Automechanika Birmingham 2019 attracts highest ever visitor attendance

---

12 Jun 2019

Category: AAG News, Press Releases

Automechanika Birmingham has drawn to a close with 12,145 automotive industry professionals visiting the hugely successful 2019 event.

From its blistering start on Tuesday morning, which broke all visitor number records, to its close on Thursday afternoon, the event delivered on its promise of bringing the entire UK automotive industry together against a backdrop of innovation, technology and networking.

Feedback from exhibitors was overwhelmingly positive and, as a result, 87 percent of space has been reserved for 2021 where exhibitors include: Schaeffler, ZF, Valeo, NGK, HELLA, Delphi, Denso, BM Catalysts, Mann Hummel and YUASA.

Martyn Houghton, Senior Manager IAM at ZF Aftermarket, said: “Automechanika Birmingham was a resounding success for us. The event has now established itself as the “must-attend” exhibition for motor factors and garages in the UK automotive aftermarket. We could positively engage with a high-quality visitor and promote our extensive portfolio of brands, products and new technologies. We are already working on plans to engage with visitors for Automechanika Birmingham 2021.”

Nigel Morgan, Managing Director of Schaeffler UK’s Aftermarket division, said: “We had a packed schedule of top training, interactive exhibits and special guests over the three days and our stand was busy throughout, engaging fully with visitors on how we continue to innovate the automotive aftermarket and work with them to support their business. As Schaeffler always delivers one of the most exciting and innovative stands at the event, we are already looking forward to Automechanika Birmingham 2021.”

From extensive research carried out by event organisers Messe Frankfurt UK, it was clear that the market demanded a focussed event for the UK independent garage sector. As a result, the launch of The Big UK Garage Event led to the highest number of independent garages and bodyshops attending an Automechanika Birmingham event.  

The Big UK Garage Event attracted key decision makers and owners, who benefitted from an enhanced Seminar Programme offering free CPD technical training and the largest selection of exclusive giveaways, discounts, prizes and deals worth over £26,000.  

Jack Halliday, Automechanika Birmingham Event Director, said: “This has been the best attended Automechanika Birmingham to date. Working with exhibitors, we have strived to offer visitors across the entire automotive industry an experience that supports the running of their businesses and one that they will continue to benefit from in the future. The event in 2021 is already shaping up to be another fantastic showcase for the automotive industry.”

With an improved visitor layout, Automechanika Birmingham featured over 500 exhibitors from 21 countries. 120 companies exhibited at Automechanika Birmingham for the first time.

There was also an abundance of well-known faces at this year’s show, with celebrity appearances from Lord Sebastian Coe, Guy Martin, Nicholas Hamilton, Edd China and some of British Touring Car Championship’s (BTCC) top drivers.

For the automotive aftermarket, the new Aftermarket Power Network event brought together the most influential leaders across the full breadth of the UK automotive aftermarket, as Lord Coe joined the launch event to address and network with leading industry peers.

The Aftermarket Hall featured the Retail Accessories Village, Bodyshop Zone and the debut of the Automechanika Body & Paint World Championships. Returning for the second year, Automechanika Connect provided the ultimate match-making tool, allowing visitors the opportunity to pre-plan meetings with exhibitors to maximise their time.

With new product launches dominating the Aftermarket hall, along with announcements of key distribution agreements signed between companies, the event offered more than 100 hours of training seminars and debates, hosting industry experts who delivered sessions covering daily workplace challenges, industry developments and advanced technology.

Returning for another year, the Vehicle Production hall hosted the increasingly successful “Meet the Buyer” and “Open Forum” events, hosted by SMMT. The events were successful in bringing together automotive buyers and suppliers to build relationships between OEMs, tier one suppliers and the supply chain.

Automechanika Birmingham will return to the NEC on 8 to 10 June 2021.