Darren moss' blog

Exhibitors love aftermarket trade shows like Automechanika because it allows them to do six months worth of meetings in just a few days.

Journalists love it too because it allows us to catch up with so many companies with the same purpose in mind, good business.

Walking through one of the many Frankfurt halls today I've already seen deals being struck and new customers being made. It is great to see the aftermarket selling itself so well.

At the same time I'm still astounded at the sheer size of the show. It's just taken me half an hour to get from a stand in Hall 6 to the press centre to post this.

See that? We built that, we did.

We think you'll agree the finished product looks excellent, and there's a chance for you to own one too.

These models are all part of a competition being run by Bosch. It's a colouring competition for children between five and ten, and the winner will receive this self-build model of a Bosch Car Service garage.

Good news for motorsport fans, BEN is back raising money with its Twilight Challenge, a two hour endurance karting race.

Now we know how competitive the aftermarket can be, and it's all for a good cause, so contact BEN to register your team now!

Harry Adams is a budding engineering genius. He's exactly the sort of person the motor trade needs - passionate, talented and dedicated to his work.

At just 16 Harry is already well on the road to success, winning several prestigious industry awards (the latest being the Painter Stainer award) and being the lucky recipient of an Arkright engineering scholarship.

CAT still has two pairs of Automechanika tickets to give away! Get in touch by emailing darren.moss@haymarket.com now to claim your free tickets. We'll be sending ticket vouchers out to the lucky recipients in the next few weeks. We'll also be arranging to meet up with all of our lucky ticket holders to get their thoughts on what promises to be an incredible show.

A rumour is a powerful tool, and rumours were already circulating that it was Tetrosyl who had stumped up for the MotorMania chain when I went to see the company last week. We now know of course that those rumours were true, and not for the first time I find myself wondering if the aftermarket grapevine - given its success and accuracy scores in recent months - shouldn't turn its attention to predicting Euro 2012 scores as well as business moves.

CAT has gotten it's paws on ten pairs of free tickets to Automechanika. The show is shaping up to be bigger, better, and bolder than its 2010 predecessor. With thousands of visitors expected to descent upon Frankfurt this September, how would you like the chance to visit the show for free?

The small island of Cyprus has much to offer. Sun, sea, sand, and decent beer are just a few of its qualities. It also seems to have a thriving independent automotive aftermarket too, if the abundance of back-street garages are anything to go by. On a recent holiday to the island I got the opportunity to see a few of these workshops first hand.

As you can see, we've had a bit of a spring clean on our website. We're hoping the new layout will make it easier for more readers to find the content that matters. Aftermarket news takes pride of place at the top of our new homepage, while underneath you can find regular updates from the CAT Council, our know-how contributions and a new section

As many of you will by now have heard, several members of the CAT team are running this weekend's London Marathon. Our team will be pounding the streets to raise money for the automotive industry charity, BEN.