The theme of this year’s AM Aftermarket Conference should make every workshop manager – independent and franchised – sit up and take notice. ‘Ways to win more customers – and keep them coming back’ takes place at The Quadrangle conference centre in Oxford on Wednesday, March 29.

The Aftermarket Conference will offer innovative ideas and best practice guidelines for dealing with key issues that have a major impact on aftersales profitability. All the topics are designed to help your business win more customers and improve loyalty levels.

The conference is jointly sponsored by leading specialist provider of lubricant solutions Castrol and Industore, which specializes in the design, supply and installation of automated storage systems.

It will be chaired by Andrew Tongue of the International Car Distribution Programme, a non-profit research organization that is supported by a wide range of organizations – including car dealers, manufacturers, component suppliers and governments.

Throughout the day, expert speakers will offer delegates innovative ideas and best practice guidelines for dealing with the issues that AM readers say are most important to them. The speakers will be on hand to answer specific enquiries in our dedicated Q&A sessions.

“With the margins on car sales getting thinner, there’s a growing realization that a dynamic and profitable aftersales function is vital to the long-term viability of retailers’ businesses,” says AM editor Stephen Briers.

“The AM Aftermarket Conference is a must for everyone who is serious about developing their service and repair retail business. It focuses on key issues and how to deal with them – in a practical, cost-effective way.”

Don’t miss this opportunity to step back from your business and acquire more of the skills and knowledge you need to take your career and your company to the next level of performance in the aftersales market.

Steve Nash Aftersales director, BMW (GB) and IMI chairman
Opening address
Steve Nash will outline some of the major challenges and opportunities facing dealers in the aftermarket today, and identify what he believes will be the most successful strategies.

David Manchester MD, Charters Peugeot and Dealer Council chairman
Capturing owners of older used cars
The four- to seven-year parc is a major battleground. David Manchester will explain how Peugeot dealers have achieved success in this sector of the market, including some tactics that dealers of all franchises can apply.

Brian Smith Managing director, Continental Tyres
Increasing profitability from tyres and related services
The replacement tyre business today offers significant revenue and profit opportunities.  Brian Smith will offer practical insights and suggestions on how you can share in this market, secure related sales and improve customer retention.

Steve Brooker Senior researcher, National Consumer Council
Supercomplaint – what does it mean for service/repair businesses?
Following a challenge from the NCC, the service/repair sector must very soon ‘put its house in order’ – or face a supercomplaint to the OFT. Hear directly about the latest developments, before it’s too late!

Tina Tillard Head of Kitemark Services, British Standards Institute
Raising confidence in the industry
The industry has tried a number of schemes to raise standards and consumer confidence, and now British Standards has entered the fray with a new Kitemark for Automotive Services. Tina Tillard will explain how it works.

Anthea Worsdall Editor, Motor Law
Consumer law and the aftermarket – what you need to know and act on
Red tape is increasing, and consumers are increasingly well-informed about their rights. Anthea Worsdall will summarize the hot topics and highlight potential problem areas to ensure you stay on the right side of the law.

Sam Burton: Automotive director, Mondial Assistance (UK)
The key to customer loyalty
Tomorrow’s new car buyers are on your database today. Sam Burton has some thought-provoking ideas about aftersales and will focus on finding ways to retain more customers – and ultimately sell more vehicles.

Dave Cartwright Aftersales business consultant, Carter & Carter
Booking the return journey – customer retention strategies
Dave Cartwright will show how dealers can prosper in the face of reduced service content and longer service intervals by implementing some simple yet highly effective best practice strategies for retaining more customers more profitably.

David Lansdowne Director, Aftermarket Solutions
Improving performance in service reception
It’s not easy managing a busy service counter. David Lansdowne will address the key issues that affect profitability, including some best practice tools and techniques you can use to start improving performance immediately.

Mike Seaton Proprietor, Woods & Seaton
Using the internet to sell more service and parts
Many dealerships have integrated the internet into their sales process, but much less so in aftersales. Mike Seaton will review the latest systems and processes that are being used in Europe and North America to increase dealers’ service and parts revenues and customer retention.

Frank Massey CEO Automotive Diagnostic Solutions
How technology is changing the way cars are serviced and repaired
Vehicle and diagnostic technology is changing fast. Frank Massey will outline some of the key changes the industry can expect to see in future, and explain how that is going to affect the way cars are serviced and repaired in the future.