More than 12000 visitors flocked to the inaugural Automechanika Birmingham exhibition last week, with many hundreds of these making the trip from Ireland. Both visitors and exhibitors pronounced the event a big success and plans are now being put in place for an even bigger show in 2017.

Speaking to Autobiz, Event Director Simon Albert said he and his team were delighted by how the show has been received. He said, “With more than 12,000 visitors over the three days, the attendance has exceeded all expectations, but what has been really positive is that not only are numbers excellent, but exhibitors have been hugely impressed by the quality of visitors coming through the door.” Simon added, “We have also been delighted by the very high numbers of visitors making the trip from Ireland and would like to thank them for their attendance.”

The exhibition featured 550 exhibitors from around the globe as well as an informative seminar programme, a “Workshop of the Future” feature and an innovation trail which were all very well received. Testimant to the success of the show from an exhibitor perspective is the fact that bookings for next year have already exceeded the size of 2016 event. Simon said, “The 2017 Automechanika Birmingham will be 35% bigger than 2016 and will be located in Halls 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the NEC. I am also delighted to says that next year the show will be co-located alongside Reifen, the world leading tyre exhibition.”

Simon and his team have already started the planning of the massive event and will build on the success of 2016. He says, “Establishing the first event of this type was a major challenge. We only had 11 months to organise everything including putting together the event organising and publicity team. Having the support of some of the biggest names in the automotive industry was a great assistance and being able to repay these companies with a very successful event was very satisfying.” He adds, “Many more big name exhibitors will be joining us next year and we are already putting together some great new innovations in terms of information seminars and forums.”

Simon concluded, “We have created something unique here that the industry needed, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the overwhelming support of the exhibitors, visitors and trade partners. It has been a great opportunity for the motor trade and the major suppliers to talk direct and we are looking forward to providing this same opportunity to even more people in 2017.