EVOLVE Auto Festival 2026 will be held on Saturday 15 August

Workshops today are under more pressure than ever. Vehicles are becoming more complex, margins are tightening, and time lost on misdiagnosis or rework directly impacts profitability.
The challenge is not just keeping up; it is finding training that actually reflects what happens on the workshop floor.
That is where those behind EVOLVE Auto Festival 2026 say this event is different.
This year, EVOLVE returns to Melbourne in August and will be held at Kangan Institute’s Automotive Centre of Excellence, one of the most advanced automotive training facilities in Australia.
This is not a conference room or a lecture theatre. It is a purpose-built automotive training environment, designed to replicate real workshop conditions.
“Moving EVOLVE into Kangan changes the experience completely,” hsy Head of Customer Relationships and Marketing, Nick Redmond, said.
“We are not talking about slides on a screen. We are talking about training delivered in a live workshop environment, using real vehicles and real systems.”
EVOLVE is built as a one-day training festival for workshop owners, technicians, and apprentices who want practical, usable knowledge.
hsy explains it is not a trade show, and it is not theory-heavy learning. Every part of the event is designed around hands-on, real-world application.
The core of the day is the Technical Training sessions, run across multiple workshop bays within Kangan’s facility.
Trainers will be working on vehicles, demonstrating systems, faults, and solutions in a way that reflects what technicians face every day.
Sessions run in short, focused blocks of around 45 minutes, allowing attendees to gain key insights without losing half a day to one topic.
“Workshops don’t need more theory,” Nick said.
“They need training that helps them diagnose faster and work more efficiently. At Kangan, we can deliver that in the right environment, not just talk about it.”
Multiple training rooms will run concurrently, giving attendees the flexibility to choose sessions that are most relevant to their work.
Beyond the sessions, there is time built in to engage directly with suppliers, ask questions and continue discussions in a more practical setting.
The day will begin with Cars and Coffee at Fox Classic Car Museum, followed by the Technical Training at Kangan, before finishing with EVOLVE After Dark, an evening networking event bringing the industry together in a more relaxed setting.
Nick says what sets EVOLVE apart is simple: it is designed for the way workshops actually operate with real vehicles, real problems, and real solutions.
“If you can walk away with one thing that saves you time on a job or helps you avoid a misdiagnosis, that is where the value is,” Nick said.
“That is what EVOLVE is built to deliver.”
As vehicle technology continues to evolve, the workshops that invest in practical training and capability will be the ones that stay ahead.

Tickets for EVOLVE Auto Festival 2026 are limited – to secure your place, visit evolve.hsy.com.au or contact hsy on 1300 133 129.