As the spread of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus, continues to spread across the U.S., the government is putting protective measures into play in order to slow the rate of infection.

On Sunday, March 15, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) put out the recommendation that "for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States."

In an effort to put the public’s health and safety first, many shows and events within the automotive/tool industry have been canceled or postponed.

Below are details on automotive events and trade shows (in alphabetical order) that have been canceled or postponed. We will attempt to keep this list updated. If you have an update on an industry event to add to this list, please contact us at [email protected].     

ATD/ITEG Expo - canceled

In an email sent out to ATD/ITEG Expo attendees, Bill Robinson, president of ATD Tools Inc. and Laura Boni, national vendor coordinator for International Tool & Equipment Group (ITEG), announced that the ATD/ITEG 2020 Expo has canceled. 

"The health and safety of our members, our staff, our vendors, attendees, and guests remains our top priority," wrote Robinson and Boni. "We have been preparing for this event for a long time and so it saddens us greatly to cancel at this time but we know it is the right decision. We are already preparing to reschedule our event [for] next March. We will be providing more information on those dates and plans shortly."

Automotive Parts Services Group: National Member Meeting - postponed 

Originally scheduled for April 26-29, the Automotive Parts Services Group (The Group) has decided to postpone its national member meeting due to raising concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“Because the health and safety of our members, vendor partners, and associates is our primary concern, we made the difficult decision to postpone our 2020 conference,” said Larry Pavey, CEO of the Automotive Parts Services Group. “We are actively working to reschedule this event and will provide further details once they are available.”

Automotive Training Event (ATE) - postponed

Following an announcement made by Washington Governor Jay Inslee to ban all large gatherings of 250 people or more in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, ATE has been rescheduled for July 31-August 2.  

Additionally, the ATE room block at the DoubleTree Hilton by SeaTac Hotel has been canceled, so attendees do not need to call the hotel to cancel reservations.

“We are working with all of our trainers to ensure we are able to offer you the same classes for the new ATE 2020,” note ATE officials. “While it’s regrettable that we have to postpone ATE 2020, we at ASA Northwest are most concerned about the health and safety of ATE participants, trainers, staff, and volunteers.”

Commitment to Training Live Event - postponed 

The recent COVID-19 global virus outbreak is forcing us to make some difficult decisions. We at Motor Age, PTEN, and Technician's Service Training (TST) take the health and wellness of technicians and shop owners very seriously. Without your health, you cannot successfully serve your customers and keep drivers safe on the roads. With that in mind, we have made the tough decision to postpone the debut Commitment to Training Live Event to November 14. This was the best option for rescheduling at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Chicago – Rosemont, Illinois. For more information, you can view the full press release here. 

Cornwell Tool Rally - canceled

After deliberation with the Cornwell management team and board of directors, on Friday, March 6, Bob Studenic, president, CEO, and director of Cornwell Quality Tools sent out an email to attendees of the Cornwell Tool Rally notifying them of the cancellation of the event due to public health risks concerning the outbreak of coronavirus.

“This has been a very difficult decision for us to make,” wrote Studenic. “We realize a lot of time and effort has gone into planning, and we wish to express our sincere gratefulness to all who have worked diligently to coordinate our annual tool show.”

Mitchell 1 Shop Management Workshop - postponed 

As of March 17, due to rising concerns around COVID-19, Mitchell 1 has decided to postpone its Shop Management Workshop. Originally scheduled for April 30-May 2, the workshop has been rescheduled for fall 2020. 

“Mitchell 1 is taking the COVID-19 virus very seriously and as a precaution to keep our customers and associates healthy and safe, we made the decision to postpone our upcoming Shop Management Workshop,” said Nick DiVerde, senior marketing director, Mitchell 1. “We thank everyone who has signed up so far and will honor those registrations when the event is rescheduled.”

For updates on the status of the workshop, check the Mitchell 1 Shop Management Workshop registration webpage.         

NAPA Expo - postponed

The U.S. Automotive Parts Group has postponed the NAPA Expo, originally scheduled for April 6-9 in Las Vegas, due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

"We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and will provide you with new expo dates as well as any other relevant updates as soon as possible," Kevin Herron, president of COO of U.S. Automotive Parts Group, wrote in an announcement. "We want to emphasize that your current registration package will still be valid for the rescheduled event."

New dates for the event will be announced at a later time.

Neu Tool Fair - postponed 

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Neu Tool Fair, scheduled for May 1-2, has been postponed. A new date and location for the fair have yet to be determined. Additionally, the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino will be closing effective March 17 at 5 PM until further notice, so all rooms booked for the fair have been canceled. 

SAE World Congress - canceled

Due to concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic, SAE International has decided to cancel the WCX 2020 World Congress Experience.

“WCX has long been the marquee industry event for showcasing technological innovations in the world of mobility, and we are currently evaluating alternate options for how to best deliver the technical content that has been developed to registered attendees,” note SAE International officials. “We remain firmly committed to prioritizing the health and safety of our members, customers, partners, and staff who are attending our events and apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation has caused.”

ToolTech - canceled 

As of March, 18, Equipment & Tool Institute's ToolTech event has been canceled due the novel coronavirus pandemic and the action being taken by the government and industry to deal with the virus. 

"We have enjoyed working with AMRA and NASTF in creating what was to be a world-class event in San Diego," wrote Brian Plott, executive director for ETI, in an email to attendees. "Record registration levels made it clear that everyone was excited for the event. We want to keep that momentum going and plan for an even greater joint event in spring 2021. We are working on dates and location plans now and will share that with you once the plans are firmed up. Watch your email for developments."

Please note that anyone already registered for the event will receive full reimbursement of registration fees. Additionally, if you have booked a hotel room, since the event is canceled, the room block has been canceled as well and no further action is necessary.  

TST Big Event - postponed

The TST Big Event originally scheduled for Saturday, March 21 has been postponed until Saturday, August 15. For more information on the event, visit TST’s website here.

This article will be updated as any other changes are made to upcoming industry gatherings in the U.S.