IDA's 3rd Annual International Education Day Recap: A Day of Global Learning

The IDA's 3rd Annual International Educational Day was held on Thursday, April 10, 2025. It was a day of global learning with six speakers, representing four international chapters, presenting educational sessions on a variety of detailing topics in three different languages, including Vietnamese, Spanish, and German.

Representing the IDA Southeast Asia Chapter, Le "Max" Cuong, CD-SV, kicked off the day with a presentation in Vietnamese on the importance of polishing before and after PPF installation. Next, there were back-to-back Spanish presentations: first up – Jose "Orlando" Principe, CD-SV, representing the IDA Caribbean Chapter, discussed strategies to increase customer value and revolutionize your detailing business; followed by Juan Vidrio of the IDA Mexico Chapter presenting on the use of dry steam in automotive detailing.

Lars Pickhardt, CD-SV, began the afternoon sessions on behalf of the IDA Germany Chapter, discussing identification of and care for various leather types. Then, we closed out the afternoon with another pair of back-to-back Spanish sessions. Luis Melgar, CD-SV, RVC, RIT, presented on mobile detailing operations, and Julian Vera, CD-SV, RVC, wrapped up the day with a discussion on RV restoration and ceramic coatings.

While attendance may not have been as high as we had hoped, those who did attend all left having learned valuable lessons from their peers – even in spite of language barriers! While Lars mainly presented in German, he did add in a few English slides, which proved to be very meaningful to attendees such as Katya "Jojo" Vasquez, who gained unexpected insights about leather repair, despite having no understanding of the German language. These types of cross-cultural learning opportunities are one of the reasons membership in the IDA is so powerful.

Looking ahead, we will be re-thinking international webinars to better fit the educational needs of members and Certified Detailers. The Tradeshow & Education Committee and International Chapter Development Committee are already hard at work collaborating on ways to improve educational offerings for international detailers. One idea is to host separate International Education Days focused on different languages throughout the year. If you are a Chapter member or an international detailer, we invite you to share your feedback on what forms of education would be the most valuable to you. Comment below or send us an email at info@the-ida.com with your suggestions, or Get Involved on a committee to be a part of initiatives like this!