SuperConference 2020 Late Breaking News
Check back regularly for the latest updates and special announcements, especially as we confirm details for our reimagined virtual event!
August 3, 2020
SuperConference 2020 Virtual Experience
Today on our Facebook Shop Owners page, Richard, Karen, and Karen shared plans for SuperConference 2020 Virtual Experience, a series of interactive, online events which will take place on Friday and Saturday, August 14-15, 2020 culminating in our 2019 Top Shop awards. The group talked about ways attendees can participate in a variety of events, and how everyone can join in the awards ceremony celebration. Richard also discussed the contributions of our amazing sponsors, the tradeshow raffles that will be available, and sponsor-provided goody bags for the original March conference registrants. Finally, the SC app will be a really important component of the SC experience: instant surveys, polling, chat, see the agenda, ask questions, receive push notifications, vote for Humanitarian of the Year, and this year's memory photos will work off the app as selfies!
We're super excited about making this a special event you'll want to attend. It's the perfect way to get a true feel for what it's like to attend a SuperConference and a great opportunity to share the experience with members of your shop. Registration opens this week—look for your email invitation coming soon!
June 23, 2020
SuperConference 2020 Virtual Awards Ceremony Teaser
Today on our Facebook Shop Owners page, Richard, Karen, and Karen shared plans for virtual events to take place during during the SuperConference 2020 August 12-15, 2020 dates. Activities will include a virtual fun run, virtual awards for all the Top Shops, Humanitarian of the Year, graduation awards, and all the usual fanfare befitting of the celebration. We'll have exciting content to bring you and your team throughout the day, all free to ATI members and their teams. A reception will also be available before the awards with different rooms and groups to mingle and catch-up—like being there without being there!
More details coming soon, but we're super excited about making this a special event you'll want to attend.
June 16, 2020
SuperConference 2020 In Person Group Event Canceled
Dear SuperConference 2020 attendees,
It's the old - "I have good news and bad news."
First the bad...
It is with great regret and disappointment to announce that we have made the difficult decision to finally cancel SuperConference 2020. Our annual conference has been rescheduled twice, first in June and recently in August. We tried hard to find a way to bring us together this year hoping that the country would reopen and that attendees would feel safe traveling and attending.
However, we must also be realistic about the current reality. When we announced the August dates, we knew that attendees would ultimately decide for us. As of today, most said they would not be attending. Those that said they would, were clearly in the minority. Although we expected a smaller event, we wanted to make sure we delivered a comparable SuperConference experience for all. With these reduced attendance numbers, and the complexity of social distancing guidelines we know we can no longer keep that promise.
We also have a responsibility to our sponsors and exhibitors to deliver a return on their investment. They made their decision to invest and participate based on an event of 600+ people. This much smaller event would not make economic sense for many.
It is for these reasons that we have made the hard decision to give up the SuperConference 2020 ghost.
For those currently registered for SuperConference 2020, please contact Tiffany Jung at tjung@autotraining.net to apply your remaining balance to SuperConference 2021 or alternatively, apply to current ATI services.
NOTE: You MUST register for SC21 before you can apply your SC20 credit balance.
Now the good news...
Each year at SuperConference we honor ATI's best of the best. This year will be no different. Stay tuned for an important announcement with details on our first virtual/live awards event. Think NASCAR without the fans in the stands. We are hard at work planning this exciting hybrid event which will take place during the August reschedule dates.
And now the even better news...
Today, a rainbow appeared on the ATI horizon. We announced SuperConference 2021 at the beautiful Omni Amelia Island Resort. This is very exciting as it is our first encore property. We had a wonderful experience there in 2016. Registration is now open.
https://events.autotraining.net/superconference21/
We believe strongly in the resilience, flexibility and strength of ATI and our members. We're optimistic that meeting face to face will continue to play an important role in helping us grow our businesses together. SuperConference has always been a big part of that goal.
We WILL meet again live and in person soon and, like you, we cannot wait for that moment to come.
Your SuperConference 2020 and 2021 team
The ATI warehouse TODAY as we left it on Friday, March 13th (fitting). The SuperConference shipment was set to be picked up, headed for Carlsbad, that afternoon.
May 5, 2020
SuperConference 2020 has been rescheduled for August 12th–15th
Sorry, this is a bit lengthy, but we wanted to give a complete picture. Please read in full.
For everyone at ATI, our annual SuperConference is part of everything great and wonderful about ATI. Since our 2020 cancellation in March, we have been working with the Omni on viable reschedule dates while monitoring daily the timing of "reopening" the country. As we all know, there are still many unknowns that will just take time to play out. It is encouraging to see the current movements to slowly reopen businesses on a state by state basis.
I am sure many of us are at least making plans for family vacations, reunions, and other pre-planned trips this summer in the hopes that they can actually happen. SuperConference is no different. An event like this needs to be planned and scheduled amidst the unknowns while hoping for the best.
