Revolution and risk, was the theme of the IBIS Conference held in Dublin on July 5th, which attracted many of the most influential people involved in the accident repair industry in Ireland. The International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS) is a global conference and networking provider, for collision industry leaders and influencers and its first ever event in Ireland attracted many leading repairers, industry suppliers, insurance providers and motoring organisations.

Held at the Hilton Hotel, Claremont Place, the conference was supported by Headline Partners AkzoNobel and Audatex, as well as Partners Enterprise Rent-A-Car and FastCare. The agenda was designed to explore issues affecting the accident repair industry, both globally and locally and to provide strategic insight into how developments will impact on all sides of the business.

There was an impressive line-up of speakers, introduced by IBIS Conference Director Jason Moseley. Anna-Marie Baisden, Head of Autos Analysis at BMI Research, gave an overview of developments in the global automotive sector, while Trevor Lee, Group Body & Paint Business Manager at VW Group Ireland, demonstrated the importance of correct repair methods and high quality parts.

Steve Plunkett, Body & Paint Programme Development Manager for Volvo UK, gave a presentation on developments in accident avoidance systems and autonomous driving, while Andrew Marsh, Engineering Director, Auto Industry Consulting, spoke about the challenges of vehicle material constructions. In the afternoon session, there was an insight into the Dutch Bodyshop Market from industry expert Paul Dingemans, followed by a look at digitisation and Gen Y consumer expectations from Paul Davies, Head of Business Diversification at Audatex UK.  Dylan Setterfield, ‎Senior Editor of forecasting, CAP Automotive Limited, looked at the ownership and relationship with the vehicle, before an industry panel discussion on subjects such as training, repair methods and future expectations.

As well as the excellent information in the presentations, the event also provided a good opportunity for networking. Feedback from attendees was very positive and IBIS hope to put more Irish events on their calendar in the future.