The 14th annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) will be held Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare near Chicago, with the theme “Winning Strategies in a Changing Aftermarket.”
Confirmed speakers and topics include Bill Strauss, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on “The Long Term Effects of Fuel Prices;” Dr. John Wormald of autoPolis on “The Environmental Crisis, The Auto Industry and The Aftermarket;” Rich Detskas, automotive manager, SGS Testing Company, on “Outsourcing to Third World Quality: The Good, Bad and Ugly;” and David Portalatin, NPD Group on “Consumer Insights: Just Ask!” There will also be two panel discussions entitled “What Will the DIY Market Look Like in the Next Five Years” and “Internet Business Model’s In Today’s Aftermarket.”
“We listened to past attendees and their requests for topics and issues, and the dynamic GAAS 2009 reflects their input,” said Dave Caracci, GAAS chairman. “Industry executives are scrutinizing costs to attend events and demand ROI of intelligence, insight and data that they can transfer into immediate strategies. GAAS 2009 is built to deliver actionable takeaways for great business profitability, efficiency and competitiveness.”
The net proceeds from the event will go toward funding industry scholarships. More than 1,400 students have received over $1.4 million in scholarship money since 1996, GAAS said.
