The first edition of Automechanika Moscow was successful

Russian automotive industry has great potential International conference held within the fair aroused great interest

Messe Frankfurt continues the development of its international network in the sphere of automotive trade fairs. From 13 to 16 of May 2007 the trade fair Automechanika Moscow (Moscow, IEC Crocus Expo) opened its doors for the first time to 5,132 highly qualified trade visitors. After Russia, important visitor nations were Germany, Great Britain, Turkey, Finland, Iran, Singapore, Thailand, Norway and UAE.

195 exhibitors from 20 countries presented their products in a total area of 9,000 square metres. As well as from Russia, the exhibitors came from Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Austria, Serbia, Lithuania, the USA, Argentina, Israel, South Korea, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia.

Messe Frankfurt joined forces with the ITE Group to stage Automechanika Moscow. The ITE Group has an established portfolio of successful trade fairs in Russia. Automechanika Moscow extends Messe Frankfurt's portfolio for the automotive industry and takes the number of Automechanika fairs organised by the company to twelve events.

"The automotive sphere is one of the most dynamic and promising on the developing Russian market. Interest in this area continues to grow every year. I think that the number of trade visitors that attended the first edition of Automechanika Moscow proves this. I am confident that with Automechanika Moscow we have launched a new project, which will very soon gain momentum and become one of the strongest exhibition brands of the automotive industry in Russia", said Eugen Alles, Managing Director of the Russian operation of Messe Frankfurt.

As the Managing Director of ITE LLC Moscow, Aleksandr Shtalenkov, points out: "Russia represents a market with great potential and many opportunities. The 'Automechanika Moscow' trade fair, held for the first time in Russia's capital, proved to be a perfect platform for presenting the newest engineering developments in the automotive industry, for discussing new concepts and sharing experience."

The following important topics were covered during the conference which was organised within the fair: the development of the automotive industry in Russia, the automotive parts market – the demand from the manufacturers, after-sales service, maintenance services in the Russian Federation, authorised and independent service stations and much more. The conference attracted leading specialists and directors of well-known companies, Russian manufacturers and dealers of foreign companies. The topicality of the questions discussed at the conference and the level of their coverage showed that the Automechanika Moscow trade fair is a truly key event for the representatives of the industry. Automechanika Moscow is the platform for making and developing business contacts; it is a way into new markets and a mirror for the industry. The trade fair reflects the current market situation and sets the trends for the coming season.

Exhibitors' and visitors' comments on Automechanika Moscow 2007

Europart, Germany, Dmitry Korneev, Marketing Director
"To say that we are satisfied would be an understatement. More than 50 new contacts a day is a result we could not believe. Even the questions that the visitors ask show that these are top-flight professionals. For us, Automechanika in Russia is a platform for developing our business in the Russian regions. For example, after Automechanika Saint Petersburg, we took the decision to open a subsidiary in Saint Petersburg: we had previously not expected to  find so many customers there. We are very satisfied with the fair and we will continue to participate in the event."

TRW Automotive, Spain, Javier Rodrigo, Director IAM Distribution Europe,
"There is no doubt that the vast majority of visitors to Automechanika Moscow are professionals. This has been a successful show for us in terms of business contacts. We have strengthened our existing business contacts and found new ones."

COVIND, Italy, Roberto Rosso, Sales Manager, International Markets
"I`d like to highlight what a good concept the trade fair is. It is perfect for components. The organisation is excellent as well.  We have made some good contacts and plan to exhibit again next year.”

THULE, Italy, Lucia Salmaso, Director Business Unit
"The trade fair is a professional event. This was the first edition and the quality of visitors was very high."

Perfect Fit Industries, Inc, USA, John P.Cali, Managing Director
"I think that the fair is well organised, like all Automechanika shows worldwide; about 30-40 people every day have shown real interest in our company's products and  in establishing contact with us. We will follow these contacts up and hope it will help us to enter the Russian market."

