Bodyshop Magazine has teamed up once again with Messe Frankfurt UK to be a partner across four areas of next year’s UK Garage and Bodyshop Event (UKGBE 2026), which takes place on 3-4 June 2026 at the NEC.
Bodyshop will be the official host of the BODYSHOP LOUNGE, official host of the BODYSHOP BUZZ networking event, an official UKGBE 2026 Media Partner and, for the first time, official Education Partner for the Complete Collision and Car Care Live training hub, alongside the UK Detailing Association.
Bodyshop Mag at UKGBE 2026
Bodyshop editor Simon Wait said: “We are thrilled to strengthen this important partnership, which now extends to two Automechanika Birmingham shows and three UK Garage and Bodyshop Events since 2022. We can’t wait to welcome our UK body repair colleagues to our stand, to the Complete Collision training hub and, of course, to the ever-popular BODYSHOP BUZZ party.”
BODYSHOP BUZZ will take place on the first afternoon of the two-day event (Wednesday, 3 June) and will be THE place for bodyshop professionals to connect with each other and suppliers for some face-to-face networking and bonding in a relaxed setting. And it is completely FREE to all accident repair centre employees attending the big trade show.
The UKGBE 2026 trade show promises to provide a great opportunity for repair professionals to access dynamic training, cutting-edge technologies and essential tools of the trade. With the UK aftermarket in a state of significant transformation, the importance of attending UKGBE next year has never been more crucial for technicians and bodyshop owners as they strive to future-proof their businesses.
Emphasis on skills
Following strong attendance of more than 5,000 aftermarket professionals in 2024, UKGBE 2026 will place an even greater emphasis on skills, diversity and attracting the next generation of technicians.
As vehicle technology accelerates, with electrification, ADAS, connected systems and advanced materials reshaping repair processes, the aftermarket faces increasing pressure to build and retain a skilled and adaptable workforce.
UKGBE 2026 has been shaped around that very challenge. The show will offer free access to live, hands-on training across multiple specialist zones, where experts will demonstrate real repair techniques, diagnostic procedures and calibration methods that technicians can take straight back to their workshops.
But the event is about more than skills alone. It is also a platform for shaping perception. The UK aftermarket has long struggled to attract new talent, in part because many young people don’t realise the breadth of careers available, from diagnostics, calibration and technical leadership to digital roles, business ownership, engineering and beyond. UKGBE 2026 aims to shine a spotlight on the people who make this industry exceptional, highlighting role models and encouraging the sector to welcome new and diverse voices.
Ignite Arena
To help inspire and connect with future professionals, the show will once again feature the Ignite Arena, a dynamic space dedicated to students, apprentices and young talent. The arena will offer live entertainment, interactive talks, competitions and meet-and-greets designed to showcase the vast range of career opportunities across the industry.
It will also continue to drive conversations around gender balance, career progression and transferable skills, supporting pathways into the trade from other industries at a time when the skills gap affects workshop productivity and profitability across the UK.
Hundreds of leading suppliers, distributors and training partners are already signed up to exhibit, showcasing emerging technology and workshop solutions, and helping businesses make informed decisions about future investment, for example, in EV tooling to workflow software and ADAS calibration systems.
Joanne Knowles, event director at Messe Frankfurt UK, said:
“The heart of the aftermarket has always been its people. UK Garage and Bodyshop Event is designed to support them, the apprentices starting out, the master technicians evolving their knowledge, and the workshop owners steering their businesses through change. This event is about giving the trade confidence in the future, visibility of the opportunities ahead and a sense of pride in the skills that keep Britain moving.”
Click this link to find out more about exhibiting and attending.