Our first pass at a viable reschedule date was June 24th-27th. Now, a month later, these early summer dates seem less likely. So, we are releasing these June dates back to the Omni. Knowing that we have a lot of members in "SuperConference limbo," we have finalized our reschedule dates for August 12th-15th.
SuperConference is more than just speakers, Round Tables, a Trade Show, and an Awards Banquet. It is the greatest networking event of the year. Although right now, it may seem less important, it will be more important than ever for all of us to unite to share our COVID-19 wins and losses and form our plans for the future. ATI is a strong industry community where we forge our collective futures together.
We do need to hear from you regarding your initial attendance intentions (even if you think you have already). Please take a moment to complete this thirty-second survey.
Your Current Registration Deposits
- For those of you who wish to attend and have not touched your pre-payment registration credit, it will be automatically transferred to the new dates. You will just need to reconfirm your hotel room in/out dates. After Monday, May 18th, you can make changes to your registration record, if necessary.
- For those of you who have used all or a portion of your credit for current ATI services, and you wish to attend, you will just need to be paid in full by Friday, August 7th. You will just need to reconfirm your hotel room in/out dates. After Monday, May 18th, you can make changes to your registration record, if necessary.
Airlines
Most, if not all of you, should have credits that could easily be rebooked for these new dates. Today, all airlines are on a significantly reduced schedule. This should change quickly, as the country reopens. San Diego is a major market and will come back quickly.
SuperConference is the Premier Aftermarket Conference
Rest assured that this rescheduled SuperConference will be every bit the premier conference you have come to expect. Because of current business events or scheduling conflicts, some of you may not be able to attend. We understand and will miss you this year. But these new dates may open up opportunities for other members to attend. We promise to deliver "our best SuperConference ever"!
SuperConference 2020 and Beyond
Safety first of course. We are working with the Omni to plan all logistics. This subject is global and at the forefront of the entire hospitality industry. Be it our conference in August or all conferences going forward, we will likely see changes many of which will be here to stay. We will keep all attendees updated as these plans are formalized.
A Note on SuperConference 2021
For those of you who have attended previous SuperConferences, you know that we unveil the next year's conference location and dates at the end of the current year's Awards Banquet. We then open registration in June for the next year. We do this because most members take advantage of our convenient, monthly pre-payment plan. Due to the reschedule circumstances this year, we will announce SuperConference 2021 through a ZOOM meeting on Tuesday, June 16th at 1:00 PM EDT. Registration will then open on June 17th. As a modification to next year's payment plan, attendees are welcome to select their payment plan start date anytime but no later than October 2020. In addition, where in previous years, attendees needed to be paid in full by February 1st, we are extending this deadline to April 1st (post SuperConference 2021).
Important Timelines
SuperConference 2021 Reveal: Tuesday, June 16 1:00 PM EDT via Zoom
SuperConference 2021 Registration Opens: Wednesday, June 171
SuperConference 2020 Carlsbad, CA: Wednesday, August 12 to Saturday, August 15
SuperConference 2020 "paid in full' Date: Friday, August 7
SuperConference 2021 "paid in full" Date: Thursday, April 1, 2021
SuperConference 2021: Wednesday, March 17 to Saturday, March 20, 2021
1You may begin making your SC21 monthly pre-payments at any time but no later and October 2020.
A Final Personal Message
I know many of us are struggling as we navigate our way through this crisis. This reschedule is in no way meant to minimize the impact all this has on our lives and our businesses. The actual viability of SuperConference 2020 happening three and a half months from now will be based on factors, many of which are still unknown today. If the country is slower to reopen than expected, if there are still meeting size restrictions that make a conference like this impractical to put on or it is still deemed too unsafe to travel and meet, then we will cancel SC20 altogether. "It is better to have tried and failed then to have not tried at all."
One thing is for sure, we must all continue to plan for the future with the expectation that the bright, sunny day of normalcy will return sooner than later. I know I speak for the entire SuperConference team—we love SuperConference, we love seeing everyone, and we especially love what it brings to all our members and our industry. We hope it happens and we hope you come!
Richard and your entire SuperConference team
March 25, 2020
SAVE THE DATE - Important Reschedule Information Regarding SuperConference 2020
To all ATI member attendees, vendors and sponsors, and ATI associates,
It's been one incredible couple of weeks since I had to sadly notify everyone that SuperConference 2020 would not take place as scheduled on March 25th – 28th. As a matter of fact, right at this moment we would be finishing up our big registration day, we would be in the middle of our 20 Group Summit and we would be getting ready to head out to our fun-filled Welcome Reception/Dinner at the beautiful Flower Fields. But, so much has happed to all of us since then as we prepare for the next chapter in this fight.
