Technical seminars create a unique air of excitement among the participants. With the expectation of meeting fellow comrades, gurus, and new technicians, as well as the opportunity to learn new tech, it ends up being quite an adrenaline rush. Multiply it by two days, and you will get an awe-inducing immersive experience! That’s exactly what you get with the Australasia Chapter seminar!
THE VENUE
On the coast of Australia, there is a community a little over an hour south of the Brisbane airport in Gold Coast called Surfers Paradise. It is as beautiful as the name proclaims, and it was the setting where the seminar weekend happened. The hotel ballroom and adjacent venues were readied to receive well over one hundred attendees from Saturday, July 13th through Sunday, July 14th.
THE SEMINAR
On Saturday morning, attendees gathered in the foyer and seminar room, arriving from all parts of Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. You could feel the energy building at the registration desk as technicians stepped up to receive their badges and materials. The conversation in the foyer started at a mellow tone and progressed to a constant roar. Vendors, suppliers, and attendees all greeted each other, sharing stories and memories while drifting towards the seminar room.
Once most attendees were seated, Roy Campanelli of Alltranz took the microphone to greet everyone and introduce the Alltranz crew. After a warm welcome, I had the honor to kick off the day with plenty of tech from our recent seminars from the States. After a lunch break, I was followed by Steve Borg, ZF PC Training Manager for Australia, who presented ZF Hybrid and Fourth Generation Eight-Speed unit technology. Then, Jim Mobley of Sonnax USA presented real-world information on the 68RFE issues, diagnosis, aftermarket programming, and more. We closed out the first day of seminars around 5:30 pm and immediately retired to a cocktail party outside the seminar room!
Jim started the seminar day off on Sunday with need-to-know information on the Ford 10R Series and Chrysler 8-speed units. I followed afterward with the remaining tech information prepared, only to break for lunch. All was said and done by mid-afternoon.
THE KUDOS!
An event of this magnitude could never take place without planning and support. ATRA would like to thank Roy Campanelli and his entire team at AllTranz for organizing, sponsoring, and staffing the event. Also, we recognize John Khoury, Bob Trainor, and the Australasia Chapter of ATRA for their support in providing marketing, sponsorship, and exhibitors for the event. From the first announcement of the event to the final goodbye, there was never a question about the weekend’s success. Finally, thanks to all who were in attendance!
In closing, I encourage all technicians to seek out training like the Australasia seminar. ATRA is committed to supporting the transmission aftermarket by providing training, technical material, and support to the industry. ATRA membership takes our support to another level and shows our full commitment through certification programs, webinars, podcasts, virtual training, and more. Transmission professionals around the world continue to enjoy the benefit of ATRA membership, and we encourage you to check us out so you can do the same!
See you next year!
