Leather Repair Company’s global summit set to take off as Concorde provides perfect case study

A family firm which hit the heights by embarking on a project to restore the original leather seats on Concorde is now set to make the iconic plane the centrepiece of its biggest education, training and promotional show yet.

The Leather Repair Company will welcome delegates from around the world to Detailing Summit – “THE SHOW” when it hosts the event at the Runway Visitor Park at Manchester Airport in May 2026.

Carolynne and Richard Hutchins, founders and owners of the Hull-based company, will organise sessions on CRM, paintless dent repair, paint protection film, machine polishing and more.

Every element will be delivered by industry experts and will be relevant to people working on all aspects of detailing, from cars and aircraft to boats.

The couple, who live in Withernsea, launched the business in their garden shed in 2007 and now operate from Argyle Industrial Estate in Hull.

The repair of treasured leather items is still a mainstay of their business and their work on upholstery took them into the realm of leather fittings in the motors sector. Demand for their services extended to the light aircraft market after Richard completed his Aviation Detailing Association training and delivered tuition at the Lonestar Flight Museum in Houston, Texas.

The Concorde coup came about after the couple found themselves with time to kill while waiting for a delayed flight from Manchester to the United States. They went to the Runway Visitor Park, offered their services and are now in the final stages of completing the restoration of the 120 original seats used by passengers on G-BOAC Concorde including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and countless celebrities.

In parallel the Leather Repair Company has developed its franchise opportunities supported by a comprehensive industry training offer, and that combination led to a programme of summits in the UK, US, Canada and the Netherlands.

Their first UK event in March 2024 attracted 26 industry contacts to the Hull headquarters including participants from the USA, the Netherlands and Portugal. UK delegates travelled from as far afield as Scotland and Devon.

The search for a flagship venue for Detailing Summit – “THE SHOW” took them to some of the great exhibition halls around the country until they joined the dots with Concorde.

Richard said: “We were scouring the country to find the right sort of space for the event – somewhere close to an airport to meet the needs of our international partners. We found out that the Concorde centre has hosted all sorts of corporate events so we committed to that.

“It has the advantage of an iconic, supersonic jet sitting there full of examples of our work! Summit delegates will be able to go on board, have a look round, see our work and try out the simulator.

“The event will showcase detailing products that aren’t generally available in the UK, there will be more than a dozen education and training sessions, CRM, paintless dent repair, paint protection film, machine polishing courses, all sorts.

“Mental health and wellbeing will also feature and has been ranked by delegates at previous summits as the most valuable session for people who are constantly working on their own.”

Detailing Summit – “THE SHOW” will cram a variety of events into a one-day show on Friday 15th May which will feature some of the industry’s biggest brands, more than 40 exhibitors and hundreds of delegates from all over the world including many who attended the Hull summit.

For details visit https://www.detailingsummit.com/