The Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance held its annual Sales & Marketing Forum Sept. 17-19 at the Plaza Marriott in San Antonio. More than 60 marketing leaders representing more than 35 Alliance shareholders from the U.S., Canada and Mexico were on hand for the event.

“The meeting featured a powerful lineup of presenters from both shareholders and staff,” said Mauro Cifelli, chairman of the Alliance Sales & Marketing Committee. “Interactive sessions covered the breadth of key megatrends facing aftermarket businesses with a focus on taking the Group’s marketing efforts to the next level.”

The main session featured presentations on the Alliance’s groundbreaking “Service is the Difference” program and the Aftermarket Jackpot 2015 Convention, scheduled to coincide with the Aftermarket Industry Week this November in Las Vegas. The forum included breakout roundtable idea-generation sessions on communications and public relations, programs and promotions, service center programs and training and education. According to the Alliance, the interactive discussions generated ideas on improving the quality of service and the unitization of technology in all areas of marketing.

Cifelli noted, “We know the key to our continuous improvement of our marketing efforts will involve shareholders educating each other on best practices. Over and over again, we have learned that shareholders are successfully putting programs together in their own markets and are eager to share with others on what has worked for them. By learning from their peers, shareholders will have additional marketing tools to better serve their customers and improve their profitability.”

“It was a fantastic session,” said John Washbish, president and CEO of the Alliance. “I am continually impressed with the effort put forward by our volunteer leadership and by our shareholders in general. This is a group that is eager to learn and committed to growth and improvement. These are exciting times at the Alliance.”