Annual conference and networking event for independent garage owners, The Blend has unveiled an inspiring line-up of guest speakers ahead of this year’s widely anticipated industry gathering, which takes place in Birmingham on 7th October, 2023.

An exciting programme will shine the spotlight onto a variety of topics including business operations, challenges and opportunities presented by the likes of Tim Benson of Oldfields Garage, Tom Cockings of Robert Cockings Motor Repair and Matt Cleevely of Cleevely EV.

“We’re keeping things fresh with new speakers, perspectives and topics,” said Ray Dilsons, Managing Director of Garage Hive. “There will be a range of insightful talks throughout the day and plenty of opportunities to chat directly with our guests to discuss garage business strategy.”

Andy Crook of Got Boost and John Batten of Auto IQ will be on-hand to cover business operations, with Jennifer Webb of HR Vitals, Prashant Chopra of Autogem, Mandla Ndhlovu of Autotech Training, Mark Strain of GSF Car Parts, and Andy Hamilton of LKQ Euro Car Parts completing the list of guest speakers. Garage Hive’s very own Alex Lindley will also be revealing the very latest data from Garage Industry Trends.

Delegates can ‘pick and choose’ the sessions they attend during the day ahead of an evening dinner, awards ceremony, and entertainment.

Organised by community-driven garage management software Garage Hive, The Blend 2023 is open to all garage owners in the UK and Ireland. The aim of the day is to provide garage owners and managers with practical strategies and ideas they can implement to improve their businesses.

The Blend 2023 speakers

  • Andy Crook of Got Boost: Growing Pains
  • Tim Benson of Oldfields Garage: Planning Your Exit on a Non-Excitable Business
  • Tom Cockings of Robert Cockings Motor Repair: Father and Son Conflict in the Trade
  • Matt Cleevely of Cleevely Electric Vehicles: To EV or Not to EV?
  • John Batten of AutoIQ
  • Jennifer Webb of HR Vitals: Using Your GMS as a Tool for preventative HR Actions
  • Prashant Chopra of Autogem: TPMS, a Ticking Time Bomb?
  • Alex Lindley of Garage Hive: Garage Industry Trends
  • Simon Gurney of Castrol
  • Mandla Ndhlovu of Autotech Training: Understanding the Data for Managing Risk in Your VTS
  • Mark Strain of GSF Car Parts: Unleashing Innovation: The Power of Catalogue Integration in Digital Management Systems
  • Andy Hamilton of LKQ Euro Car Parts
  • Ray Dilsons of Garage Hive: Keynote Speech

Taking place on the 7th October at The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham, tickets for The Blend 2023 are available to book online at: https://www.theblend.events/tickets