With around 4,800 exhibitors, Automechanika is the world’s biggest trade fair for the automobile aftermarket. It is held every two years (in even years) in alternation with the International Motor Show Germany (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung – IAA Pkw) at the Messe Frankfurt. In distinction to the Motor Show, Automechanika is open to trade visitors only.
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History
On 20 January 1971, the organiser of the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Association of the German Automobile Industry (Verband der deutschen Automobilindustrie – VDA) cancelled the show scheduled to be held the following September. According to the President of the Association, Dr. Johann Heinrich von Brunn, this was because the automobile industry needed to take cost-saving measures to counteract the high costs facing it. The cost of the exhibition – almost DM 100 million – was considered to be excessive in comparison to the business benefits. For the Frankfurt-based fair and exhibition company, Messe Frankfurt, cancellation would have meant a loss of at least DM 1.5 to 2 million in revenues. In mid-March 1971, Messe Frankfurt announced that a new event – Automechanika 71 – would be held instead of the Motor Show. The initiative for this came from the associations of the motor-vehicle and filling-station and garage trades that still wanted to present their products. Manufacturers of automotive parts account for around 90 percent of exhibitors at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The first Automechanika was held from 18 to 26 September 1971 and attracted around 400 exhibitors and 75,000 visitors. The fair was repeated in 1972 and held thereafter every two years in alternation with the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Development
The Automechanika Frankfurt took place from 13 to 17 September 2016. Altogether 4,820 (2012: 4,660) exhibitors presented their products and services at the fairground of Messe Frankfurt on a net exhibition space of 177,317 sqm net. Around 136,000 visitors came to the show. With Tomorow's Service & Mobility visitors got an impression of future's mobility - with autonmous driving, connected cars, workshop of the future and alternative drives.
Next edition of Automechanika Frankfurt will be taking place for the 25th time from 11 to 15 September 2018. REIFEN as co-located show, licensed from Messe Essen, will for the first time be held alongside, in Hall 12 at the fairground of Messe Frankfurt.
Automechanika is well established and is one of the most successful trade fair brands in the world.
The product groups of Automechanika:
The Automechanika trade-fair brand has been exported to a variety of countries over recent years and 16 Automechanika fairs are currently held o four continents (Birmingham, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Dubai, Frankfurt, Ho Chin Minh City, Istanbul, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Mexico-City, Moscow, New Delhi, St. Petersburg, Shanghai).