Editor’s update: Organizers of the Aftermarket eForum, which was scheduled to take place July 17-18 in Chicago, have postponed the event. The group said it fully expects to reschedule the event for later in the year.
In today’s AMN Executive Interview, we talk with Scott Luckett, MAAP, vice president of technology standards for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). Luckett brings us up to speed on the exciting transformation taking place for this year’s Aftermarket eForum event, which has returned to a live format this year. eForum will be held July 17-18 in Chicago. (Visit aftermarket.org/eforum for more details.) 
The Aftermarket eForum has returned to a live meeting format this year, after having been held as a virtual trade show for several years. What was the impetus behind this change?
The decision to go virtual in the first place was driven by the financial crisis and severe cut-backs in travel budgets. While it proved to be an efficient way to deliver content to a large number of people, the missing ingredient was the face-to-face contact and audience interaction with each other and the presenters. The feedback we got was that folks missed the opportunity to network with each other and discuss the content of the program. How many times have we heard how the aftermarket is an industry built on relationships? For important topics such as technology, it’s best discussed face-to-face.
What kind of feedback did you receive from attendees of past eForum events that was helpful in revamping the show, in terms of planning the format and speaker lineup?
Above all else, we were asked for a greater variety of topics and fresh perspectives. There is only so much that can be learned by listening to the industry insiders talk about their latest technology initiative and how their company benefitted. We heard some great stories over the years, but I think the point is that we’ve heard them all. The 2012 agenda has a great variety of topics from supply chain and logistics to connected vehicles and telematics, with a healthy dose of e-commerce and mobile marketing thrown in. It’s key to point out that almost none of our keynote speakers are from the aftermarket. But, the experts from Google, UPS, Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Consumer Electronics Association definitely understand our industry and have an impact on the decisions we make every day.
Outside of moving from a virtual event to a live event, what’s new and/or different this year for the Aftermarket eForum?
We’re promoting this event as eForum 2.0 because it really is a total relaunch of the brand. The eForum Mobile App will allow attendees to connect and interact from their wireless device; the vendor exhibits will be all-new kiosks replacing draped table tops; the speaker lounge will be where attendees can follow-up with presenters for Q&A and the combination of general sessions and multiple breakouts will ensure that attendees remain engaged and topics are available for everyone’s interests
Who should plan to attend eForum and what can attendees expect to take home in terms of new information and ideas?
eForum has always been promoted as offering e-commerce and technology topics for business people. This year, we want sales, marketing, operations and other business executives. But, we also want them to bring their IT or e-commerce folks so they can share the experience. We want to create an environment where the business people can discover a new strategy for warehouse operations, procurement automation or web marketing, for example, and turn to their more technical colleague and ask, “What do you need in order to make that happen?”
We’ve got speakers and content directed at suppliers, distributors and retailers in every segment of the industry. No one is unaffected by the relentless advances in technology and e-commerce. I can’t imagine there’s a business in the aftermarket that couldn’t take home three or four valuable ideas from this program.
The 2012 eForum agenda amounts to a strategic planning retreat for busy aftermarket executives. In less than two days’ time, they will have the chance to hear perspectives from outside our immediate industry about solutions and strategies being deployed in our industry. Learn what works and what’s coming, then make your plans for the future.
What are you most excited about for this year’s eForum?
Clearly, it’s the variety and caliber of the speakers and presentations – from the opening keynote by Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, to Danielle Russell, automotive director for Google to Ray Reulbach, VP of Customer Solutions at UPS – these are some of the best and brightest in business and we’ve got them all at the podium within 24 hours. We’re excited about the quality of the agenda and we’re excited about modern touches that will give the event a high-tech look and feel. But most of all, we’re excited for what every attendee can learn and take away to improve their business fortunes.