Immediately after our announcement we began working with the Omni on possible reschedule dates. This is much more complicated than it sounds, as all cancelled conferences are doing the same thing. We started looking further out in the summer, but fewer options were available, as existing groups are sitting tight. We also have to take into account the compression factor between SC20 and SC21 the following March.
But, we did want to keep you posted on where we think we are. So mark your SuperConference calendars because we have a "non-contracted hold" on June 24th – 27th. We are working aggressively to move to contract for these dates as well as a resolution on conference deposits currently held by the Omni. We will keep you posted as we get any new information.
We recognize that you all have deposits on account so we wanted to give you immediate options. You can simply have us hold your deposit for this potential reschedule or even SuperConference 2021 or make a request to begin using a portion of your deposit for current ATI services (Re-Engineering or Alumni). Your portion would be equal to or up to two months of your ATI services. This is in line with current anticipated timeframes of business disruption. If you would like to begin using your deposit just send an email to Tiffany Jung tjung@autotraining.net (copied here). She will reply back to your email request with a detailed breakout recapping your credit and its application to your ATI account. If you would like us to continue to hold on to it, you need to do nothing.
Note: Charity donations and 20 Group Table Reserves will be handled on a case requested basis.
It will take a few days to update the registration site.
Remember, ATI is much bigger than just ATI. We are a community of the best shops in America. We will get through this together.
Be safe. Your customers need you.
Richard and your entire SuperConference team
March 12, 2020
Important Announcement Regarding SuperConference 2020
To all ATI member attendees, vendors and sponsors, ATI associates and our friends at the Omni La Costa:
"Permission to speak freely"
It is with an extremely heavy heart… In an "abundance of caution"… No, actually we are mad as hell and disappointed beyond words. SuperConference 2020 at the beautiful Omni La Costa will NOT go on as planned March 25th – 28th.
As of yesterday, we were very much a go. We were conducting final speaker calls, setting sound check times and getting our big shipment ready to leave ATI headquarters on its way to California tomorrow morning. Although many of you had concerns, most members and vendors were hanging in there and looking forward to "our best SuperConference ever". In fact, many of you were on the registration site today signing up for Round Tables and ordering tee shirts! But last night, the Governor of CA banned meetings greater than 250 people across the state. Today's major event cancellations have been breathtaking.
Yes, we were concerned for all of our safety, but we were taking extra ordinary measures, with the help of the Omni, to do everything possible to put on a great, SAFE event. We have been in conversations with the Omni today and we both agreed it would be impossible to move forward with our March event. As we speak we are looking at potential reschedule dates that might work for us early this summer. It is way too early to even hint of possible alternative dates but we are working diligently on this. We also have no idea where the Coronavirus will be three weeks from now let alone three months. So, cross your fingers with us and pray that the country will recover quickly as most viruses dissipate as summer temperatures rise.
The good news, if there is any, is that the airlines are allowing changes and cancellations to reservations without penalty. Two days ago we crafted a SuperConference cancellation policy that is basically out the window. But we need some time to sort this all out. We would hope that all of you would be patient while we do that. Should the stars line up and we are able to reschedule, those able to attend (members and vendors), could transfer your balance to the new dates.
A quick note to the Omni. They have been fabulous partners to work with especially through this very difficult time. They have employees to take care of and mouths to feed just as we do. A cancellation of a group our size is devastating. Our hearts go out to all of you.
We have seen lots of conferences cancel days and minutes before their start. At least we have a week and half to make alternate plans. We look forward to seeing all of you at SuperConference 2020 if we can make it happen. We will need all of you, members and vendors to make that a reality.
I close hopefully stating the obvious. We need each other today more than ever. As always, ATI is here to help all of us weather this storm as we always have and always will. ATI is a family.
Richard and your entire SuperConference team
March 5, 2020
SuperConference Special Announcement - An Important Read
Greetings SuperConference attendees:
I wanted to personally reach out to our upcoming SuperConference attendees and address the current situation with the coronavirus. Every day brings new developments related to the virus, and the uncertainty can be unsettling. While we continue to monitor the situation on a day-by-day basis, SuperConference 2020 is on schedule for March 25th – 28th. There are numerous conferences and conventions still being held across the country and most are proceeding as planned.
Your safety is our primary concern. We are in daily contact with the Omni and we are confident that they are taking every possible step to provide a safe environment as well. We feel one of the key safety advantages of our conference is that it is a 100% domestic event. The Omni is also located away from major CA cities in a less densely populated area.
We understand that everyone is in a different place when it comes to what is best for you. Just recently, Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said "I just want to echo again that the risk is low—the risk is low. I encourage Americans to go about their life. That includes travel to California, Oregon and the state of Washington."
