6th CITExpo Bigger Than Ever

Once again China’s largest specialist tyre show is taking place in September. The 6th China International Tire Expo, or CITExpo, will be held between 17 and 19 September at the Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center, and this year’s show promises to be larger and offer more than ever before. Almost 300 exhibitors will be showcasing their products and technology, up from 254 in 2007, and to accommodate the extra numbers the show’s organiser, Reliable International Exhibition Services, has added a third hall to the show’s floorspace.

The exhibition takes place against a backdrop of continued production growth in China. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2007 the country produced a total of 178,598,100 radial tyres, an increase of 26.70 on the previous year. And part-year figures for 2008 indicate last year’s results shall be easily surpassed. The China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association reports the production of 105,768,590 radials between January and the end of May this year. Total China tyre production in this period has been recorded as 228,894,790. Given this growth rate, it is no surprise that the vast majority of new exhibitors at CITExpo this year are domestic tyre, wheel and related equipment manufacturers or wholesalers.

The provision of a third hall, Hall-1A, above the existing Hall-1, is just the latest in a long history of expansion for CITExpo. According to Wilko Fong, Reliable’s managing director, CITExpo has been steadily expanding its size and the number of exhibitors since it was first held in 2003. Wilko comments there are two factors that led to the need to expand into a third hall this year. Firstly, many rebooking exhibitors have expanded their stand size so as to attract and accommodate the quality of visitor they expect to meet at CITExpo. Secondly, an increasing number of suppliers are finding CITExpo an effective trade show for meeting genuine buyers from around the globe, and therefore more than 30 per cent of exhibitors already committed to the exhibition are first time exhibitors.

In July, some eight weeks before the show’s opening, Reliable announced a ‘full house’ – the entire expanded 18,000 square metres has been sold. The company also disclosed that 70 per cent of repeat exhibitors have increased their exhibition floorspace, these expansions ranging from 9 per cent to an impressive 800 per cent. Numerous familiar names appear again on the exhibitor list, including Lexani Tyre, Techking Tires, the Aufine Group, Qingdao Yellow Sea, Sibur Russian Tyres, Stamford Tyres and Triangle Tire. Passenger car, industrial and OTR tyres will still be the show’s major exhibits, says Reliable. Other highlights include a greater number of wheels and accessories on display this year.

Moreover, following last year’s successful event, the organiser will once again bring from Germany one of the best-known events in the automobile manufacturing industry, the Automotive Testing Expo. The Automotive Testing Expo will be held concurrently with CITExpo, and experience gained in 2007 indicates that the synergy of two concurrently held events attracts more decision makers, engineers, and parts buyers from vehicle and component manufacturers throughout China. The overall exhibition space of the combined events will reach over 30,000 square metres and the number of exhibitors will reach 500.

In terms of visitors, Reliable has, as of July 2008, received 120 per cent more pre-registered visitors than last year. The organiser predicts that this year’s total visitor count will again become a record number. In 2007, 6,850 people passed through the doors of the Shanghai Everbright Convention Centre during the show’s three days.

As organiser of the region’s largest tyre show, Reliable says it holds fast to the aim of helping local suppliers to ensure their export products meet high international standards in order to enlarge these company’s global market share. In February 2008, representatives from Reliable organised a Chinese tyre manufacturers’ pavilion at the Tire Technology Expo held in Cologne, Germany. Numerous major Chinese manufacturers travelled to Germany for the show and gave their support to the pavilion, and Reliable reports that the experience was highly beneficial in that it gave them the opportunity to become better acquainted with the latest tyre manufacturing equipment and technology. By applying such technology and equipment in their own production processes, the CITExpo organiser believes that Chinese tyre products will continue to grow their global market profile.

And while the 2008 show still awaits us, Reliable reports having already received bookings for the following year’s exhibition. The 7th CITExpo will take place between September 2 and 4, 2009, again at the same venue. According to the organiser, ‘more than 15’ exhibitors have already booked for next year, the key motivation for doing this so well in advance being the desire to secure a prime booth location.

Visitors who pre-register online for the 2008 show at www.citepxo.com.cn will enjoy free admission, fast registration line, a copy of the show catalogue (which otherwise retails for RMB50) and a limited edition souvenir. Reliable says that it looks forward to “another successful CITExpo in 2008” and the show’s continued rapid growth.