ADN SPRING 2022 WEB

nization’s goals for the upcoming year. It
was quite a change of pace for everyone
to be in the same room, bouncing ideas
off one another, after months of collaborating
over Zoom calls with everyone in
different time zones.
The show officially started on Thursday,
January 27, with Education Day. The
IDA was well-represented by eight excellent
speakers on the IDA education track.
Topics ranged from specialties like marine
and RV detailing to marketing tips and a
detailing software panel, the latter of which
was particularly popular with attendees.
Throughout the weekend, the IDA
also held a complete certification event,
consisting of Phase I – Certified Detailer
(CD) exams, Phase II – Skills Validated
(SV) hands-on assessments, and for the first
time at MTE, Marine Certification (MC)
exams. The tests were proctored by IDA
Recognized Independent Trainers (RITs),
and, by the end of the weekend, the IDA
had welcomed 16 new CDs, 16 new SV
detailers, and nine new MC detailers.
The IDA also had a strong booth presence
throughout the two expo days, with
steady streams of visitors eager to learn
more about the association and how to
become a member. Over the course of
the show, 22 detailing professionals made
the decision to further their careers by
joining the organization. IDA committees
(Certification, Marketing & Communications,
Membership, and Tradeshow &
Education) were represented at the booth
during different time blocks, when visitors
could come by and chat with committee
chairs and co-chairs about their volunteer
work and the chance to get involved.
There were also multiple photo opportunities
with current IDA President Alan
Medcraf, CD-SV, RIT, and 2020-2021
President DJ Patterson, CD-SV.
Without a doubt, though, the most exciting
part of the show was the IDA’s Annual
Business Meeting and Awards Celebration.
Since its inception, this event has
been held every year in conjunction with
MTE, except last year, when it went virtual
due to the pandemic. Clearly, members
were eager to be able to celebrate
together in person once again. The room
was packed with more than 200 detailing
professionals and friends, and everywhere
you turned, there was an IDA badge, ribbon,
or patch for you to see, signifying how
strong the IDA community has become.
Everyone was thrilled to be back together
in one room with detailing friends and colleagues,
celebrating all the progress of the
association and the industry. Throughout
the evening’s festivities, members provided
an update on the state of the industry and
the association, installed the 2022 Board,
presented the IDA Award winners, announced
the 2022 IDA Founder’s Endowment
Fund recipients, and inducted the
Hall of Fame classes of 2021 and 2022 (see
sidebar). There was so much excitement in
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