The recent Reifen show in Germany was billed as an international event. So “reifen,” German for “tire,” could just as easily been “pneu” (French), “pneumatico” (Italian), “neumático” (Spanish) or “llanta” (Latin American).
A record number of exhibitors (576) and visitors (17,600) were part of the bi-yearly 25th Reifen International Tyre Fair, held recently at Messe Essen in Essen, Germany.
Exhibitors from 40 countries displayed products and services related to tires, wheels and chassis technology to visitors from more than 80 countries. Nearly 58% of the visitors originated from abroad, compared to 45% in 2006.
Approximately 51% of the visitors were among the top decision-makers in their companies compared to 44.7% in 2006.
Nearly all the exhibitors (97.5%) said they had reached their most important target groups at Reifen 2008.
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Exhibitor testimonials
Visitors and exhibitors gave Reifen 2008 high marks for value. The visitor satisfaction level was especially high: 93.2%.
“Reifen 2008 has surpassed our expectations in all areas: with regard to the number of visitors, the orders concluded and the qualitative interest in post-fair business,” says Martin Selbach, commercial director for the HPA branch of ASE Corghi S.p.A. “Here at the fair, the business with run-flat machines has taken off since the certified machines for the assembly and disassembly of these tires were announced here. Our visitors were particularly interested in these machines.”
“We came to Essen with the intentions of intensifying customer contacts and looking for discussions with new customers from Eastern Europe and overseas,” says Jobst Schwarz, trade sales manager for Continental AG. “We have not only attained this objective, but have also exceeded it in part.”
“At Reifen 2008, we have presented our whole corporate group on one multi-brand booth for the first time. The concept came off very well,” says Martina Richerzhagen, marketing manager for Goodyear GmbH. “The fair offers outstanding possibilities of maintaining contacts, and we have held many good discussions.
“This year, we have shown a completely equipped car repair shop on the outdoor site in cooperation with Rema Tip Top,” she says. “That has gone down very well with the visitors. They were able to see and experience the repair shop and the tire service live on the spot.”
“For years, Reifen has been the absolute must for us and the international sectoral meeting place in the world,” says Dietmar Olbrich, sales and marketing adviser of Hankook Reifen Deutschland GmbH. “In Essen, we were able to present, for the first time, the all-weather tire with an ecological label, which was outstandingly received in the expert world. The business with summer tires has gone well. As a result of this trade fair, we are expecting stimuli for the autumn and winter business.”
“We have received outstanding feedback for our new products,” says Roland von Arx, sales director for Michelin Reifenverkaufsgesellschaft GmbH. “The public is very knowledgeable. We are holding serious discussions with customers, especially from Eastern Europe.”
Reifen 2010 will take place at Messe Essen June 1-4, 2010. For more information on Reifen 2008, visit www.reifen-messe.de.
