automotive division) will be named during a special gala awards reception. After battling it out over the past two days, we will be naming the “World’s Best Auto Glass Technician,” “World’s Best Windshield Repair Technician,” “World’s Best Automotive Window Film Tinter,” and “World’s Best Architectural Window Film Tinter.” It all comes down to this—be sure you are a part of it! Tickets are available for purchase on www.autoglassweek.com.