UK Garage and Bodyshop 2026 - supporting skills, talent and the future of the Aftermarket
The UK Garage and Bodyshop Event will return to the NEC Birmingham on 3-4 June 2026, continuing its mission to equip the garage, body repair and detailing sector with the training, technology, tools and confidence needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving automotive landscape.
Organised by Messe Frankfurt UK, the hosts behind UK Garage & Bodyshop Event sister show, Automechanika Birmingham, the event is designed specifically for the automotive industry, a place where the sector can learn, network and future-proof itself. Following strong attendance of more than 5,000 aftermarket professionals in 2024, UK Garage & Bodyshop Event 2026 will place an even greater emphasis on skills, diversity and attracting the next generation of technicians.
As vehicle technology accelerates, with electrification, ADAS, connected systems and advanced materials reshaping repair processes, the aftermarket faces increasing pressure to build and retain a skilled and adaptable workforce. UK Garage & Bodyshop Event 2026 has been shaped around that very challenge. The show will offer free access to live, hands-on training across multiple specialist zones, where experts will demonstrate real repair techniques, diagnostic procedures and calibration methods that technicians can take straight back into their garages and workshops.
But the event is about more than skills alone. It is also a platform for shaping perception. The UK aftermarket has long struggled to attract new talent, in part because many young people don’t realise the breadth of careers available, from diagnostics, calibration and technical leadership to digital roles, business ownership, engineering and beyond. UK Garage & Bodyshop Event will shine a spotlight on the people who make this industry exceptional, highlighting role models and encouraging the sector to welcome new and diverse voices.
To help inspire and connect with future professionals, the show will once again feature the Ignite Arena, a dynamic space dedicated to students, apprentices and young talent. The arena will offer live entertainment, interactive talks, competitions and meet-and-greets designed to showcase the vast range of career opportunities across the industry. Alongside this, the Automechanika ‘30 Under 30’ programme will celebrate rising stars within the sector. Free to enter, the awards recognise the top 30 young professionals shaping the future of the aftermarket, with finalists selected by an expert panel and honoured at an exclusive networking event during the show.
It will also continue to drive conversations around gender balance, career progression and transferable skills, supporting pathways into the trade from other industries at a time when the skills gap affects workshop productivity and profitability across the UK.
Hundreds of leading suppliers, distributors and training partners are already signed up to exhibit to showcase emerging technology and workshop solutions, helping businesses make informed decisions about future investment, from EV tooling to workflow software and ADAS calibration systems.
Joanne Knowles, Event Director at Messe Frankfurt UK, organisers of Automechanika Birmingham and UK Garage & Bodyshop Event, commented: “The heart of the aftermarket has always been its people. UK Garage & Bodyshop Event is designed to support them, the apprentices starting out, the master technicians evolving their knowledge, and the workshop owners steering their businesses through change. This event is about giving the trade confidence in the future, visibility of the opportunities ahead and a sense of pride in the skills that keep Britain moving.”