ESSEN, Germany (June 2, 2014) — Attendance at this year's Reifen Trade Fair was up about 5 percent from the 2012 event, with attendees from outside of Germany up about 12 percent, the organizers disclosed at the end of the four-day event.
Messe Essen G.m.b.H., the organizer of the Reifen exhibition, said preparations already are under way for Reifen 2016 and 2018, the latter of which will be the 30th edition of the fair held biennially since 1960. The 2018 event also will be competing with a new trade show, Tire Cologne, tentatively scheduled for May that year as well.
Attendance this year was around 20,000 visitors from 130 countries, Messe Essen said, up from 19,000 in 2012. Of those attending, 64 percent were from outside Germany.
The show hosted a record 670 exhibitors from 44 nations, including 20 from the U.S. and Canada and 146 from China. Exhibitor bookings for Reifen 2016 are occurring at a brisk pace, Messe Essen said.
Tire Cologne was announced earlier this year by the German Tire Trade Assocation (BRV)—which has been a supporting partner of Reifen for many years—and Koelnmesse G.m.b.H. The BRV is committed to the 2016 Reifen show but will then shift its support to the new show.
At the same time, Messe Essen has struck a deal with Messe Frankfurt G.m.b.H. of Frankfurt, Germany, for the exposition center companies to co-promote their respective Reifen and Automechanika shows.