CHICAGO — Automechanika Chicago opened its doors Friday morning, bringing to fruition a goal the event’s parent company, Messe Frankfurt, has been working toward for nearly 18 years: to bring the Automechanika brand to the United States.
Classes this weekend cover management and service, collision and general repair topics. Technicians were able to attend the classes for free on more than 2,000 scholarships from industry manufacturers and groups. Messe Frankfurt partnered with UBM Advanstar, parent company of Motor Age and ABRN, to bring the event to Chicago.
Messe Frankfurt is no stranger to the U.S., having textile events in Atlanta, Houston and New York City since 1991, this is the first foray into the aftermarket in the U.S. Those involved in preparing the event also thanked the city of Chicago, Choose Chicago and McCormick Place for their assistance in making the event possible.
“The reason for this event is simple. The market has asked for an automotive aftermarket event focused on training and product discovery for the shop owners and technicians in the U.S.,” Braun said. “The reason for Chicago is simple, 23 percent of all independent shops in the US are within a 500-mile radius of this city. The other reason is that Chicago is a great host city for International events like Automechanika Chicago.”
He added that Messe Frankfurt and UBM Advanstar chose Chicago as the U.S. location and designed the show’s concept using the key event in Frankfurt.
“This is an incredible opportunity to showcase the city and McCormick Place," said Don Welsh, president and CEO of Choose Chicago.
The event presenters know the bar is set high to make the inaugural show a success, as Automechanika Chicago is the largest Automechanika launch, but all said Friday morning they will meet the challenge.
“We have a huge responsibility to our customers as the brand Automechanika serves over 16,000 exhibitors worldwide and 600,000 trade visitors – that is our asset and is what we take care of every day,” Braun said. “With our high level of customer service and continuous brand marketing and communication, we hope to add more value by positioning Automechanika Chicago as the largest training event for the automotive industry.”