March 2011

Automechanika – the world's leading trade fair for the automo-tive sector and top export hit

International network of 13 events in 12 countries

Around 155,000 visitors from 181 countries attended the last Auto-mechanika in Frankfurt from 14 to 19 September 2010 – an absolute record with more visitors than ever before at a fair organised by Messe Frankfurt in Frankfurt. Altogether, 4,400 exhibitors from 76 countries presented their latest trends and developments for the automotive aftermarket and supply industry on more than 305,000 square metres of exhibition space. This was on a par with the record level set by Automechanika 2008. 81 percent of exhibitors and 56 percent of visitors came from outside Germany, thus further increas-ing the internationality of the world’s biggest trade fair for the work-shop and parts sector, and once again underscoring its role as the world’s leading trade fair for the sector. At present, Messe Frankfurt holds 13 Automechanika fairs outside Germany, which are used by numerous companies to familiarise themselves with new markets, to make personal contacts and to expand their sales networks.

The newest event in the Automechanika portfolio is Motortec Auto-mechanika Ibérica. The first Automechanika on the Iberian Penin-sula will take place from 30 March to 2 April 2011 at the Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I in Madrid. As well as Spain, the event will attract exhibi-tors and visitors from Portugal and the neighbouring North African states. 450 exhibitors have signed up for the event, which is being organised by IFEMA (Institución Ferial de Madrid), a powerful partner of Messe Frankfurt.

The world’s second biggest Automechanika fair – after the parent event in Frankfurt – is Automechanika Shanghai, which was last held from 8 to 11 December 2010 when it once again broke all previ-ous records with an approx. 30 percent increase in exhibitors, visitors and exhibition space in comparison to the previous event in 2009. Over 50,500 visitors came to Asia’s biggest trade fair for automobile parts and work¬shop equipment to discover the latest products and innovations of the 3,115 exhibitors who made their presentations on 138,000 square metres of exhibition space (gross). The next Autome-chanika Shanghai will take place from 7 to 10 December 2011.

Similarly positive results were achieved by Automechanika Argentina, which has developed into the leading fair for the Mercosur re-gion. It was held at the La Rural Trade Centre from 17 to 20 Novem-ber 2010. 39,896 visitors from 44 countries came to see the products and services presented by 542 exhibitors at the fully booked-up exhi-bition centre. Since making its debut in 2000, the fair has grown by 140 percent. Covering an area of 40,000 square metres (gross), it is the third-biggest event within the Automechanika family of fairs and the most similar to Automechanika Frankfurt in terms of visual impact. Automechanika Argentina 2012 will be held again at the La Rural Trade Centre, from 14 to 17 November.

Automechanika Middle East set a new record with 1,007 companies from 46 countries in 2010. For many years, Dubai, the most important com¬mercial centre for automobile parts and accessories, has attract¬ed numerous trade visitors from the Middle East, Africa, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This year, 16,058 visitors from 111 nations took part in the fair, an increase of five percent. The next Automechanika Middle East is scheduled to take place from 7 to 9 June 2011.

In Turkey, the automotive parts make up the leading export sector and, in line with this, Automechanika Istanbul is a long-running suc-cess. Since the première in 2001, this event, a joint venture of Messe Frankfurt and Hannover Messe International, has developed into Tur-key’s biggest and most international trade fair. Thus, around 1,000 exhibitors have signed up for the next Automechanika Istanbul from 7 to 10 April 2011 – the second time running that there has been an increase of over 20 percent in exhibitor numbers. 98,000 square me-tres of exhibition space have been sold, equivalent to three exhibition halls more than at the last event in 2009. An additional attraction for visitors is the concurrent Petroleum Istanbul – altogether, some 35,000 trade visitors are expected to attend the two fairs.

The 2nd Automechanika South Africa will be held from 9 to 12 March 2011 with a large number of international participants. Around 530 exhibitors from 25 countries have signed up. At the première two years ago, around 400 exhibitors made presentations on 25,000 square metres of exhibition space (gross). Most of the 8,200 trade visitors, e.g., dealers, garage proprietors, forwarding agents and in-vestors, came from Sub-Saharan countries, i.e., nations south of the Sahara.

Auto + Automechanika St. Petersburg has a firm place in the Automechanika calendar of events and was held for the 18th time this year. 2,000 trade visitors, most of them from the Northwest region of Russia and the Baltic states, made their way to the Lenexpo fair and exhibition centre from 17 to 19 February 2011. The next event will be held in early 2012.

In the meantime, the Automechanika trade-fair brand has also spread to the Russian capital. In 2011, Automechanika Moscow will take place for the second time in conjunction with MIMS, the international trade fair for automobiles, automobile parts and accessories. The successful première of this joint venture in 2010 attracted around 750 exhibitors and 54,823 visitors to Moscow. In even years, the event is called "MIMS powered by Automechanika Moscow" and in odd years "Automechanika Moscow powered by MIMS". The next event will be held in the Crocus Expo Centre in Moscow from 24 to 27 August 2011.

With Automechanika Thailand in Bangkok and Automechanika
Malaysia, Messe Frankfurt holds two fairs for the ASEAN region in alternate years. Malaysia has the region's biggest automobile indus-try. The 6th Automechanika Malaysia at the end of March 2009 at-tracted 133 exhibitors from 14 countries and around 4,500 visitors, including dealers and distributors from India, Pakistan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. It will next be held from 31 March to 2 April 2011. Thailand also offers a good environment for investors and is considered to be the gateway to the adjoining coun-tries. The next Automechanika Thailand will be held in March 2012.

After a successful début in 2008, Automechanika Roma has been happy to witness record visitor numbers in February 2010. The figure of 21,000 visitors (15 per cent from outside Italy) means that some 40 per cent more of the automobile industry's representatives visited the fair, which is the sector's meeting place for the whole of the Mediter-ranean basin. Around 200 exhibitors came to showcase their prod-ucts and services at this international trade fair for replacement auto-mobile parts and servicing equipment. And optimal synergies emerged from MoTechEco, a trade fair for sustainable mobility, which was held concurrently. The next Automechanika in Rome will take place in February 2012.

Messe Frankfurt holds two Automechanika fairs on the American con-tinent, Automechanika Argentina and PAACE Automechanika Mexico. With 650 exhibitors and around 12,059 trade visitors, the lat-ter is one of the leading fairs for the automotive aftermarket in Latin America. Mexico is one of the world's most dynamic automobile mar-kets and the Mexican government offers favourable conditions for foreign investors. The next PAACE Automechanika will be held from 13 to 15 July 2011.

Summarising the global activities of the Automechanika brand, Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt, says, "We will continue observing and analysing the world's markets in the future to give international manufacturers and buyers the chance to make contact with national companies and business part-ners. In particular, we aim to offer small to medium-sized companies a launching pad into the emerging markets." Braun keeps his eye on potential new venues on the map of the world. As he says: "Naturally, we will organise additional events for the automotive sector should the conditions for the industry prove to be favourable".

You will find further information and all Automechanika dates at a glance on the internet at www.automechanika.com

Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s leading trade fair organiser, with approx. € 450 million* in sales and more than 1,770 employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries, five branch offices and 52 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2010, Messe Frank-furt organised 88 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.

Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square metres, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Centre. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
* Provisional figures (2010)