The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) has made the necessary decision to reschedule the Australian Auto Aftermarket and Collision Repair Expo, which was to be held April 29 to 1 May, 2021. The Expo, the largest aftermarket trade show of its kind in Australia, will now take place April 7-9, 2022, at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The impact of COVID-19 and restrictions imposed across Australia, specifically in Victoria has been significant. The ongoing future impact of the pandemic in particular the opening of borders remains unclear.
The Board unanimously agreed that rescheduling the Expo would be the most prudent and safest approach given the likelihood and severity of the risks that have emerged.
“We are committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved with the Expo, our member businesses, event management teams, visitors and the broader industry. The unfortunate effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have ultimately driven us to make this decision,” said Stuart Charity, CEO of the AAAA.
“Our recent experience with the Metropolitan Melbourne Stage 4 lockdown has reinforced that the future of this pandemic holds many unknowns. Any further waves of infection in Victoria, or elsewhere in Australia, could result in government-imposed lockdowns that could pull the event from under our feet with little or no notice. With an event of this scope and scale, the consequences of a forced cancellation produced an unacceptable level of risk to all our event stakeholders.
“Alternative activities to bring the industry together safely for networking and learning opportunities during 2021 are currently being planned and further updates will be provided in due course,” added Charity.
“The AAAA will make good use of the longer than usual lead-up to the 2022 Expo to design and deliver a spectacular milestone event for the aftermarket industry. We will be back bigger and better than ever and cannot wait for you to join us in person in 2022,” he said.
Further information about the 2022 Australian Auto Aftermarket and Collision Repair Expo will soon be available on www.autoaftermarketexpo.com.au and www.collisionrepair.com.au.
