Auto trade show enjoys record year

Automechanika Shanghai, the world's second largest auto-related trade fair for automotive parts, accessories, equipment and services held last month recorded the highest number of exhibiting companies since its establishment in 2004.

The four-day event, moved to the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) for the first time in 2015, attracted 5,395 exhibitors, an increase of 10 percent from 2014.

The event occupied 11 exhibition halls with the total exhibition area reaching 280,000 square meters, a 27 percent increase from 2014.

The event serves the whole industry chain of original equipment and aftermarket and consisted of four key sectors; and components, repairs and maintenance, accessories and tuning and electronics and systems.

The electronics and systems sector that covered more than 40,000 sq m was introduced for the first time last year. Some 658 companies including Continental Automotive and Denso were featured.

Exhibitors from 39 countries and regions including the United States, Denmark, Germany and Japan participated while Ecuador, Finland, Israel, Liechtenstein and Morocco made their debuts.

The 2015 trade fair welcomed 18 overseas exhibitor groups from countries such as Japan and Singapore while Israel and Russia made their first appearance.

The number of overseas exhibitors increased 16 percent from 2014 which suggests the trade fair is developing into a globally recognized event.

Figures from organizers showed that more than 100,000 global professional buyers and members of the public visited the event, an increase of 12 percent on 2014.

The number of overseas professional buyer group increased 31 percent from 2014 with Russia and Pakistan buyer groups making their first appearance.

The fair offered 53 programs for learning, networking and information exchange, an increase of 40 percent year-on-year.

Since the show began it has become a globally recognized industry event for generating business, brand building and networking, as well as information and technology exchange, education and marketing.

The event was co-organized by Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd and the China National Automotive Industry International Corporation. Automechanika Shanghai is one of 15 Automechanika fairs held in Africa, Asia, Europe and Central and South America.