For the first time in its history, the Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance hosted its Summer Shareholder Meeting online.
The three-day meeting kicked off Monday, June 1, from Alliance headquarters in San Antonio, broadcasting to a record-high number of attendees.
“The Alliance has pivoted to a new summer meeting format, and I know we’re going to have a fantastic virtual event,” said Corey Bartlett, president and CEO of Automotive Parts Headquarters and chairman of the Alliance’s board of directors. “We’ve worked together more closely than ever over the past few months, and I’m looking forward to all members continuing to help each other as we learn to grow and prosper in our new world!”
The meeting began Monday with a “cold-open” skit from the Alliance’s top leaders, followed by four packed hours of general session for Alliance shareholders. The Alliance hit the most-requested topic – COVID-19 response efforts – within the first few hours. The rest of the day included a headquarters report, product information and an update from the Alliance Parts Warehouse.
Channel partners attended class on “Collaborative Inventory Modeling – Selling More Together,” led by members of the Alliance Information Technology team.
On Tuesday, hundreds of the Alliance’s valued channel partners joined Alliance members for a joint general session to discuss current and upcoming Alliance initiatives, updates from the IT, Product and Sales & Marketing departments and more. Shareholders reconvened in the afternoon for the first-ever virtual Channel Partner Panel Discussion and final comments.
On Wednesday, shareholder owner employees were divide into several groups for three different roundtable discussion topics: “Selling Online During COVID-19,” “Warehouse Operations During COVID-19” and “Store Operations During COVID-19.” Each of the nine roundtable discussions were hosted by an Alliance member and facilitated by a shareholder member.
The roundtable discussions continue to be one of the most popular and appreciated aspects of the Alliance shareholder meetings. Wednesday’s afternoon session featured the Alliance’s Information Technology team and special guests. The meeting wraps on Friday afternoon with an exclusive four-hour collaborative session for all of the Alliance’s Latin American and Caribbean shareholders.
“Watching our shareholders collaborate and share best practices during these meetings is always a highlight,” said John R. Washbish, president and CEO of the Alliance. “I am delighted with the work my team at Alliance headquarters has put into producing an effective, creative, and high-quality meeting for our incredible shareholders and channel partners.”
