New Record as 530 Exhibitors Sign-up for Reifen 2008

As the Essen show celebrates its silver jubilee (Reifen 2008 will be the 25th time the leading tyre trade exhibition has taken place), show organisers are reporting that this year’s show will be the biggest yet. This means that Reifen 2008 will have a record number of exhibitors (530), with this year’s show breaking the 500 barrier for this first time. At the same time exhibition area has increased 16 per cent in comparison with the last Essen show two years ago. And furthermore, 65 per cent more international exhibitors (2006:57%) are taking stands at a show that has become Europe’s leading tyre trade exhibition.

What sets the Essen show apart from other large European trade fairs is that Reifen concentrates on tyres, casings, tubes, tyre accessories, workshop equipment as well as installations, devices and tools for tyre retreading, tyre repair and vulcanisation. Furthermore, exhibitors offer services for the tyre trade and anyone involved in tyre manufacture. In total over 20,000 visitors from more than 80 countries are expects at Reifen 2008.

Whatever segment they are operating in, many manufacturers and suppliers opt to use large-scale trade shows like Reifen as a platform for launching and publicising their latest innovations. Following its successful introduction into the 2006 show, Messe Essen GmbH, working in association with BRV (Bundesverband Reifenhandel und Vulkaniseur-Handwerk – the German federal tyre distributors and skilled vulcanisers association) is going to present an Innovation Award.

The idea is for the award to recognise particularly trendsetting innovations, with respected industry experts coming together to form an independent jury. All show exhibitors will have the opportunity to compete for the innovation award, with prizes being conferred in three categories: Technology/Products (recognising developments in tyres wheels, chassis concepts and tyre retreading and repairing equipment and accessories); Service/Marketing ideas (honouring customer loyalty concepts for partner companies and sales promotion concepts offered between tyre manufacturers and distributors in the tyre trade); Concepts/processes (recognising new IT solutions that are designed to optimise the ‘value added chain’).

Potential innovation award winners will be judged according to the following criteria: innovation content, user benefit, economic viability, safety sustainability, environmental compatibility (specifically in the Technology/Products category). Potential for customer acquisition and loyalty (in Service/Marketing competition) and optimisation potential (in terms of the Concepts/Processes category.

In 2006 GD Handelsysteme GmbH won the Innovation Award in the Service/Marketing Ideas category for the GHDS rim advice system. Automotive Testing Technologies GmbH secured the prize in the “Concepts/Processes” category for the Cura R 2000 Eagle chassis measuring device. Rema Tip Top won the Technology/Products category for its dynamic balancing weight.

Additional attractions

In addition to the show itself and the previously mentioned innovation awards, a number of information session and meetings are taking place in parallel with exhibition proper. These are largely being organised by the BRV and are said to offer the tyre sector the chance to enter into frank dialogue on a range of topics.

A range of seminars are on offer ranging form workshops on the subject of fitting high performance and run-flat tyres to a session on PR management for tyre specialists. With something going on every day, Tyres & Accessories picked out two particularly interesting session for anyone interested in finding out the latest developments in some of the ‘emerging’ segments of the tyre market. Firstly there is a BRV Seminar on handling Internet customers on between 10:00 and 13:00 on Tuesday 20 May. Then as the even draws to a close, there is a China information event on Wednesday 23 May, also at 10:00am.

The additional activities are capped off with a get together party for exhibitors and visitors called “tyre dealers on stage.”