The Society of Collision Repair Specialists on Friday announced registration had opened for the 2021 Repairer Driven Education series, which will return to an in-person format after a virtual 2020 edition.

“I think all of us learned a great deal in the past year about just how important in-person industry events are to our business,” SCRS Chairman Bruce Halcro (Capital Collision Center) said in a statement Friday. “We’re proud of the work that we did to continue to connect our industry with much-needed educational topics during a time where the national pulled back from events, but we are all very ready to serve our membership with an event that feels more familiar, in a venue that sparks a great deal of excitement for all who attend, and allows businesses to spend the week committed to building on their business back home.”

Register on www.scrs.com/rde for the 2021 Repairer Driven Education, which will be held Nov. 1-5 alongside the in-person SEMA at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The website also carries descriptions of the 2021 courses. (FYI: The virtual 2020 Repairer Driven Education is also still available and replayable online through Aug. 31 if you’re interested in that too..)

The 2021 event features more than 20 classes, starting Monday, Nov. 1, with three sessions from 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, and Wednesday, Nov. 3, are packed with courses from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

Thursday, Nov. 4, features the headliner OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit, with three 90-minute courses running consecutively from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The day will start with a 9-10:30 a.m. session on electric vehicles, a looming trend with ramifications for body design and repairer safety, operations and gear. A class on “Vehicle Research and Trends” will follow from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and a course on “ADAS & Safety” from 1-2:30 p.m. will wrap up the school day.

“Specific session details will be released later in the summer, however the Summit will continue to remain focused on putting attendees in front of innovators in automotive design and technology in an effort to highlight developments and emerging trends in modern vehicles that will influence vehicle repairability and collision industry preparation,” SCRS wrote in a news release Friday.

After all that scholarly dedication, repairers can enjoy what SCRS called the “the highly anticipated return of the SCRS Sky Villa After-party” in the penthouse of the Westgate from 9 p.m. to midnight Thursday, Nov. 4.

Finally, the TED Talks-like IDEAS Collide will return again from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5. The session features “exploring a fast-paced agenda of 10 minute talks, designed to stimulate thought surrounding business challenges that can be overcome with unconventional ideas.”

Individual courses, the three OEM Summit sessions, and IDEAS Collide each cost $75 to attend, and afterparty admission is $85, if tickets are purchased before the SEMA early registration cutoff in October. However, SCRS encourages attendees to just buy the Full-Series Pass, which costs $375 during the early registration period and gives the holder complete access to all classes, the OEM Summit, IDEAS Collide and the Sky Villa afterparty.

SCRS said Repairer Driven Education registration could be linked to a new or existing SEMA registration.

“When registering for education, attendees will have the option to either link the education to an existing registration or to purchase a new show pass at the same time as the education package.

“The SEMA Show offers an attendee experience like no other trade show on the planet,” SCRS wrote in a news release. “It’s the best place to see the newest and greatest in automotive products and technology, network with colleagues and interact with the brightest minds in the industry.  It also provides a unique opportunity to sharpen your business through knowledge acquisition at the most comprehensive collision industry education session held during the year. The RDE series is developed by SCRS and delivered annually during the SEMA Show, connecting collision repair professionals with the industry’s most notable subject matter experts. The program is designed to address real-world factors affecting collision repair businesses and establish implementable solutions and positive outcomes for attendees when they return home from the Show.”

SCRS on Friday reported strong interest already in the 2021 Repairer Driven Education.

“2021 pre-registration numbers have already proven the industry shares the same enthusiasm,” SCRS Executive Director Aaron Schulenburg said in a statement. “Registration opened roughly a month later than previous years, but 2021 year to date responses to Repairer Driven Education have already significantly eclipsed 2019 same-date registrations. We believe our audience is hungry for an event, and excited to have an epic national-level event to attend, and something to look forward to.”

Attendees might also find a more convenient experience. The 2021 SEMA Show has revamped its configuration to take advantage of a new 1.4 million Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall expansion, and it will now devote the South Hall Upper space to the collision repair and refinish and tools and equipment segments. The Repairer Driven Education sessions will also be located in South Hall Upper.

“We believe this change in floorplan is going to give our section of the show a very focused feel, and make it much easier to navigate between time in the classroom and the experience on the Show floor” Halcro said in a statement.

More information:

2021 Repairer Driven Education registration

2020 Repairer Driven Education replays (through Aug. 31)

“Registration Open for Repairer Driven Education at the 2021 SEMA Show”

Society of Collision Repair Specialists, July 23, 2021

Featured image: From left, Jeff Wildman, BASF North America OEM and industry relations region manager, on Nov. 6, 2019, served as moderator on an SCRS Repairer Driven Education panel composed of Jaguar Land Rover aftersales retail technology senior specialist Liz Willard; Tim Kilkeary Jr., president of Eighty-Four, Pa.-based Kilkeary’s Auto Body; Eric Mendoza of Toyota collision operations; and Jeff Pabst, general manager of Vaughan, Canada-based Pfaff Autoworks. (John Huetter/Repairer Driven News)