The 28th edition of Autopromotec, the biennial international aftermarket exhibition of automotive equipment, ended successfully on Sunday, May 26. The event brought together the entire vehicle assistance sector in Bologna, Italy, for a five-day event, running May 22-26, dedicated to recent market developments, technological innovation, specialization and professional training.

Figures confirm Autopromotec as a global reference point for the vehicle maintenance sector. This year, 1,676 companies chose the event as a showcase to present – often as previews – their products and services, with a 4.4% increase in the number of participating companies compared to the previous edition, in 2017. 

Of these, the share of foreign companies was 43%, for a total of 53 countries represented. The event, which took place throughout 17 exhibition Halls and 5 outdoor areas, with a total exhibition area of 162,000-square-meters, attracted 119,108 professional operators, up by 4.85% compared to 2017. Attendees had the opportunity to meet specialist companies from all sub-sectors of the aftermarket. 

Autopromotec demonstrated its increasingly global outlook with an 18% share of foreign professionals and the presence of more than 100 delegates from 32 countries. Buyers and institutional operators participated in 629 B2B meetings with Italian exhibitors, organized as part of a plan to promote Autopromotec as well as the entire automotive aftermarket chain internationally, the result of an ongoing collaboration with the Emilia-Romagna Region and ICE (Italian Trade Agency). 

The event witnessed also a strong increase in digital activity: in the first five months of 2019, the Autopromotec website recorded 234,868 single visitors (+28.3% compared to the same period in 2017), for a total of 2,476,314 pages viewed (+25% compared to the same period in 2017). The number of users who followed the 2019 edition of Autopromotec live, interacting actively on social profiles, also was remarkable, according to event organizers.

Confirming Autopromotec as a venue of in-depth analysis and professional growth for the average operator in the car repair market, the 2019 edition explored key issues for the entire automotive after-sales market. During the more than 20 appointments scheduled for the AutopromotecEDU conference calendar and roundtables, centered around correct information, training and timely discussions, what emerged was how the evolution of the market and new mobility scenarios require new and groundbreaking solutions to be applied also to vehicle assistance, as well as the need to acquire new professional skills and marketing tools.

The 2019 edition of Autopromotec attracted a wide audience of professionals and enthusiasts thanks to special initiatives such as the “Hybrid & ADAS Village,” an area dedicated to demonstrations and tests on the latest generation of ADAS systems on hybrid cars, created in collaboration with Quattroruote Professional; “Autopromotec Motorsport,” on the other hand, an initiative sponsored by ACI Sport and ANFIA-Motorsport, celebrated the relationship between aftermarket firms and the motorsport sector; the “Officina X.0” project, developed in collaboration with Accenture, highlighted the role of digitization and connectivity in tomorrow’s workshops. Autopromotec, held in the heart of the “Motor Valley,” could not neglect to tribute the Italian genius, creativity and passion for engines with “Italy, passion in red”, a special exhibition of vintage cars managed by Ruote Classiche, with 6, strictly red, Italian vintage cars, organized in collaboration with FCA Heritage and private collectors.

Renzo Servadei, CEO of Autopromotec, commented on the results of the 2019 edition, and said, “The technological level of all the exhibiting companies confirmed what analysts had previously announced: technology, technical information and training are the ingredients of a recipe that will lead automotive aftermarket companies toward the challenges of a future that is already here. New fuels, driver assistance systems, a new concept of mobility and increasing environmental awareness are important challenges, but also opportunities for those who will be able to make the most of them. Autopromotec provided many useful indications on how to plan one’s own future as well as future generations.”

The organizers of Autopromotec are already looking at the future, and the dates of the next edition of the fair have already been defined: the 29th edition of Autopromotec will be held May 26-30, 2021, as always at the Bologna fair-grounds.

For more information, go to autopromotec.com.