7 years with Garage Hive and our first time at The Blend

What a weekend. After 7 years of using Garage Hive, this was our first time attending The Blend, and honestly, we didn’t quite know what to expect. We’ve come away with so much more than we thought we would.

The Blend is Garage Hive’s annual conference for independent garage owners, held this year on Saturday 10 October at The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham.

It was a chance to meet other independent garage owners, suppliers and people from all different backgrounds who share the same passion for the automotive trade.

Garage owners talking openly

What really stood out was how open everyone was. People shared ideas, talked about what works and what doesn’t, and were honest about the highs and lows of running a garage and the mental stress that comes with it.

It’s easy to think you’re the only one dealing with certain pressures. After speaking to so many people, you realise we’re all in the same boat in one way or another.

A big mention for Ben

Ben, the automotive industry charity, supports the mental health and wellbeing of people in the trade. The work they do is so important, and I’d encourage anyone in the trade to check them out.

Our highlights from the day

SERMI classroom. Really informative, and great to get a better understanding of the latest developments and rules surrounding SERMI.

Social media with Hard Up Garage. A really interesting session hosted by Sam Hard. Plenty to think about and some great ideas to take back with us.

Intelligent Auto Ltd. Your story really hit home with a lot of people, myself included. Fair play for standing up in front of such a huge audience and speaking so openly. That takes some doing, mate. Massive respect.

Garage Hive. After 7 years of using the system, we still came away from the recent refresher training having learnt so much. If you’re already with Garage Hive, I’d highly recommend the training. And if you’re looking at changing your garage management system, definitely give these guys a shout.

What we’re taking back to the workshop

We’ve come away with plenty of ideas, a few things we want to change and a reminder that there’s always something new to learn, no matter how long you’ve been doing this.

More than anything, it was great to spend time with people who understand the challenges of running an independent garage without having to explain yourself.

A massive thank you to everyone involved in organising the event. Same time next year.

VGS Performance is an independent Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT, Skoda and Cupra specialist on Hillmead Drive in Swindon. Book online today.