All industry stakeholders, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend
Sanford, N.C.—The Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association (CIECA) has announced new speakers and sessions that will be included at the 17th annual conference, CONNEX 2026.
The event will be held at the Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio, Texas, Sept. 29-Oct. 1. This year’s theme is “The Rise of Software-Defined Vehicles: Collision Industry Impacts.” Industry veteran Bill Garoutte will emcee the event. All industry stakeholders, including CIECA members and non-members, are invited to attend.
During the conference, thought leaders and industry experts will discuss where technology and businesses are headed and how the collision industry can prepare. A highlight of the conference will be a tour of the Toyota Texas manufacturing facility and Experience Center.
The San Antonio facility is where Toyota manufactures Toyota Tundras and Sequoias. The event will also include two National Auto Body Council NABC Recycled Rides® vehicle giftings on Sept. 30.
On Thursday, Oct. 1, a free CIECA IT Forum will take place from 1-5 pm. The collaborative forum is for collision industry technology experts to discuss ADAS and calibration data. During the meeting, attendees will discuss business use cases, who needs the data, who inputs it, and where it is stored.
Time will also be spent reviewing CIECA BMS data and identifying new data needed. To RSVP, email Paulette Reed, CIECA’s technical project manager at paulette@cieca.com.
This year’s sponsors include:
Diamond: IAA and OEC
Platinum: I-CAR and Partly
Gold: CCC Intelligent Solutions, Enterprise Mobility, Nexsyis Collision, and Solera
Silver: Comsearch, Integrated CarPartPro.com, LKQ, Mitchell, an Enlyte company, Plasnomic, Revv, Safelite, TenPoint Complete, and VSSTA
Speakers
Industry Trends
Keynote speaker Greg Horn, PartsTrader
How Technology is Reshaping the Collision Industry
Keynote speaker Steve Greenfield, Automotive Ventures
Software-Defined Vehicles
Jeremy Carlson, S&P Global Mobility
Connectivity Under the Hood
Matt Harden, AT&T Connected Cars
OEM Perspective
Moderated by Bill Garoutte
Dan Malik, Slate; Dave Mooney, Volkswagen Group of America; and Nicholas Walker, American Honda
OEM Repair Procedures Panel
Moderated by Tanya Sweetland, OEC
Pat Blech, OEC; Tim Brown, ALLDATA; and Jake Rodenroth
Chief Information Officer (CIO) Panel Discussion
Moderated by Kim DeVallance Caron, Enterprise Mobility
Mark Miller, Crash Champions; Casey Santos, Caliber Collision; and Creighton Warren, Boyd Group
Insurance Trends Panel Discussion
Moderated by Paul Barry, CIECA
Teresa Candiloro, State Farm; Ray Powers, Mobilitas; and Paul Riffel, GAINSCO
From Data Blind Spots to Privacy-Defined Vehicles
Andrea Amico, Privacy4Cars
The Impact of the Changing Vehicle Fleet on Auto Safety and Insurance
Matt Moore, IIHS
Software-Defined Standards and ADAS Calibration
Nabeel Adam, Safelite; and Charlie Rich, Azimuth Claims
Software-Defined Vehicles, Silos and the Sector’s Infrastructure Problem
Levi Fawcett, Partly
Digital Part Intelligence:
Tracking the Hidden Costs and Risks of Used, Reconditioned, Stolen & Faulty Automotive Parts
Mario Dimovski, Plasnomic/Plastic Repair Alliance Council
The Dark Side of AI
Eliron Eckstein, RAVIN AI
CIECA API Standards (CAPIS) Update
Paul Barry, CIECA
Additional Events
NACE/CARS Conference: The Automotive Service Association (ASA) will hold the NACE/CARS Conference for the independent automotive service and collision repair industry. Reimagined for today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, the rebooted conference will bring together industry leaders, innovators, educators, manufacturers and independent shop owners from across North America for a one-day, fast-paced, interactive learning and networking experience.
WIN Meet-Up: The Women’s Industry Network (WIN) invites professionals to attend an hour of networking and connection while learning more about WIN and its mission. Guests are encouraged to bring a colleague who is not currently a WIN member. The event will be held on Tuesday, September 29, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. CST, at the Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio, Texas.For information about CIECA CONNEX 2026 and to register, visit https://connex.cieca.com/CIECACONNEX2026#/?lang=en
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