Reifen show to move to Frankfurt in 2018

ESSEN, Germany—Organizers of the biennial Reifen tire trade show will move the show to Frankfurt in 2018 and schedule it to run parallel with the Automechanika automotive aftermarket exposition in mid-September of that year.

The decision by Messe Essen GmbH, organizer of Reifen, to co-locate the show with Automechanika avoids a clash between Reifen and the new Tire Cologne expo, scheduled to debut in late May 2018 in what would have been direct competition with Reifen at a venue just 40-some miles away.

The relocation of Reifen builds on an existing cooperation, started in 2014, between Messe Essen and Messe Frankfurt, organizer of Automechanika.

The German tire and rubber trade association (BRV) launched Tire Cologne in 2014, after a falling-out with organizers of Reifen, which it had previously supported.

Reifen 2016 is scheduled for May 24-27 at the Essen Fairgrounds. Messe Essen is expecting around 20,000 visitors from 130 nations at this year's fair.

Running concurrently with Reifen 2016 will the Future Tire, a two-day marketing and technical conference organized by European Rubber Journal, a sister publication of Tire Business.

The combined Automechanika/Reifen show will take place Sept. 11-15, 2018, at the Frankfurt Fairgrounds.

The Reifen component will be housed in a 360,000-sq.-ft. exhibit hall being built at the Frankfurt Fairgrounds.

Automechanika 2016 is scheduled for Sept. 13-17 in Frankfurt.

“The model of the classical tire fair has functioned excellently in Essen over many decades, and we will set standards in 2016, too,” said Frank Mertz, sales division manager at Messe Essen. “However, we will then take the next step together with Messe Frankfurt and open up new subject fields and target groups for the tire sector.”

Detlef Braun, member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt, said Reifen will supplement Automechanika's auto aftermarket portfolio “in an ideal way. We are offering the industry common dates and, for the trade and the garage sector, are bundling all the know-how and services in one place.”

Braun noted that Automechanika already has an “Accessories & Customizing” category, which includes wheels and rims.

The new partners said visitors to Reifen under the new arrangement will be able to obtain comprehensive information about vehicle service in just one place in addition to their classical business.

This change will address the needs of the tire retail trade, organizers said, which is “in a state of upheaval,” with declining revenues.

Vehicle servicing is regarded as an additional business field of the future, and Automechanika offers visitors the breadth and depth of this segment.

In 2014, Reifen attracted 670 exhibitors from 45 countries and around 20,000 visitors from 130 countries. The 2014 Automechanika drew 138,000 visitors from 176 nations and boasted 4,660 exhibitors from 74 countries.