Garage Services Online (GSO) has confirmed its sponsorship of The Blend 2026, backing the UK and Ireland’s leading workshop conference and networking event as garage owners look for practical ways to improve profitability and attract the right work.
Taking place at The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham on Saturday, 10 October 2026, The Blend brings together workshop owners and industry leaders for a day focused on the operational and commercial issues affecting independent garages.
GSO will be exhibiting at the event, demonstrating how a joined-up digital lead-generation strategy can help workshops turn online searches and website visits into confirmed bookings.
Now an established fixture in the independent aftermarket calendar, The Blend 2026 will cover a range of issues facing workshop businesses before concluding with a keynote from Ogilvy UK Vice Chairman and behavioural science expert Rory Sutherland.
Rory’s session will explore customer psychology, perceived value and the reasons motorists can become anxious or price-sensitive when faced with vehicle repairs, themes that are increasingly relevant as garages compete for customers online.
For GSO, the focus on customer behaviour reflects an important part of the modern workshop’s approach to winning business: using its online presence not simply to generate traffic, but to demonstrate expertise, build confidence and make it easy for motorists to choose and book the right services.
“The Blend provides garage owners with that vital opportunity to take a step back from day-to-day operations and focus on strategic, long-term growth,” said Jim Lang, Managing Director at Garage Services Online. “Rory Sutherland’s focus on customer psychology and perceived value strikes right at the heart of what we advocate every day. Garages shouldn’t have to rely on discounting to fill their bays. When a workshop’s digital presence communicates professionalism and makes booking effortless, motorists don’t buy on price alone, they buy on confidence.”
At The Blend, GSO will showcase its digital lead-generation service, developed specifically for independent garages.
The company provides a fully managed digital presence, combining bespoke SEO and AI search optimised (Generative Engine Optimisation) websites, targeted PPC advertising and social media content, creating a customer journey that starts with online search and can ultimately lead to a workshop booking.
GSO will also be demonstrating RampUp, its award-winning and commission-free online booking system, which can be integrated into existing websites and uses vehicle registration lookups to help direct customers towards relevant services and work.
With tickets approaching a sell-out, GSO is encouraging garage owners and workshop managers planning to attend to visit its stand during the event to discuss how their current digital strategy could be generating more of the work their businesses want.
For further information about GSO, visit: https://garage-services-online.co.uk/free-no-obligation-quote/pr/.
