IMI Member Association Events

What are Member Associations?

Organised by IMI members, Member Association events are lectures, practical demonstrations and product updates held at a local level to support individuals working in or training to enter the Motor Industry. They are also great opportunities to network with fellow professionals in the area. 

Events are free to members of the IMI and to members and their guests, as well as members of the the Accelerate Community, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

How can I access these events?

Members are notified of upcoming events in their area by email and post. Please ensure your contact details with the IMI to ensure you are contacted. Events are also listed in MIM magazine.

You can also contact Member Associations directly and find information about upcoming events, using the sidebar on the left of the screen.

If you have any queries regarding Member Association events please contact Simon White (simonw@motor.org.uk)

Recent Activities

Warwickshire MA

30th November 2011

Jaguar Past, Present and Future

Over 50 members and guests from Warwickshire and the surrounding counties attended the recent presentation made by Peter Leake from Jaguar.  Peter, who is the training manager at the Jaguar Academy, brought alive the brand and helped make the evening a great success.  The Warwick venue was full to capacity with some members attracted to their first IMI event for many years.

 The evening included rare footage from Jaguar's early racing history including a fantastic video of Mike Hawthorn driving a C-type around the Le Mans race circuit in the 1950s.  The Jaguar story continued with information on early successes such as the XK120 and E-type through to the XF and XKR.  The evening also gave a glimpse into the future with some tantalising information on the new C-X75 and C-X16 concept cars.

 To finish off the evening Peter had brought along an XKR-S, the fastest and most powerful production sports car Jaguar has ever built, for members to look around.

Thames Valley MA

17th November 2011

Current and Future Technological Developments in the Motor Industry

Members around the Thames valley enjoyed an extremely insightful presentation from Andrew Marsh of Auto Industry Insider covering current and future developments in the Motor Industry. Andrew highlighted the incredible rate of change in the motor industry, driven by Carbon Tax related legislation, changes in global economic balance, the reduction in costs of electronic systems and the need to reduce weight and increase powertrain efficiency.

Andrew covered various areas of electronic and powertrain development including Autonomous driving aids, Hybrid technologies and in car entertainment, before highlighting the knock on effect for vehicle repairers, as manufacturers blend a variety of different materials into bodywork construction in an effort to maintain or reduce overall vehicle weight.

Andrew recommended that people working in the motor industry take special note of current developments and invest in related skills, so they can be well placed to take advantage of new developments as the arise. This was a thought provoking presentation which was well received by all who attended. 

Bradford MA

15th November 2012

Blacktrack Crash Recording Equipment

Ian Armstrong of Blacktrack Ltd. kindly gave a presentation on their crash recorder products. Ian described how his background in electronics resulted in him developing the crash recorders and once made how they have been adapted to the requirements of Thatcham and major insurers. He gave technical details of how they operate, recording G forces in three axes and logging the date and time of incident. The units are self contained, i.e. do not connect the vehicle's electrics, they have a 5 year battery life (which was very difficult to achieve) and are secured inside the vehicle usually under the driver's seat. They have been widely used with young drivers to assist in reducing insurance premium costs, have the benefit of providing good evidence in accident investigation and are assisting in fraudulent accident claims/staged accidents. Ian allowed the audience to drive radio-controlled cars fitted with crash recorders, crash them which was easily done and then demonstrated how simple it was to down load the data and reconstruct the accident on the computer.

Yorkshire Region MA

21st November 2012

Aquiring Customers for Life

Tim Heavisides, from Care Care Plan, spoke to members in Yorkshire in November about valuing and retaining customers. At one time, General Motors held around 40% of the global car sales market; now that figure is closer to 15% due to a range of factors, including increased competition, improved production process by competitors and perhaps a shade of complacency from an organisation which was once top of its market. At one time, customers were much more loyal to their brand of car and some manufacturers took it for granted they always would be. However, a straw poll in the room proved those there were more loyal to their Supermarket than a car manufacturing company. 

 Tim outlined the view that if someone buys from you they are simply a buyer; it is only when they come back and buy from you again that they become a customer.

He went on to list the key performance values that turn buyers into customers and help you retain them - value for money, brand value, convenience and quality were the four main contributory features.

 Firms that were good at innovation and which are able to continually reinvent themselves (Car Care Plan are launching customer service plans, for instance, to help diversify from their traditional core market), which had transparent dealings and integrity subsequently develop a strong degree of loyalty from their customers.

 New customers do not come cheap and generating additional footfall is expensive so it is much better to retain those customers you already have as they are also your best advertisement; many buyers are swayed by what their friends and family say and go on their recommendations. Conversely, some avoid businesses where there family or friends have had a negative consumer experience.

 Not every one knows what they want when they come and sales teams need to provide assistance in identifying needs, not just sell those products which make them the biggest commission; think 'how can I reward my customers?' This brought us back to the key principles of, value, convenience and quality, building your reputation and brand value.