RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – By registering now, attendees at the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) program can hear an exciting lineup of speakers and industry leaders as they discuss "Shift Forward" at a $200 savings. The event will take place Tuesday, May 20, and Wednesday, May 21, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago.
Participants who register by Monday, March 24, will receive the early bird discount of $200. Registration fees are $745 for sponsoring associations’ members’ first registrant and $645 for each additional representative. After Monday, March 24, fees increase to $945 for an association member company’s first registrant and $845 for each additional representative.
Early registration for individuals whose firms or organizations are not a member of any of the sponsoring associations is $945 for the first registrant and $845 for each additional representative. After Monday, March 24, fees are $1,145 for the company’s first registrant and $1,045 for each additional representative.
Speakers for the event include:
• William Strauss, senior economist & economic advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
• Neil De Koker, president and CEO, Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA)
• Steve Ganster, managing director, Technomic Asia
• Fotios Katsardis, managing director, TEMOT International Autoparts GmbH
• Steve Handschuh, president and COO, Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (ASAA)
• Ron Pyle, president, Automotive Service Association (ASA)
• Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO, Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
• Mike Hanley, partner, Global Automotive Industry Leader, Ernst & Young
• D. Bruce Merrifield Jr., president, Merrifield Consulting Group Inc.
• Bill Wade, managing partner, Wade & Partners
Panel discussions on important industry issues include:
• "Let’s Know Them Before We Need Them" – Moderated by Ray Pohlman, vice president government relations, AutoZone
The fourth annual Polk Aftermarket Inventory Efficiency Award will be presented by R. L. Polk & Co. during this year’s Symposium and is designed to recognize and reward outstanding aftermarket companies for process improvements relative to inventory efficiency. R. L. Polk & Co. is the corporate sponsor of the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium.
The GAAS program is a joint professional education effort of the Alliance of State Automotive Aftermarket Associations (ASAAA), Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), Automotive Industries Association (AIA) of Canada, Automotive Parts Rebuilders Association (APRA), Automotive Service Association (ASA), Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA), Motorist Assurance Program (MAP), Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), Tire Industry Association (TIA) and University of the Aftermarket.
The GAAS scholarship program awarded 154 scholarships in 2007. Including the 2007 awards, GAAS has presented more than 1,300 scholarships and more than $1.3 million since it was formed. Details about the GAAS scholarship program are available at www.automotivescholarships.com.
GAAS program registration information is available from the sponsoring associations or online at www.globalsymposium.org.
