The KOI Auto Parts-Federated Cavalcade of Customs is going to be bigger than ever, with more training for professional service technicians as well as a wide array of shop management seminars.
The 59th annual event, scheduled for Jan. 11-13 at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, also will feature one of the nation’s best custom-car shows, according to the show organizers.
“We have expanded our training expo at the Cavalcade to include more classes for service techs and body shop personnel, plus we have added a VIP event for top customers where they will hear from some of the industry’s leading experts,” said Dave Wesselman, vice president of KOI region. “Last year we set a record for the number of training classes and participants and we expect to surpass both those amounts in January. We also anticipate that our student day will be our biggest one yet. I want to thank all the people at KOI, Fisher and Federated who help make the Cavalcade such a huge success.”
Larry Pavey, CEO of the Automotive Parts Services Group and president of Federated Auto Parts, will be the featured speaker at the VIP event for shop owners on Jan. 12. Also speaking at the event are Bill Haas of The Group Training Academy and Bill Wrubel of Identifix, who will give a presentation on Identifix’s online Direct-Hit system, Repair Hotline service and Direct-Shop shop management system.
“Larry Pavey is back by popular demand as his state-of-the industry talk is always incredibly well-received by our shop-owner customers,” said Wesselman. “Bill Haas and Bill Wrubel are two of the most respected experts in the industry, so our shop owner event is something that should not be missed.”
On the opening day of the show, KOI will host its annual Student Day. Approximately 300 students from local high schools, adult education programs and colleges will have the opportunity to attend a morning session, where they will hear testimonial presentations from successful auto care professionals. The balance of the day will be spent at the car show before it opens to the public.
As part of the training expo, nearly 50 Federated/KOI vendor partners will participate in a booth show, displaying products and answering questions for attendees. Participants also can get an update on new product offerings and current product lines. Training for service technicians, body shop personnel and shop employees will be available, as well as additional courses for shop owners and decision makers. To learn more, visit https://www.koiautoparts.com/cavalcade/training-expo-info.html.