Southwest Airlines, the official airline of SuperConference 2020, stated today:
"We have not suspended any scheduled flights or routes due to the Coronavirus, as we do not serve Europe or Asia, and at this time, there are no travel restrictions to any of the locations we serve. Southwest Airlines aircraft are maintained in accordance with an established program aimed at providing a clean and inviting cabin environment. Each aircraft is tidied between flights and subsequently undergoes a comprehensive program every night that includes cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting the aircraft cabin and lavatories. These procedures meet or exceed recommendations from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO)."
» https://www.southwest.com/Coronavirus/?clk=CORONAVIRUS_TA
The best advice for staying healthy hasn't changed. Wash your hands frequently, use hand sanitizer and avoid touching your face. At SuperConference, the Omni will have sanitizer machines in place throughout the property and we will help remind you often.
In closing, some of you may know that I commute weekly between Atlanta and Baltimore. I travel from the busiest airport in the country. I will continue to do this in the weeks leading up to SuperConference. In addition, many of our consultants and Owner Event speakers are on planes as we speak, spreading the ATI word. It is cautious, business as usual.
Thank you for your support of ATI. "If it's March, it's SuperConference." See you soon.
Richard C Menneg
President
direct: 301.575.9103
email: rcmenneg@autotraining.net
March 3, 2020
Round Tables Topics are Now Available for Review and Open for Registration
One of the most popular portions of SuperConference is the Round Table breakouts. Twelve topics presented by ATI coaches AND members repeated two times each over two days. Our members have graciously given up their personal SuperConference time to share compelling topics straight from their real-life experiences.
For your convenience, you may view or download the Round Table Signup Sheets. Both Thursday and Friday are in the file.
The forms will allow for easy review of the titles and descriptions as well as the presenters. Use them to help you select the ones you want to attend. Each attendee must sign up for their own Round Tables.
You may register for your Round Tables online until March 23rd. After that, you MUST register on the official SuperConference App (available soon). If you wait until you get to SuperConference, many of the more popular topics will already be closed for registration.
Important Notice Regarding Round Table Audio Files
All attendees will have limited-time access to the audio recordings of the SC20 Round Tables. After SuperConference, the recordings will be posted online for playback only and will be available for a very limited time. These files will be protected from download. Only attendees who purchase the official SuperConference Flash Drive set will receive permanent copies of Round Table audio files along with General Session and Awards video.
You may pre-order the Flash Drive set through online registration (use the registration button above) or order onsite at SuperConference.
January 4, 2020
Rental Car Discount Now Available
Need a rental car for SuperConference 2020? See the Travel page for details and an ATI discount code you can use booking with Avis.
December 2, 2019
Airline Discount Now Available
Still need to make your airline reservations for SuperConference 2020? See the Travel page for details and an ATI discount code you can use booking with SWABIZ.
September 5, 2019
Charity Selection: the mikeroweworks Foundation
"America is lending money it doesn't have to kids who can't pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist. That's nuts." – Mike Rowe
Each year at SuperConference, we select a locally based charity to raise awareness and money for their organization. If you have already attended a SuperConference, you have seen first-hand the incredible impact our members have made. Many of you have asked us over the years to support a charity that helps our industry. You have asked, and we have delivered.
We're excited to introduce our SuperConference 2020 Charity: the mikeroweworks Foundation
mikeroweWORKS Foundation
The mikeroweworks Foundation works hard to debunk myths and misperceptions about the trades and close the skills gap. As the CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, Mike Rowe, best known as the creator and host of Discovery Channel's iconic series Dirty Jobs, speaks regularly about the country's dysfunctional relationship with work and challenges the persistent belief that a four-year degree is automatically the best path for most people. The Foundation provides financial assistance to people getting trained for skilled jobs through its Work Ethic Scholarship Program. The Foundation has helped grant, or facilitate the granting of, millions of dollars in work ethic scholarships to qualified recipients.
mikeroweworks Foundation and the Automotive Repair Industry
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the automotive industry employs 750,000 service technicians. Just to keep pace with retirement and new jobs in this sector, the industry needs to replace approximately 76,000 technicians each year. Yet new entrants are not keeping up with the pace of demand. Each year, America's technical colleges and training programs graduate about 37,000 new technicians. This leaves an annual shortage of approximately 39,000 technicians. Unless we increase the supply of technicians, the shortage we all feel today will transform into a severe shortage in the next 10 years.
The mikeroweworks Foundation has committed to dedicating the funds we raise at SuperConference to scholarships for deserving recipients entering the automotive repair industry.
Learn more about the mikeroweworks Foundation at www.mikeroweworks.org
How to Donate
If you are arriving at SuperConference 2020 early, please sign up for our Charity Fun Run to benefit the mikeroweworks Foundation. The run will take place on Wednesday morning at 7:15 am and you will receive a commemorative t-shirt. The fee is $30 per person and net proceeds will go to the mikeroweworks Foundation.
