The dates have been set for Automechanika South Africa 2013. The event will be held at Expo Centre, Nasrec, from May 8-11, which is later than the two previous trade fairs in Johannesburg that were staged in March. The theme in 2013 will be Metropolis of Mobility.
“We are delighted to have concluded our third biennial agreement with Messe Frankfurt, of Germany, to stage this prestigious international trade show for the automotive aftermarket,” said Exhibition Manager, Philip Otto of Johannesburg-based Dogan Exhibitions and Events.
“Dogan has had the rights for Automechanika South Africa since 2008 and staged events in 2009 and 2011. We are very happy that the agreement is now being extended into the future as the first two shows are usually a growth phase for all concerned, especially when the event is such a well-established international brand as Automechanika, which was founded in Frankfurt in 1971.
“We, at Dogan are also particularly proud that Automechanika SA 2011 was judged the Best Trade Show in South Africa with a floor space of over 12 000m2 at the recent awards function of the Exhibition and Events Association of South Africa or EXSA as it is more commonly known,” added Philip Otto, who is also the Show Director of Automechanika SA.
Besides the overall award for Automechanika SA itself there were a number of honours from the EXSA judges for exhibitor stands at this trade fair. These included the stands of Mercedes-Benz SA, the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA), BASF and Bosch.
The second staging at the Johannesburg Expo Centre of Automechanika South Africa in March this year drew high praise from exhibitors and visitors alike. The show attracted positive growth in numbers of exhibitors and visitors.
The number of exhibitors jumped from 412 in 2009 – 170 local and 242 foreign – to 551 this year – 169 local and 382 foreign from 25 countries. There were official pavilions from China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey.
The number of trade visitors also increased, moving up from 8 200 in 2009 to 9 026 this year, which was a 10% improvement.
The inaugural Automechanika SA, which was held in 2009, was the most successful inaugural event in the history of this automotive aftermarket trade fair.
“In our eyes, South African is a long-term market and also a very valuable market. It was a well-thought-out, strategic decision to launch an Automechanika event there, so I am particularly pleased that the EXSA judges consider Automechanika South Africa the best trade show in the country with more than 12 000m2 of floor space to have been staged this year,” commented the Messe Frankfurt board member responsible for Automechanika brand management, Michael Johannes.
Automechanika South Africa, 8 – 11 May 2013
“This important award also justifies our faith in contacting Dogan as our partners in organising Automechanika South Africa. This is a company with considerable depth in terms of exhibition and conference organising skills and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship as we build on our success going forward,” said the Germany-based senior executive.
Automechanika is the leading international meeting place for the global and local automotive sector. As the world’s biggest trade fair for the automotive aftermarket, the Automechanika spotlights innovations and solutions in the fields of parts, systems, tuning, workshop equipment, bodywork & paintwork, car wash, IT & management and the latest automobile services.
Automechanika is one of the most successful trade fair brands of Messe Frankfurt and has a worldwide presence. It offers exhibitors access to new markets and brings them into contact with new national and regional visitor groups. Added value – with each international Automechanika show that is staged the profile and awareness of this trade fair brand is increased.
As a consequence, even more visitors from these different countries come to the premier event in Frankfurt, with the next show to be staged at this venue scheduled for 11-16 September 2012.
