ChipsAway ‘Roars Ahead’ at Annual Conference and 1920’s Awards Dinner
Over 200 delegates gathered at the 5* Celtic Manor Resort, for ChipsAway’s Annual Conference and Roaring 20s ‘Gatsby’ themed Awards Dinner over the weekend. The event celebrated the minor car body repair brand’s ‘roaring ahead’ approach in the car body repair industry.
The conference highlighted the ‘future is here’ in terms of electric vehicles, ADAS and changes in the automotive industry. Technical Director, Simon Kings, spoke about ChipsAway’s dedication to training the franchise network on Electric Vehicles, Advanced Dent Removal and ADAS technology. Rebecca de Chair, Group Marketing Manager, concluded the presentations with a Marketing update, highlighting ChipsAway’s marketing achievements during and post-pandemic, as well as key areas of focus going forwards to maintain their position as brand leader.
The conference was followed by a vendor show, where key industry experts and suppliers exhibited products throughout the afternoon. Sponsors, including KECO – the UK’s leading PDR and GPR tool sellers, The TIDAL Group – the UK’s independent automotive and industrial refinish distribution group and West Midland Vehicles Ltd (West Mid) – specialist contract hire and leasing consultants demonstrated new innovative products and technology for specialists to see first-hand.
The celebrations continued into the evening with a Great Gatsby ‘Roaring 20s’ themed awards dinner, at which top performers from the ChipsAway network were recognised and rewarded for their phenomenal achievements.
The highly coveted award for ‘Mobile Franchisee of the Year’ went to Joe Croxford who only joined the network in 2020 and has worked exceptionally hard to grow his business in the St Helens area.
Annabel Hall, Head of Franchise Support at ChipsAway comments: “Joe is an extremely valued member of the ChipsAway network and a very worthy winner of this award. He embodies the key values of the ChipsAway brand by following the business plan, working extremely hard and he always has a positive outlook. Joe delivers exceptional quality repairs, outstanding customer service and yet still finds the time to support his fellow franchisees.”
Other high achievers included ‘Rising Star’ Brandon Akerman, who has achieved fantastic results since joining the network in 2020, including opening a Car Care Centre and expanding into the Torquay area. ‘Car Care Centre of the Year’ went to St Albans-based franchisees, Brian and Amanda Palmer, who also won the ‘Customer Excellence Award’ for their outstanding dedication to customer service, which was extremely well-deserved given their record-breaking 5-star customer reviews.
Last, but by no means least, the ‘Hero’ award, as chosen by the ChipsAway network, went to Jeremy Lines for his outstanding contribution and support to his fellow members of the network. To complete the evening, a raffle was held which raised £2,100 for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – Disasters Emergency Committee, before guests danced the night away.
