Automechanika Birmingham postponed until June 2022

Automechanika Birmingham 2021 has been postponed. The organisers, Messe Frankfurt UK, said the leading exhibition for the automotive aftermarket would return on 7-9 June 2022. The company’s Frankfurt headquarters had already announced the postponement of Automechanika Frankfurt to September 2021. The decision to postpone the UK event follows several months of discussion with exhibitors and host venue the NEC.

Simon Albert, managing director of Messe Frankfurt UK Ltd, said “The market has requested to postpone the event, and we are delighted that almost all companies who committed to the original timing will be present in 2022. With over 50% of floor space already taken for the 2022 exhibition, the signs are good for an event with three years of pent-up demand.

“Now is a tough time for the global exhibition market, but it’s very positive to see that the UK aftermarket has shown its long-term commitment to the event. Despite almost no revenue globally for Messe Frankfurt since March this year, the company will weather the storm and continue to deliver successful Automechanika events globally.”

Albert’s comments are supported by the ‘Global Recovery Insights Report’ study produced by UFI, (The Global Association for the Exhibition Industry) and SISO (The Society of Independent Show Organisers). This shows networking and face-to-face events are a priority when conducting business, and while digital marketing is important, it will not replace face-to-face meetings. The UFI study showed that of those who come to business events as visitors, 90 per cent felt not being able to attend events had negatively affected them.

Messe Frankfurt UK said it would continue to engage and support the industry via its central digital resource platform, ‘auto:resource’. It plans to launch the platform in the next few weeks.