21st April 2023

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Nearly 50 members representing 25 companies attended the recent PAAA general members meeting and AGM that took place in the impressive Sky Suite at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon on Thursday 20th April.  

 

With a variety of important industry matters discussed, coupled with a productive exchange of information and valuable networking opportunities, members were able to share ideas and discuss aspects of the industry with likeminded colleagues for the first time in over three years.

 

The event commenced with a welcome address and refreshments, following which delegates were given the opportunity to look around the museum and its collection of cars that range from the unique and weird, right through to examples of standard cars that graced our roads during decades past. 

 

Following an excellent lunch, the meeting began with the directors reporting on the association’s recent activities and achievements. These included an update on lobbying, legislations and the change of membership to a single tier that covers all sectors of the performance aftermarket sector. An overview of the increased PR and social media activity followed, with Paul Cowland’s Pro-Motive team thanked and congratulated for their excellent work.

 

Underpinning the significance of the recently launched SMART campaign, Sergeant Owen Messenger generously shared the work of Vision Zero Southwest that highlighted how the PAAA can play a part in creating a Police-approved set of modifications for car enthusiasts. The presentation generated a great deal of discussion, questions and interaction. 

 

The next presentation saw Kurt Bradbury and Dan Guest from FastnFunded explain the relationship that modifications play with the larger finance companies that again, sparked conversation.  

 

Further presentations came from Dominic Taylor-Lane from the Association of Heritage Engineers and Andy Barnes of Kleer Freight (and Time Attack), who provided a valuable update on the developments surrounding the import and export of goods in the post-Brexit era.

 

The meeting concluded with a summary of proposed events for PAAA members presented by Simon Slade, with an agreement that future members meetings will be held as and when required. It was also agreed that where circumstances allow, the association will work with event organisers to create specific PAAA zones that can be populated by members who wish to attend.

 

Feedback following the event has been extremely positive, with delegates agreeing the meeting was a valuable and enjoyable occasion.

 

ENDS

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