First Automechanika Chicago set to kick off

April 2, 2015
More than 400 exhibiting companies will fill the McCormick Place West expo floor for the inaugural Automechanika Chicago April 24-26.

More than 400 exhibiting companies will fill the McCormick Place West expo floor for the inaugural Automechanika Chicago April 24-26. Positioned to be the largest tradeshow and training event for shop owners and technicians, the event is dedicated to high-end training and showcasing the latest tools, equipment and products in the market.

Classes will cover management, service and collision repair, and general repair topics. More than 2,000 scholarships have been offered since November to service and collision repair techs to attend the training for free. More than 100 training sessions presented by more than 50 Instructors will cover both service and collision repair topics.

Automechanika Chicago continues its industry support through its scholarship opportunities found at the show.  More than 2,000 scholarships will be awarded for the training program, Automechanika presents Motor Age Training Live.  As an additional pledge to the automotive aftermarket industry, Automechanika Chicago will supply an ASE study guide to each testing registrant that signs up for the event.

“Educating the market is an important focus of Automechanika Chicago which is why we are bringing the highest level of trainers and presenters to our program.  With this ASE partnership, we are closing the loop on providing an exceptional educational experience,” said Dennis Smith, President of Messe Frankfurt, Inc.

In addition, The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA), will be conducting training at Automechanika Chicago. APRA will hold complimentary educational seminars April 24 and 25 next to the APRA booth 2659/2660.

The seminar package, "What's Trending in Remanufacturing?" will include Mohammad Sammi, president and owner of Sammy's Auto Electric Service. Sammi will give three 30-minute presentations on April 24 -- "Trends in Design of the New Starters," "What's Up with New Alternators' Design, Power, and their Features?" and "Alternator and Charging System to PCM Interface."

On April 25, Robert German, engineer and senior project manager with Flight Systems Automotive Group, will present "Remanufacturer of Electronic Diesel Controls," and "Remanufacturer of Diesel Fuel Systems" at the booth.

APRA is developing other speakers and topics for the educational seminars. To register for the free APRA seminars, visit www.apra.org or e-mail [email protected]. Advanced registration to the tradeshow at Automechanika Chicago is free. The on-site fee is $50.

Of course, there are other reasons other than training to take some time away from your shop and make it a long weekend in the Windy City.

Specific to the event, city and show organizers have made it easy to get to and from partner hotels to McCormick Place and back.

“Many years ago we opened dedicated bus lines. In addition to the surface streets, buses and cars coming into the building, we also have an incredible bus lane that is an express bus lane that runs basically parallel to the trains coming in from the city through a dedicated tunnel that’s only open when conventions are in town to make the drive from the downtown hotels to the campus within five to seven minutes,” Don Welsh, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, said in a video interview.

The loop will pick up attendees at partner hotels (check out the list at MotorAge.com/AMC hotels), and there will be transportation from the hotels to Navy Pier for an opening night party on April 24 from 5 to 7 p.m. The event at Navy Pier is open to all attendees and exhibitors, and includes drinks, appetizers and entertainment.

Navy Pier also is one of several attractions Choose Chicago representatives highlighted as places not to miss after show hours or for your families coming along for the weekend. Darrell Baker, Choose Chicago’s vice president sales, trade shows, pointed out lists of attractions, including the free Millennium Park, Lincoln Park Zoo and Cloud Gate (the “Bean” where many people snap pictures), as well as Lurie Garden, the Skydeck Chicago in the Willis Tower, Lookingglass Theatres, Broadway in Chicago, Shedd Aquarium and Chicago White Sox, among many others. (Sorry, Cubs fans, they’re on the road that weekend.)

For those driving into the city, there are various public transportation options, from L Trains, buses and taxis to the high-speed Metra commuter rail train connects outlying suburbs to downtown. ChooseChicago.com has links to places where you can park should your hotel not have parking and lots where you can pay ahead of time.

In addition to entertainment and attractions, there are more places to eat each evening than can be listed, all fitting various price ranges.

“We have over 3,000 restaurants and taverns and bars and entertainment facilities in the downtown core. In terms of the whole package, of course we have some of the greatest hotels in the whole world. We have five of the top 10 hotel brands in the whole world,” Welsh says. “You’re going to find a very, very dense, walkable downtown. Great shopping, great restaurants, great attractions, if people have time to take to the city in addition to being here for business purposes.”

Automechanika Chicago also will have an international appeal. Among the list of participating exhibitors, several international pavilions will be featured from Turkey, Italy, United Kingdom, China, Taiwan, India, Pakistan and Malaysia. 

“International participation has always been a vital part of the Automechanika brand. The countries that are joining Automechanika Chicago are leaders in the automotive aftermarket industry and increase the value of the event as they educate the market,” said Ferris. 

The Automechanika Brand as a whole continues to experience record exhibitor and visitor numbers, indicating that these trade shows are truly fulfilling the needs of the industry through this global business platform. The growth and satisfaction remains a trend throughout all the Automechanika shows worldwide, confirming a positive outlook for the future of the industry. 

Automechanika Chicago is produced jointly between Messe Frankfurt and UBM Advanstar Communications, the leading producer of U.S. tradeshows, and provider of integrated media solutions to the automotive aftermarket – daily reaching millions of service & collision repair professionals, technicians, original equipment and aftermarket manufacturers and distributors.

Registration to the Automechanika Chicago tradeshow is free and a limited number of free training spots are available on a first come, first serve basis. To learn more, visit www.automechanikachicago.com.

Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's leading trade show organizers with approximately 543 million euros in sales and 2,026 employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries and approximately 50 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2013, Messe Frankfurt organized 114 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany. 

For more information, visit: www.messefrankfurt.com .

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