This year’s edition of Automechanika Middle East, which was held recently in Dubai registered steady growth in both exhibitor and visitor numbers.
Approximately 1,007 exhibitors from 46 countries showcased their products and services to the 16,058 visitors from 111 countries throughout the three day exhibition.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates Airline, Automechanika Middle East is a truly international exhibition which helps support the UAE economy. With 90 percent international exhibitors and 49 percent international visitors, airlines, hotels and restaurants will have greatly benefited from the event.
Automechanika Middle East received exhibitors and visitors from a diverse range of countries including European stalwarts France, Italy and Germany as well as emerging countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Chile, Trinidad & Tobago and Congo.
Automechanika Middle East aims to raise the bar in the products and services available for the automotive aftermarket in the wider Middle East region by bringing international manufacturers together with regional distributors and buyers. The exhibition enjoys the ongoing support of 29 trade associations and 20 official country pavilions.
“We were delighted with the results of this year’s Automechanika Middle East which continues to grow from strength to strength," says Ahmed Pauwels, CEO, Epoc Messe Frankfurt, organizer of Automechanika Middle East. "We launched the Middle East edition of this global trade fair brand in 2003 with 119 exhibitors and today, 8 years on we have over 1,000 exhibitors registering a 750 percent increase since the inaugural fair. Dubai is considered one of the most important commercial centres for automobile parts and accessories and so we expect this steady growth to continue.”
Kari Surya Prakash, Sales Manager, Al Shamali Auto Parts, was very enthusiastic about the show. “It’s a great opportunity to meet new customers from different parts of the world and this show provides the bridge between manufacturers to distributors to end consumers. It is a very good place to promote our brand and products,” he says. AL Shamali is a UAE based aftermarket trader with brands such as Toyo trading, Sankei Industries, SPK Corporation and P.T.EDICO part of its portfolio.
Sharing a similar positive outlook was Moiz N.J., Director of Sales and Marketing, Dolphin Manufacturing LLC, the worldwide manufacturers of radiators, A/C coils and heat exchangers, among other items. “Automechanika being the biggest automotive trade show in UAE is surely a great platform for all the suppliers/customers to interact face to face. This show has been growing year-on-year showing how successful it is. The show gives us a good opportunity to invite our export customers and showcase our new products to them. In return we have had the chance to book orders,” he says.
First time exhibitor Promod Kumar, CEO, Europart Middle East FZCO was confident about the benefits of Automechanika Middle East. “There was overwhelming response. We could meet with over 400 visitors in the first hour of opening day.”
“This was my second year participating at the show. I am very happy that I attended the show as it brought me many new customers and market expansion potential.” T-Rex is an American based company specialising in the manufacture of billet grilles that are focused on fit and ease of installation," says Ben Mizan, president, T-Rex.
Finally, Viren Batra, director, Steel Impex & Industries was happy with the number and quality of exhibitors to this year’s event. “Very well organised show which attracted a large number of interested buyers from various important automotive markets. Major brands of the industry are present and a very good mix of products was displayed,” he says.
The Automechanika Academy which ran alongside the exhibition also enjoyed great success with close to 20 industry experts discussing the latest trends in the automotive aftermarket.
This year’s academy was the largest held to date and featured international and regional market influencers and renowned experts focusing on a range of industry topics including an in-depth look at the new Toyota U Series automatic transmission, by Wayne Colonna from the US, President of the Automatic Transmission Service Group and Technical Editor of Transmission Digest and the drive for a conformity system for vehicles in the GCC delivered by Waleed Al Sagr and Tarek Alsitt, from the Gulf Standards Organisation, Saudi Arabia.
Automechanika is the leading international meeting place for the automobile sector. As the world’s biggest trade fair for the automotive aftermarket it 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 Middle East is one of 14 global Automechanika fairs held in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa.
Automechanika Middle East is the leading event for the rapidly developing automotive aftermarket in the wider Middle East and Africa region. In 2009 it featured 958 exhibitors from 46 countries, with a visitor attendance of 15,275 from 111 countries. The trade fair covers the full range of parts for motor vehicles as well as components for the drive, chassis, body, electrics and electronic groups. It also covers equipment for vehicle service and repair, bodywork repair and painting, tyres, batteries and performance systems. Automechanika Middle East is the perfect platform to meet new contacts, discuss new trends and technological developments, and to keep up to date with industry knowledge and source new products and solutions from the world over.
Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s leading trade fair organiser, with 424 million Euros in sales in 2009* and more than 1,500 employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries, five branch offices and 52 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events ‘made by Messe Frabkfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2009*, Messe Frankfurt organised more than 90 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square meters, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Center. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.
