Preparations for Automechanika Johannesburg 2015 in top gear

Announcing the date, Michael Johannes, Brand Manager Automechanika, said "Africa as an upcoming region is of great importance to us and we take pleasure in inviting the Southern Africa automotive community to participate in this event".

The largest International Automotive Aftermarket Industry event in Africa set to further expand its African footprint

The establishment of Automechanika Johannesburg in 2009 heralded a new era for the automotive aftermarket in sub-Saharan Africa which fulfilled a crying need for a dedicated industry business to business event and from the word go the Show was as widely welcomed as it was successful.

"Automechanika Johannesburg is firmly established as a premier business to business event for the automotive aftermarket in South Africa and the sub-Saharan African Region. Show visitation by business owners and managers from Africa witnessed a huge boost during the 2013 edition and there is good reason to believe that this trend will continue in 2015.

With Africa expected to be the fastest growing economic region in 2014 and beyond, the question is not "why do business in Africa", but rather "how?" The "how" factor is where Automechanika Johannesburg is playing an ever-increasing role as a solution in providing a business platform to reach into Africa", says Show Director Philip Otto.

Michael Johannes, Brand Manager Automechanika

Philip Otto - Exhibition Director, Automechanika South Africa

Product Groups designed to match industry demand

New and exciting developments at Automechanika Johannesburg 2015 include a revised product group identification tailored to match industry demand. Product groups for 2015 encompass:

• Parts and Components for all automotive aftermarket applications
  
• Electronics and Systems
  
• Accessories and Tuning
  
• Repair and Maintenance, mechanical, light, commercial and collision repair and automotive engineering
  
• IT and Management, including franchise concepts
  
• Service Station and Car Wash, with a special focus on the retail fuel industry
  
• Safari and Off Road Vehicles, Government Utility Vehicles and Trailers

The importance of the commercial vehicle sector will be underscored by Automechanika Truck Competence branding to distinguish exhibitors who provide products and services to the trucking and commercial fleet sector and to ease navigation by truck and fleet owners and managers who are expected to once again visit the Show in great numbers.

Highlighting inter alia the retail fuel industry, the Service Station and Car Wash product grouping which was so successful at the 2013 Show will be further enhanced at the 2015 edition and here it is truly exciting to note that this product group will feature a Forecourt Exhibition in association with the Fuel Retailers' Association of South Africa, filling a long-existing void in the retail fuel sector.

A vibrant tyre industry in South Africa and the sub-Saharan region will deliver a focus on the tyre market at the Show with new brands being exhibited, promising to be an opportunity feast for exhibitors and visitors alike.

Fringe programme underscores industry support

Endorsed by the leading automotive and allied business and employers' representative organisations in South Africa as well as abroad, Automechanika Johannesburg enjoys total credibility as a respected international industry-recognised event that has become an inseparable part of the industry sector in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Automechanika Academy Programme of conferences and workshops will again be a core activity at Automechanika Johannesburg, with an industry conference, workshop sector, automotive engineering, retail fuel, tyre and truck conferences and industry breakfast events inter alia hosted by leading industry associations such as the Retail Motor Industry Organisation and its constituent trade associations, the Fuel Retailers' Association, the Road Freight Association , the Motor Industry Staff Association as well as various private conferences and commercial and training workshops hosted by exhibitors, making for a dynamic Academy Programme.

Training and skills transfer is a focal point in the automotive industry and it is truly exciting to note that opportunity exists for Automechanika Johannesburg to host the South African qualifier for the World Skills Competition. The World Skills Competition will be held in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in October 2015. Hosting of training workshops to up-skill to new technologies is also possible.

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Innovation Awards offer additional promotional opportunities for exhibitors

The coveted Automechanika Innovation Awards Competition 2015, judged by an independent panel of experts led by renowned industry guru Wynter Murdoch is the ideal opportunity for exhibitors to enter innovative products and services in the automotive aftermarket and receive recognition for game changing innovation. Automechanika Johannesburg is an indispensable component of a comprehensive marketing strategy for any business aiming to increase market share and promote its brand, products and services to its target market.

Automechanika Johannesburg 6-9 May 2015!

This is where the industry will meet...

This is where brand promotion is optimised...

This is where business is done...

Background information on Messe Frankfurt

Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's leading trade show organisers with around 543* million euros in sales and 2,026* employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries and approx. 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 organised 114* trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.

Messe Frankfurt's exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square metres, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Centre. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 per cent and the State of Hesse 40 per cent.

* preliminary numbers (2013)

Further information on the company can be found at www.messefrankfurt.com

Background information on Automechanika Johannesburg

Automechanika Johannesburg is part of the global group of Automechanika automotive aftermarket business to business trade shows and business events, with 14 Shows in 13 countries worldwide.

Automechanika Johannesburg is hosted under licence from Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH and is the largest event of its kind on the African continent serving the South African and Sub-Saharan African market since 2009.

For more information visit www.automechanikasa.co.za

For more information contact:

South African Show Services on 011 494 4217 or at media@sashows.com
Media Releases and photographs stored electronically at www.automechanikasa.co.za