An expanded Autoinform LIVE event was held at the end of November and has been hailed as a great success by the Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA).

The association reported overwhelmingly positive feedback from exhibitors and attendees alike for the revised Autoinform LIVE format which took place once again at the GTG Academy in Wolverhampton.

Over 400 industry professionals attended what is the UK’s biggest workshop training event, doubling the attendance figures from last year’s show. This included many technicians and garage owners who made the trip from Ireland.

Changes to the format of the event included a red / amber / green colour coded syllabus choice system, so attendees could easily identify which training modules were most appropriate for them, and welcome screens to greet new arrivals indicating when and where each session would be taking place.

In the main workshop, acoustic partitioning helped to eliminate distractions from the other training sessions. Many of the classes featured a professional audio system, with presenters delivering training using wireless microphones to delegates in over-ear headsets to help cancel out unwanted background noise.

Matt Shakespeare, Technical Sales Manager at ZF Services Ltd commented, "AutoInform 2016 was a well organised event from beginning to end, executed brilliantly to ensure that the right delegates were on the right course at the right time.  ZF Services offered 3 separate training topics across the 8 sessions during the weekend, delivered by our own product experts. The interest and interaction level from the delegates was fantastic in each of these modules.”

With training provided by ADS, OESAA members or approved partners, attendees travelled from as far away as Bulgaria to take advantage of the all-encompassing subjects on offer: from hybrid drive systems to maximising workshop efficiency.

OESAA Chairman, Nigel Morgan said: "We’re absolutely delighted by the visitor turn out and the support that we’ve had from suppliers. The feedback has been really encouraging, and underlines our belief that practical hands-on training is essential for independent garages to thrive and grow.”