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The Greatest Hockey Player of All Time Will Portray How He Used His Mind to Outcompete Bigger, Stronger, Faster Competitors – a Timely Message for the Evolving $2.3 Trillion Automotive Aftermarket
LAS VEGAS – April 8, 2025 – The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) announced today that Wayne Gretzky will headline the AAPEX 2025 Keynote Breakfast. A TV personality, head coach and philanthropist, Gretzky is perhaps best known for his performance on the ice. Though he has long since retired from athletics, he still holds virtually every offensive record in professional hockey.
This year’s keynote breakfast will be a moderated discussion that centers on Gretzky’s story: “Getting into the Hall of Fame: What it Takes.” The conversation will articulate lessons the aftermarket industry can use to improve its competitiveness. Among the lessons are flexibility, innovation and letting go of fear. However, the most important lesson of all may well be how the Hall of Famer’s success had more to do with his intelligence than his athleticism.
“My strength was my mind,” Gretzky once noted in a CBS News interview. “I was always the smallest guy, right? So, I had to figure out a way to be able to be more successful than those bigger, stronger, faster guys.”
While the $2.3 trillion automotive aftermarket is resilient, it has also been subject to a wave of change driven by innovation. For example, electric vehicles (EV), Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and remote diagnostics are all profoundly changing the aftermarket business for everyone in the supply chain – from suppliers to independent repair shops.
“The pace of change in the automotive aftermarket means training and professional development are increasingly important to stay ahead,” said Auto Care Association President and CEO Bill Hanvey. “When I think about the change the industry has experienced over the last 40 years, Mr. Gretzky’s message seems exceptionally well-timed for the aftermarket community.”
Similarly, President of MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers Paul McCarthy looks at the market through an economics lens:
“One way to put the pace of change into perspective is the complexity of the supply chain: there are 300 million privately owned vehicles in the U.S., each composed of an estimated 45,000 different parts,” he said. “Couple that with the fact that the average vehicle is more than 12 years old, and you can begin to see that professional development in the aftermarket is linked to the overall economy.”
AAPEX has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing conferences and exhibitions in the world. Last year, the event attracted more than 45,000 attendees from 128 countries, nearly 2,700 exhibitors from 46 countries, and 1,300 reporters, influencers and other registered media representatives.
AAPEX 2025 will be held at the Venetian Expo & Caesars Forum in Las Vegas from November 4-6, 2025. The keynote breakfast is a ticketed event and will take place on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, from 6:30 a.m. until 8:45 a.m., at The Venetian Hotel, Palazzo Ballroom.
Registration for AAPEX 2025 is expected to open later this spring. Qualified members of the media will also be able to register for a complimentary pass at that time.
For ticket sales, please contact Chris Kalousek, CEM, Director of Sponsorship (708) 226-1300 or via email at chris.kalousek@aapexshow.com.
