Automechanika Awards Dubai 2023

The Service Excellence Awards recognizes the best among the best in the Middle East and North Africa region performing beyond market averages, demonstrating best industry practice, a sustainable business model, efficiency, working to the highest quality standards, technical excellence and delivering high standards of customer care. These include knowledge and experience with the kind of repairs needed, the use of high-quality parts and materials, a warranty or guarantee on their work, good customer service and communication, positive feedback from the community, and the right certifications. Please note that submission should be based for a single outlet.

The categories under Service Excellence are:

• Body Shop of the Year
• Workshop of the Year (Passenger Cars)
• Service Provider of the Year (Commercial Vehicles)
• Customization Specialist of the Year 

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Experience and Expertise: While selecting an entity for car repair and fixes, the experience and skills of the technicians play a key role. How frequently are those technicians trained, skill brushed and assessed is an imperative aspect of the service quality.  
• Customer Service:  Are you ensuring that your customers are having a quality experience? Are you providing unique and personalized service? Are you tracking, recording and taking necessary action on customer complaints, feedback and suggestions?
• Guarantees and Warranties:  Any reputable company will guarantee their work. In order to ensure a high-quality job, the company should offer some form of warranty. 
• Complete Service: The service provider should offer a complete service to you. For example, they should be able to process your insurance claim. They should also be able to provide you with accurate estimates for the repairs and jobs.
• Diagnostics and Tools: The centre has to be equipped with a wide variety of tools and resources which will help them to perform various diagnostic, maintenance and repair jobs.
• Certifications and Standards: Is the center certified by relevant authorities for their procedures, policies and equipment? Are the technicians certified and hold relevant qualifications to carry out the jobs? Do they regularly conduct audits to identify gaps?
• General Administration: Does the center have processes in place for inventory management, job processing, workflow management and customer relations management and other general administration? How well is the data captured, stored and managed?
• HR and Employee Wellbeing: Does the center have employee development and happiness as a part of its procedures? Do they believe in Work/Life Balance?
• Quality of Work: Quality of craftsmanship, body and paint, and overall engineering. Specific to the “Customization” category the three F’s (Fit, Form and Functionality) stance and overall creativity in design and concept is what the judges will look for including exterior upliftment of the vehicle and mechanical fits.

This award is presented to a woman who has made significant contributions to the automotive industry in the MENA region demonstrating unwavering commitment, inspirational leadership, and remarkable achievements leading to positive outcomes and advancements within their field.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Leadership: Has demonstrated excellent leadership skills within their company, community and/or industry-leading by example.
• Inspiration & Impact: Has had a visible and/or tangible positive impact on peers and colleagues.
• Advocacy & Empowerment: Has been dedicated to mentoring within or outside of her company and has provided support for rising professionals encouraging their professional growth.
• Professional Accomplishment: Has a proven track record of professional accomplishments in the automotive aftermarket industry and has achieved remarkable milestones, such as notable sales performance, successful product launches, improved operational efficiencies, or influential contributions to their organization or industry.
• Diversity, Inclusion, Equity: Actively fosters a diverse and inclusive environment in all that they do.

Recognizing long-term excellence in any role within the aftermarket industry, the Special Recognition Award is the ceremony’s flagship award, for individuals whose careers have spanned at least 20 years with documented accomplishments and accolades. Celebrating longevity and achievements during distinguished careers, the award acknowledges the recipient’s sustained achievements within the automotive aftermarket industry.

The winner will have demonstrated outstanding excellence contributing to the significant growth and development of the industry within a leadership role, inspired others in the industry, and forged enduring relationships across multiple areas of the automotive aftermarket.

Note: The Special Recognition Award is not open for nomination and will be based on a review and selection by the awards committee.

Digitalization is defined as an application of technology that changes or enhances processes, customer experience and value. The Digitalization Project of the Year Award will recognize the importance of digitalization within the automotive aftermarket industry and honour the achievements of organizations that have successfully digitalized one or multiple areas of their business through the application of disruptive technologies in the Middle East and North Africa region. The entry can be submitted by the end-user company or the project solution provider.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Business Transformation: The entry will outline how the business has transformed through the adoption of digital processes or technology.
• Innovation: Originality of the project and its approach.
• Application of Technology: There should be a showcase of demonstrable and measurable benefits through this project.
• User Friendliness: How easy is it to adapt and use this technology.

This award recognizes a start-up in the MENA region that has demonstrated exceptional innovation, growth, and impact within the automotive and aftermarket industry. Driven by a deep commitment to revolutionize and drive the industry forward the organization should have developed a groundbreaking product or solution that has disrupted traditional approaches. The start-up should not be more than three years old into operations.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Innovation and Uniqueness: The start-up should demonstrate innovative thinking, unique ideas, or disruptive approaches.
• Growth Potential: The start-up should show strong potential for growth and scalability. This can include factors such as market demand, customer adoption, revenue growth, expansion plans, or successful fundraising efforts.
• Market Impact and Traction: The start-up should have made a notable impact on its target market. This can be measured by factors such as customer acquisition, market share, partnerships, strategic alliances, or industry recognition.
• Leadership and Team: The start-up's leadership team should exhibit strong entrepreneurial skills, vision, and execution capabilities. The team's experience, expertise, and track record should demonstrate their ability to drive the start-up's success.
• Financial Performance: While not always a primary criterion, the start-up's financial performance, profitability, revenue growth, or investment/funding achievements may be considered to assess its overall viability and potential for long-term success.
• Social Impact and Sustainability: Factors such as corporate social responsibility initiatives, sustainability practices, or contributions to the community or society need to be demonstrated.

The awards are open to anyone who meets the criteria of the related category.

Yes, you can nominate yourself and/or your company under relevant the category.

No, the award nominations are free to enter.

Nominations are submitted online. Once you have submitted a nomination, you will receive a call from our team to process your nomination.

Submissions must be made in English only.

Yes, you can submit a nomination for more than one category as long as it is relevant and different.

Yes, only the judging panel will get to assess the submission.

No, you will have the option to save your work and re-do any changes before you finally submit your nomination by the end of the deadline. Once you submit your project after the deadline, you cannot make any changes.

You will be informed by an awards team member and any reasoning will be requested by the judging panel over a zoom call.

The judging process is a transparent process which will include:

• Evaluation by a team of technical experts in the industry
• To shortlist, a presentation will be first heard over a scheduled zoom call
• If necessary a site visit will be scheduled with the judging panel

This will be discussed with the judging panel and may be viewed if deemed necessary.

The awards ceremony will be hosted on 3 October 2023. The event location will be shared with all shortlisted candidates.

The awards ceremony will be held on 3 October from 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM at Hall 1 (Pitstop Stage 1), Dubai World Trade Centre. Doors will be open from 08:30 AM. Entry is by invitation only!

For more information on the awards, nomination process and criteria, please contact

Tommy Le
tommy.le@uae.messefrankfurt.com

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact

Devendran Somusundaram 
dev.somusundaram@uae.messefrankfurt.com