CIECA has announced its speakers for the annual CONNEX 2023 Conference. The event is being held in Bloomington, IL, September 12-13, 2023. In addition to a line-up of insightful thought leaders, there will be networking opportunities, a vehicle gifting ceremony by the National Auto Body Council® (NABC) as part of its NABC Recycled Rides® program, CIECA’s open annual meeting and a tour of electric vehicle company Rivian’s manufacturing facility.

This year’s theme is "Connected Car, Connected Industry" and will be emceed by industry veteran Bill Garoutte. All industry stakeholders, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend.

The agenda will include OEM representatives from Audi, Lucid Motors and Rivian, as well as a panel discussion focused on digital claims, with individuals from Allstate, Kemper Insurance and State Farm. Information will also be shared about the following topics and how they will impact the collision industry and CIECA standards in the future: artificial intelligence (AI), augmented/virtual reality, electric vehicles (EVs), information privacy and security, OEM repair procedures, smart cities, and telematics.

“As vehicle technology increases, there is a growing interconnection between vehicles, the cities and streets they drive on, first responders, manufacturers, repairers, insurers and every other segment of the automotive ecosystem,” said Paul Barry, CIECA’s executive director. “As an industry, we need to be prepared to repair and service vehicles that are quickly becoming nodes on a complex network. It is imperative that we understand what changes are coming and how they will affect the industry and CIECA Standards in the future.”

“Rivian is excited to invite the CONNEX attendees to our manufacturing facility for an exclusive tour of the plant,” said Frank Phillips, Rivian’s sr. manager, Certified Collision Network. “The Rivian collision team is extremely proud to be a partner with the Rivian team in Normal, IL, to bring this to the attendees this year!”

As a CIECA member, Phillips said the Rivian Certified Collision Network (RCCN) recognizes the value of the CIECA organization, and welcomes attending members to enjoy the tour. “We believe what we are doing in the area of OEM Collision Programs is certainly an industry disruption, and we are proud to continue our effort in establishing an industry-leading RCCN,” he said. 

“CIECA CONNEX is your opportunity to network with industry stakeholders and expand your knowledge of the issues impacting our industry,” said CIECA Chair Greg Best, senior business analyst, California Causalty. “There will be informative presentations and panel discussions about emerging technologies, and you will also gain insight into how CIECA is positioning itself to keep us all connected in our ever-evolving marketplace—now and into the future.” 

Speakers include:

EVs & Rivian Tour

Frank Phillips, Rivian

Augmented/Virtual Reality

Jake Rodenroth, Lucid Motors

Industry Updates

Sean Carey, SCG Management Consultants; Marty Ellingsworth, J.D. Power;

and Tanya Sweetland, OEConnection

Telematics:

Cornelius Young, Cambridge Mobile Telematics

&

Michael Neuber & Chad Witt, State Farm

Connected Vehicles/Smart Cities

Damon Aldrich, Enterprise Holdings; and Brandon Branham, Peachtree Corners/Curiosity Lab

Learning Technologies & Redefining Skillsets

Jeff Peevy, I-CAR

Digital Claims Insurance Panel

Moderator Bill Brower, Solera

Craig Edmonds, Allstate; Jaclyn Byers, State Farm; and Scott Kohl, Kemper

Information Privacy & Security Panel:

Moderator Brandon Laur, CCi Global Technologies

Indiana Department of Insurance Commissioner Amy Beard; Sumit Chauhan, CerebrumX;

and Pete Tagliapietra, DataTouch

OEM Repair Procedures Panel

Moderator Mark Allen, Audi

Chuck Olsen, AirPro Diagnostics; Frank Terlep, Opus IVS; and and Chris Chesney, Repairify

CAPIS Technical Updates

Paul Barry, CIECA; Jeff Schroder, Car-Part.com;

and Pete Sheehan, Mountaineer Business Technology

This year’s Gold sponsors include: CarPartPro.com, IAA, Spanesiand OEConnection. Silver sponsors include Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA), Axalta, Caliber Collision, Comsearch, Enterprise Holdings, LKQ Corp., Mitchell, an Enlyte company, Nexysis and United Recyclers Group (URG).

"We're honored to be part of the CIECA Conference again this year and share the inspiring presentation of NABC Recycled Rides vehicles," said Debby Robinson, executive director of the National Auto Body Council (NABC). "We are thankful to all of our NABC members who make these vehicle presentations possible, many of whom are CIECA members, and look forward to having the CIECA attendees join us for this event."

Conference attendees are eligible to receive credit toward a professional designation from the Automotive Management Institute (AMi).

Thank you to the following publications for sharing this announcement: 

Autobody News

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