The Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium, with a theme of "Winning Strategies in a Changing Aftermarket," will be held Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare near Chicago.


Organizers have planned the 2009 program with fresh content and presenters.

"We listened to past attendees and their requests for topics and issues, and the dynamic GAAS 2009 reflects their input," said Dave Caracci, GAAS chairman. "Industry executives are scrutinizing costs to attend events and demand ROI of intelligence, insight and data that they can transfer into immediate strategies. GAAS 2009 is built to deliver actionable take-aways for great business profitability, efficiency and competitiveness."

Speakers already confirmed include: Bill Strauss, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on "The Long Term Effects of Fuel Prices;" Dr. John Wormald of autoPOLIS on "The Environmental Crisis, The Auto Industry and The Aftermarket;" Rich Detskas, Automotive Manager, SGS Testing Company on "Outsourcing to Third World Quality: The Good, Bad and Ugly;" and David Portalatin, NPD Group on "Consumer Insights: Just Ask!" In addition, two panel discussions are planned on "What Will The DIY Market Look Like in the Next Five Years" and "Internet Business Model's In Today's Aftermarket."

Early registration savings are available until March 20.

For info and registration: www.globalsymposium.org