With one year to go until the 28th edition of Autopromotec – a specialized international exhibition of automotive equipment and aftermarket products – the event organizers have announced the startup of important projects aimed at enhancing the international profile of the fair and supporting the supply chain of automotive products made in Italy in the approach to foreign markets. Autopromotec organizers say these projects are the natural extension of Autopromotec’s development strategy, which in recent years has placed greater emphasis on the international character of the fair.
The 28th edition of Autopromotec will take place May 22-26, 2019, at the Bologna Exhibition Centre, in Bologna, Italy.
Autopromotec’s role as a major exhibition for the industry with the ability to pinpoint current and future trends for automotive repair on a global level has been validated by the past few editions of the event, notably last year’s edition. Autopromotec 2017 posted record numbers in terms of total number of exhibitors – 1,599, up 4.5 percent compared to the 2015 edition – and number of industry professionals – 113,616, up 9 percent compared to 2015. Data on the edition’s international participation was impressive as well, event organizers say. In 2017, 43 percent of the exhibitors were from abroad, representing 53 countries, for a total of 23,807 international attendees.
With this emphasis on global development, an agreement was signed in early May between the Autopromotec organizers and M&T Italia, a consulting firm focused on international business development. For the past few years, the firm has provided support to bodies, institutions, business networks and single companies in the study of foreign markets and how to gain positioning on them.
Thanks to this agreement, Autopromotec and M&T Italia have recently started up the project “Autopromotec Follow Me – International Projects,” with development of activities to promote knowledge of foreign markets, including business sector analyses, development of relations, market missions and especially, coordinated projects for exhibiting in collective areas at specifically targeted international exhibitions.
Renzo Servadei, CEO of Autopromotec, commented, “The goal we’ve set is to implement a pathway that allows businesses to seize the opportunities and challenges offered by an ever more globalized market. Through this project, Autopromotec aims to support exhibitors by accompanying them on international markets, and at the same time further increase the participation of foreign buyers in the Bologna trade exhibition.”
The project, as a result, will not only give an added boost to the international promotion of the biennial exhibition, but also will directly involve the companies in the automotive supply chain, who will be provided with regularly updated proposals on accessing developing markets at competitive costs and with the institutional support through Italian Trade Agency (ITA) funds and the support of a network of contacts, as a result of the success of Autopromotec.
The “Autopromotec Follow Me – International Projects” will be coordinated by Emanuele Vicentini, previously brand manager of Autopromotec and current project manager at M&T Italia. With his years of experience in the international promotion of the exhibition, he is the natural choice for organizing this multi-dimensional project, event organizers say.
The international promotion of Autopromotec 2019 continues with other activities: the organizers have planned several missions abroad similar to those conducted in past years, some already consolidated, others in the planning stages. With the support provided by the Regione Emilia-Romagna, incoming missions from Israel, Iran, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and Russia will be organized; and through a special “Made in Italy” fund, currently being redefined by the ITA, missions are being coordinated to include numerous other countries, which should lead to the attendance of more than 150 buyers from more than 35 countries important for the automotive aftermarket.
To stay up to date with all the new developments regarding the 2019 edition of Autopromotec, visit autopromotec.com.
