Parts Alliance regional show draws the crowds

The Parts Alliance’s South West regional Garage and Workshop Show proved a great success, according to the leading UK trading group.

The event, which was hosted on Thursday 27 October at Sandy Park, home to English Premiership side Exeter Chiefs, drew in garage customers invited by the eight Parts Alliance branches in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.

This was the first regional event of its kind and excitement had been running high after over 500 visitor places were quickly snapped up by local independent garages, whilst the fifty available supplier stand spaces were rapidly filled as well.

A diverse range of supporting suppliers included key OE parts brands like Delphi, Yuasa, Valeo and Remy with the Angry Jester tools and equipment stand also doing brisk business on the night. Vital garage support resources such as The IMI, The Motor Ombudsman, IAAF, Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance and AA Garage Guide were also on hand.

Seats were at premium in the buffet area as three-time BTCC Champion, Matt Neal and Exeter Chiefs’ and England forward Thomas Waldrom gave special guest interviews with question and answer sessions to follow.

The event was organised by Paul Dineen, regional business director and head of garage programmes at The Parts Alliance. He said: “To host a midweek evening event and attract so many people after the working day was a great achievement. It was also half-term so a number of owners brought their families along too.

“Huge credit goes to all the team who worked tirelessly to organise the evening and of course to the supporting suppliers and attending garage customers who made the effort to come along.

Appreciative customers included Jenny Hill from East Budleigh Garage, who said: “Thank you very much for a great evening. We all really enjoyed it!”

Visiting garages gained some excellent value; a whole series of supplier ‘show special offers’ were supplemented by over £5,000 worth of prizes awarded on the night. These included an Android Tablet, Amazon Fire Stick, BTCC Tickets, a 50” Television and a free loan car for a year.

Garages are advised to keep an eye out for future events in 2017.