Automechanika - Top Automechanika managers

Top Automechanika managers

Top Automechanika managers: An interview with Stephan Kurzawski, Vice President of Messe Frankfurt and for all Automechanika fairs worldwide, and Thomas Aukamm, Director of Automechanika Frankfurt.

Stephan Kurzawski   Thomas Aukamm
Brandmanager         Director Automechanika
Automechanika        Frankfurt

Question: Mr. Kurzawski, you have been in the fair and exhibition business for many years. What in your opinion makes fairs so effective as a marketing tool even after 800 years?

In Germany in particular, fairs represent an important export platform for small to medium-sized companies. For them, fairs are still the foremost marketing tool. And no wonder: five of the ten biggest fair and exhibition companies by revenues are based in Germany. Fairs offer an overall view of the market and are a hub for innovations. At fairs, exhibitors can show their complete product ranges, cultivate existing contacts and make new ones. They can exchange ideas, discuss experiences, pass on expert knowledge and compare their own products and services with those of their competitors

Question: What advantages accrue from making fairs more international?

For over 20 years, we have been opening up new growth markets outside Germany for our customers. Today, we hold 69 events abroad. In the case of the Automechanika, there are several exhibitors who have been travelling around the world with us for many years. Some of them aim to build up a network of representatives abroad so they can gain a foothold in the individual markets of the various countries and regions. Others want to draw the attention of automobile makers or machine manufacturers to their products. For those taking their first step into the export market, the risk is calculable: it is not difficult to ensure that the costs of a trade-fair presentation remain within reasonable bounds.

Question: Today, the Automechanika is held at 12 venues around the world. What is the position of the Frankfurt event within the Automechanika family of fairs?

The Automechanika in Frankfurt is our Number One, the nucleus of our success and seal of quality. It is the arrow pointing the way when it comes to strategic questions and sets the right thematic accents at the right time. This year, we are celebrating an anniversary with the 20th Automechanika since it was launched in 1971.

Question: Mr. Aukamm, you and your team organise the Automechanika Frankfurt. Can you tell us something about the programme of Automechanika 2008?

The Automechanika stands for innovations, internationality and a spectrum of products that is unparalleled in terms of breadth and depth on the international trade-fair market. At the 20th Automechanika, we will offer our trade visitors a special complementary programme. In addition to the renowned Innovation Award for new products, there will be a 'Green Directory', an environmentally-oriented guide for visitors to products and services that sets new standards in the fields of emissions protection and sustainability. Additionally, this year's Automechanika will be the leading international trade fair for the carwash business: the new Southwest outdoor exhibition area next to Hall 10 provides an ideal setting for exhibitors from the filling-station and carwash sector.

Question: How many exhibitors and visitors are you expecting?

We expect around 4,600 exhibitors and 165,000 trade visitors. In this connection, we assume that the proportion of international visitors and exhibitors will be as high as in 2006 when 80 percent of exhibitors and almost 40 percent of visitors came to Frankfurt from outside Germany. The Automechanika is and will remain the most international and biggest event for its sector. This year, too, it will occupy Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre in its entirety.

Question: What makes the Automechanika such a highlight that nobody in the sector can afford to miss it?

The Automechanika is the Mecca of the supplier industry, workshops and the trade. The next event will show where the sector is heading. Besides numerous new products that trade visitors will be able to see in the individual product groups, we will publish an Automechanika study on the impact of the global-warming debate on the automotive aftermarket until 2020. It will give important recommendation for taking decisions with respect to future innovations. Current subjects of relevance to the aftermarket will also be discussed and solutions offered at the Automechanika Academy. All good reasons why a visit to Frankfurt is sure to be worthwhile!

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