This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit:

https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-...

Joanne Knowles is the Event Director for Automechanika Birmingham and the UK Garage and Body Shop event, the two biggest trade shows in the UK independent garage calendar.

She joins Alex and Dawn on this episode to talk about what actually goes into running them, why attending matters more than ever, and how Motivate is starting to change the way new talent is brought into the industry.

If you're a garage owner, technician, college tutor or student, this one's worth your time.

Timestamps:

00:00 - intro

01:14 - automechanika vs uk garage and body shop

03:00 - why garage owners should attend

07:31 - feedback, parking and the autonomous bus

09:20 - introducing motivate

12:20 - women, the ignite arena and engaging colleges

18:16 - computer science, adas and the future

21:34 - the case for cpd accreditation

25:22 - castrol | the race group partnership

26:37 - industry community, the blend and ben charity

33:15 - takeaways and how to get involved

41:13 - uk garage and body shop 2026

44:00 - outro

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