FRANKFURT, Germany – Automechanika 2012 closed its doors on Sunday, Sept. 16, after setting a new record of 4,593 exhibitors from 74 countries.
Around 148,000 visitors from 174 countries came to Frankfurt for the world’s leading trade fair for the automotive sector.
“The aftermarket is booming and, despite the current economic disruptions, Automechanika has once again proved to be a reliable constant,” said Detlef Braun, member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt. “With an increase in the number of visitors from East Europe and Russia coupled with a decline in numbers from South Europe, Automechanika reflects the current situation in the world economy."
This observation was underscored by Klaus Burger, president of the Federal Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Automobile Service Equipment (Bundesverband der Hersteller und Importeure von Automobil-Service Ausrüstungen ASA e.V.), who said, “Although visitors from South Europe had scarcity value, there was a very large number from Germany, the Benelux countries and East Europe.” As was to be expected, German exhibitors and visitors see the current economic climate in a more positive light than their colleagues from other nations.
The results of the exhibitor poll indicate that the quality of visitors to the fair has risen further in comparison to Automechanika 2010. Seventy percent of all exhibitors were satisfied to extremely satisfied with the quality of visitors to the fair compared to 64 percent at the last Automechanika. In particular, German exhibitors reported being able to make more new contacts than in 2010 (from 62 to 67percent).
In terms of content, this year’s Automechanika, which was fully booked in the 305,000-square-meter Exhibition Centre, struck the right notes with three main themes: ‘Truck Competence’, e-mobility and basic and advanced training.
“The idea of spotlighting ‘Truck Competence’ at the fair was a great success among both visitors and exhibitors because many of our body repair shops and garages work on both cars and trucks. Promoting young people is also important for us and, with its workshops and training events, the fair was spot on in this respect, too. Both concepts are capable of expansion – and represent a significant additional benefit for visitors,” said Peter Börner, president of the German Federation of Body and Automotive Engineering (Zentralverband Karosserie- und Fahrzeugtechnik e.V. – ZKF).
In addition to established items, such as the Automechanika Innovation Award, the Green Directory and the Automechanika Rally, which attracted more than 100 automobile enthusiasts with veteran, classic and tuned cars to the Festhalle on the weekend, there were also several impressive new special shows, e.g., rally, racing and trial trucks on the outdoor area between Halls 9 and 11, training events in metalworking and body painting in the Galleria, special exhibitions and test courses with e-vehicles on the Agora and in and in front of Hall 10. The e-vehicle events were organized by members of the German E-Mobility Association (Bundesverband eMobilität e. V. (BEM)) and companies such as Linde Material Handling GmbH.
The program was accompanied by impressive presentations both in the exhibition halls and on the outdoor areas. “Fairs change and visitors expect a relevant blend of information, events and professional instruction. In times of rapid technological progress in the automobile sector, it is increasingly important to be able to see and test product applications at the fair,” said Braun.
The next Automechanika Frankfurt will be held from Sept. 16-20, 2014.
