September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 AFTERMARKET 35 www.aftermarketonline.net complete. The score is never revealed either, in case you wondered. If you don’t think you are up to it, think again. Many actually do far better than they expect. Subsequent rounds follow a similar format, leading up to practical rounds in the semi final in the spring and the final in the summer. Top Technician 2020 will begin on 1 October. To enter simply go to www.toptechnicianonline.co.uk and click on the ‘ enter here ’ tab. Then follow the instructions. Good luck! Top Garage Greater challenges, a clearer competition process and a new and exciting addition are promised for Top Garage 2020, as the competition continues to grow in order to show the best that the sector can offer. In 2019, Top Garage expanded on its debut run, allowing more businesses the chance to shine, and win too. For 2020, the competition is both consolidating on last year’s success while also continuing to expand. More on that in moment, first, let’s look at what is involved. Taking part in Top Garage 2020, you first must complete the online multiple-choice quiz. While only taking a few minutes to complete, and drawing on your existing knowledge of your own sector and the wider business at large, the quiz could also offer some food for thought in the form of new ideas that you can apply within your own business. Subsequent rounds widen the scope of the challenge, and also become much more interactive. You will be asked to produce a video on your business, and offer your own thoughts via the open questions. Those going into the final will face a mystery shop by the organisers, and then face the judges in the final itself. The judging panel will include major names from the sector, and time with them will be educational in itself. There is also the small matter of a major prize bundle for all the winners. In 2019 this was in excess of £10,000 from sponsors Snap-on, TRICO and Euro Car Parts. As we said, following its 2018 debut, and highly successful 2019 expanded run, Top Garage continues to evolve. This year, the three classes established last year will run again. Small businesses Medium business Large business Franchise dealer workshop – This is a new and exciting grouping By including this new business grouping, which allows even more businesses to compete, the scope of the competition increases massively. It also gives those operating in the independent aftermarket the opportunity to flex their muscles against a worthy new competitor. In turn, it gives vehicle retailers the chance to show what they can do with the additional resources at their disposal when it comes to customer care, marketing and all those important areas Top Garage seeks to highlight. Top Garage is open to business owners and those who operate and run businesses in the automotive sector. It does not matter what the business focuses on or specialises in, it is your approach to business and people that counts. As with Top Technician, to enter, go to www.toptechnicianonline.co.uk and click on the ‘ enter here ’ tab. Then follow the instructions. Top prizes By entering Top Technician or Top Garage, you put yourself in line to go all the way through to the finals, ending up as a winner at the end. The winner and runner up of Top Technician, as well as the various winners of Top Garage certainly did not go home empty-handed in 2019. Taking part in Top Technician or Top Garage can provide a real boost to the career of a technician in the case of the former, or a whole business in the case of the latter. Top Technician has been highlighting excellence and changing lives for almost 20 years now. Meanwhile, Top Garage might only be in its third year but it is fast becoming as recognised and respected as the original competition. You can gain knowledge, experience, contacts and really widen your horizons as you come into contact with a broad cross-section of the industry. You will be noticed too, which is always welcome. Whether you are a technician or your run a garage, it could be you who wins, and gets your hands on all the prizes. Both competitions also open doors. The buzz from Top Technician and Top Garage has hardly dropped since June, so get ready to ride the wave of excitement into 2020 and beyond. Sign up and be part of it. Top Technician and Top Garage Awards Dinner 2020 Top Technician 2020 and Top Garage 2020 will be an exciting ride for all involved, and they come to a conclusion on Saturday 20 June following finals for both competitions. It will be on that night that the Top Technician and Top Garage Awards Dinner 2020 will be held. This will be a brilliant opportunity to meet some of the top figures in the sector, and socialise with many of the key suppliers to our industry. Not only that, you get to do it with a drink and dinner, while you find out who has won Top Technician 2020 and Top Garage 2020. 2019’s event was a massive success, and Aftermarket’s switchboard has been jammed up by attendees asking for details on the 2020 event. We are in the process of organising the night, so we are asking everyone to make sure they save the evening of Saturday 20 June 2020. We will be announcing the venue very soon. Watch this space! Top Technician 2020 and Top Garage 2020 come to you in association with ABC Awards, Auto iQ, the Garage Equipment Association (GEA), the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF), and the Independent Garage Association (IGA). Top Garage 2020 timetable: First round (online) 1 October 2019 -3 January 2020 Second round part A (online multiple-choice quiz) February Second round part B (open questions) March Second round part C (video/photography) April Final (venue TBC) Saturday 20 June