Iprotex GmbH & Co.KG, Germany, Manfred Reimann, Manager Purchasing and Logistics
"The main reason for taking part in the fair was to make new business contacts and analyse sales prospects. It was a very interesting fair and we are extremely pleased with our results. We were able to conduct several very promising discussions with specialists from the sector and related fields (aerospace, locomotive builders, research facilities) who came to Automechanika Moscow specifically to find technical solutions and developments."

Industria Precizne Mehanike, Serbia, Aleksandr Orescanin, Director, Technical Department
"We have had some good business contacts: a lot of people from the regions. We have hopes that the volume of sales will increase. We are hoping to exhibit at AMM 2008."

"Russkie Kraski”, Russia, Romanova Svetlana, Marketing Manager
"Our impression of the fair is very positive. We are very glad that we took part in the event. We have met a lot of key customers. Our discussions with the visitors were very productive; we are also satisfied with the general profile of the trade fair. We have brought a lot of knowledge and expertise to the fair and we have made contact with a lot of people from the regions. We have been positively surprised by the large number of visitors from different regions. We think that we will participate in the next edition of the fair as well."

Stankoimport, Russia, Tsyrkov Boris, Wholesale Manager
"The fair is very good. There are a lot of exhibits and we are extremely satisfied with the exhibition as a whole. We are also satisfied with the quality of the visitors. We have used our time at the fair very effectively as all the contact we have had has been with high-level professionals and matched our target groups. We should like to participate in Automechanika Moscow in subsequent years."

Auto-service and Repair, Tula, Buying Manager, visitor
"We have come to the trade fair to find companies that deal with vehicle maintenance, servicing and operation. We have found contacts that perfectly match our requirements. We are satisfied with the fair and think that we will visit Automechanika Moscow 2008."

Stavrovsky Industrial Park, Stavrovo, visitor
"We have taken part in the conference, and listened to the speakers` reports. For us it has been important to know how they see the future of car manufacturing in Russia. We have also found suppliers at the trade fair itself. We think that we shall be able to develop our business further due to the contacts we have acquired at this fair."
 
Victory Motors, auto-service and repair, visitor
"We have got a great deal of information. We have found a lot of spare parts suppliers as well as equipment suppliers. We think that, thanks to the trade fair, we will have the opportunity to introduce new technologies in our region."

Automatica, Russia, Mesheryakov Sergey, sales director
"The trade fair is very well organized. Moreover, we have found a lot of new contacts. I must say that the quality of the visitors has been very high. It is good to see that this fair is attended by genuine trade visitors."

Trans Starter, Russia, Haritonov Vadim, Managing Director
"First of all, we should like to point out how well organised the fair has been and what a good exhibition it was. The Automechanika brand is well-known and well-recognised. We always visit the fair in Frankfurt and we are very glad that we have attended this trade fair here in Moscow now. The fair has been very successful for our company. We have had the opportunity of some very productive activity. We are pleased that there are no idle onlookers at the fair and that there were large numbers of visitors from the regions. We will definitely participate in the fair next year."

META, Russia, Michailov Evgeniy, Project Director
"I want to say that the fair has made a great impression on us. This is what has decided us to participate in Automechanika Shanghai and in Automechanika Frankfurt. And we will definitely participate in Automechanika Moscow 2008 as it is a very effective fair. All the visitors are top-flight professionals and we have acquired a lot of new contacts. It is very gratifying be able to say that we did not have to waste a lot of time with non-professionals. The organisation and publicity for the fair also deserve high praise."

TESA TAPE, Russian Offices, Dmitry Mordvinov, Key Account Manager
"The visitors are well worth meeting. And it is really very interesting to work at the fair. I think that we will participate again next year at Automechanika Moscow."

Metclad, Russia, Zaitsev Dmitriy
"We have at least 10 contacts with our target group per day. We are keen on working in the regions and at the trade fair there are a lot of trade visitors from the regions. And the professional level of the visitors is really very high."

Eurocom, Director of Buying Department, Alexey Luzyanin
"We are pleasantly surprised at the level and diversity of the products presented at the fair. We have known the Automechanika brand for a long time. We have found a lot of companies that are potential suppliers and partners for us."