Bodyshop Magazine LIVE 2026, the annual gathering place for the UK accident repair industry, is just 24 hours away with the daytime Bodyshop Hub, Partner Showcase and KnowledgeXchange followed by tomorrow evening’s celebrated 30 Under 30 and Bodyshop Awards 2026.
While tickets for the gala dinner and Awards celebration at The Belfry are now sold out, there is still plenty of opportunity for independent repairs to get some free expert advice in the KnowlegeXchange and join the interactive Collision Intelligence conversations which will take place on the main stage from 10:00-15:00.
Bodyshop Magazine LIVE highlights
Other highlights include live product and equipment demos in the Partner Showcase, include a full demonstration of the new LumaScanner and Instant Estimate system from Tractable, which delivers a full drive-thru estimate in just 90 seconds.
The Thursday sessions kick off with an exclusive interview with new Steer Automotive Group CEO Jana Siber, and a panel discussion titled “Consolidation in UK Accident repair – the State of the Industry” featuring Siber, Vella Group CEO Marc Holding, and Precision Repair Group CEO Vic Turner.
Then mergers and acquisitions expert Rob Goddard, chairman of S-Cubed Advisory, will provide insights and advice for repairers looking to “Scale up or Sell up”, followed by Andrew Marsh, technical director from Autobody Bible, who will present the case that “Chinese Vehicles are Repairable – Here’s How”. In this segment Marsh will look into the bow-wave of product that’s arriving in the UK and across Europe before presenting one example, the Jaecoo J7, panel by panel from front to rear.
Robert Snook from Business Success Global will then moderate “The Lightning Sessions” – five back-to-back presentations in which the speakers will each have just six minutes to address and resolve a key challenge faced by repairers today.
The Bodyshop Magazine LIVE Lightning Sessions speakers are Paul Glover from the Stellantis Accident Repair Programme; Dane Hyland from Fylde Coast ARC; Tony Baker from Motofix Group; Parwinder Dhutty from Clarke & Evans Accident Repair Specialists; and Simon Kenny from Liam Kenny Body Repairs.
After a lunch sponsored by Morelli Group, Emma Speed and Wendy Turner-Hargreaves from AutoRaise will host a workshop during which 30 industry insiders will debate questions around the skills and labour shortages, develop news ideas and provide feedback on possible solutions and outcomes.
KnowledgeXchange
In addition to the Collision Intelligence speaker sessions, Bodyshop Magazine LIVE 2026 will see the return of the KnowledgeXchange, the free advice surgery featuring experts in energy and carbon, HR and employment law, business operations, apprenticeships, mergers and acquisitions, estimating, and NBRA services.
The KnowledgeXchange experts this year are Steve Silverwood from ECA Business Energy; Paul Edwards and Rob Goddard from S-Cubed Advisory; Andy Pennell from Estimate Coaching; Eleanor Baker Barnes from Apprenticeship Central; Nicola Sutherland from NS People Partners; Robert Snook from Business Success Global; and Martyn Rowley and Rachel Meenaghan from the NBRA.
To book a free 30-minute confidential session with any of these experts, sign up on the KnowledgeXchange web page. or email Claire Hawkins ([email protected]).
All of Thursday’s Bodyshop Hub activities during the day are free for all repairers and bodyshop employees. Simply head to the Bodyshop Magazine LIVE 2026 registration page to sign up.
And if you are in the Midlands tonight and fancy a buffet and a beer, plus some op-flight networking with over a hundred of your industry colleagues, head over to The Masters Suite at The Belfry at 7:00pm for the Bodyshop Awards 2026 Welcome Party. It’s free to attend for all accidentt repair sector employees.
