After a forced break of one and a half years, Messe Frankfurt welcomed exhibitors and trade visitors to two of its own events at its home location from September 14 to 16. According to the announcement, 388 exhibitors participated in the special edition of Automechanika Frankfurt "digital plus" in Hall 3 and the conference fair Hypermotion Frankfurt in the Forum, 53 percent of whom presented themselves live on site, while the others participated online.
Around 10,000 visitors from 70 countries followed the trade fair program live in Frankfurt and online over three days. Two-thirds of the participants used the many new digital features on the screens, such as livestreams, intelligent matchmaking, and 1-to-1 video calls. In total, around 25,000 interactions took place on the platform, the streams were viewed 21,000 times, and 1,600 video calls were made, according to the press release.
Detlef Braun, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt, explains: "The engine of the trade fair has started running. The kick-off was made by the mobility and logistics industry. Exhibitors and trade visitors were finally able to meet in person again and make new contacts – both on site at the trade fair grounds and on the digital event platform with international industry players. The typical trade fair feeling quickly returned after a long drought – only with masks and 3 Gs. A good warm-up for Automechanika Frankfurt and Hypermotion next year."
Expanded concept scores points
Dr. Axel Koblitz, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Association of the German Motor Trade, adds: "The expanded concept of Automechanika Digital Plus is an enrichment for the motor trade. With it, we not only reach trade fair visitors on site in Frankfurt, but also many other motor business owners and their employees, who can tune in to our program online. The lectures, workshops, and discussion panels of the German Motor Trade are streamed live via the FabuCar platform, where they remain accessible even after the fair."
The concept of the two events – a physical trade fair plus the digital opportunity for participation – was well received by exhibitors and visitors.
Albrecht Kruse, Managing Director of Sata, says: “I am pleased that we are back at the Automechanika, our leading trade fair – also physically. I find the hybrid format of this special edition very successful, especially for the international audience that cannot travel to Frankfurt, as it offers the option to participate in the fair. However, I consider the physical meeting with customers to be extremely important. A big compliment to the Automechanika team that implemented this format for Automechanika Frankfurt.”
Digitalization and Pandemic
The pandemic has also given a boost to digitalization within the automotive aftermarket, according to the announcement.
Thomas Fischer, Chairman of AAMPACT e.V.: "We, too, are noticing that digitalization is making good progress in independent car workshops. More and more workshops are using online possibilities, also in communication with their customers."
Emotional Moments
Real big emotions could be experienced on the trade fair stage during the first international Automechanika Body & Paint Championships. Alexander Hagemann, the German candidate, successfully prevailed with his refined hood against the international competition from England, China, and South Africa. Sponsors of the competition are leading paint manufacturers, for whom the topic of young talent in the painter's trade has top priority.
Christian Schwer, National Sales Manager, Germany of Liqui Moly: "Especially in this special pandemic time, this year's small edition of the Automechanika is an opportunity for us to resume communication with our customers, to be on-site, to show the flag, and to enjoy personal conversations again. Because business is done between people, and for us, communication is the be-all and end-all - in our opinion, it won't work in the future without it. The Automechanika is the platform for innovations, for new technologies, which we all, as suppliers, but also as customers and as an industry, must deal with. That was Automechanika in the past, and that is Automechanika for us today."
Hypermotion with International Flair
Hyperloop technology, urban logistics and mobility concepts, intelligent supply chains, and alternative driving technologies were the focal topics of this year's Hypermotion, which the conference trade fair uses to drive current transport policy discussions and also appeal to an international audience. DP World, one of the world's largest port operators and providers of smart end-to-end logistics, is committed as a global partner, according to the announcement.
Ibrahim Al Najjar, IT Director, DP World: “Through the exchange of knowledge and expertise, Hypermotion offers a valuable platform for our company to improve its end-to-end logistics offerings and optimize intelligent trade operations for the industry.”
To Be Continued
The discussions will continue at Hypermotion in Dubai, where the conference trade fair will make its international debut from November 2 to 4, 2021. There was also a premiere in Frankfurt: The first international Hyperloop Conference, initiated by Hypermotion and its partners, took place on September 16, 2021, allowing various stakeholders from the Hyperloop ecosystem to have their say: transport companies, Hyperloop start-ups, vacuum technology providers, port operators, and infrastructure companies. Sara Luchain, Director of Passenger Experience at Virgin Hyperloop, for example, spoke about her experiences of the world’s first Hyperloop test ride through the Las Vegas desert last November.
Keir Fitch, Head of Unit Rail Safety & Interoperability – DG Move European Commission, and Thomas Jarzombek, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Start-ups and Coordinator for Aviation and Space at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, opened the conference. According to its own statements, Hypermotion Frankfurt also made it clear that new incentives are needed for the transportation transition. The discussions must continue across countries and industries in order to develop holistic concepts beyond automobiles, it says.
Exchange Needed
Stefan Eckert, Director of Sales and Project Management at Yunex Traffic Germany: “We need the exchange with other experts from mobility and logistics to complete the puzzle. That is, to bring both traffic participants and goods to their destination in the safest, fastest, and most sustainable way with the respective mode of transport. Hypermotion offers the ideal platform for this. Yunex Traffic ensures that mobility in cities becomes more sustainable, smarter, more digital, and safer with forward-looking infrastructure and traffic solutions – but we only provide one piece of the puzzle.”
The company was one of over 30 participating in the two theme marketplaces Future Mobility and Smart Logistics, organized by Motion-X. Additionally, start-ups presented themselves with bold approaches as drivers and connectors for topics like transportation transition and digitalization. Tilmann Rosch, Managing Partner at Urban Mobility GmbH:
“Our innovative cargo bike is already in use in 14 cities in Germany. We have produced around 100 vehicles. As the next stage of evolution, we envision equipping the vehicle with telematics. We also made many contacts here at Hypermotion for this purpose.”
Missed it? No Problem!
Visitors and exhibitors have until September 30, 2021, to view the recorded program. The next regular Automechanika Frankfurt will take place from September 13 to 17, 2022. In conjunction with the German Mobility Congress, Hypermotion Frankfurt will take place from November 15 to 17, 2022, in Frankfurt.
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