Citexpo Attendance Over 10% Higher Than 2007 Show

As the opening day of Shanghai’s Citexpo 2008 tyre exhibition drew to a close, Wilko Fong director of the organising company Reliable Exhibitions told Tyres & Accessories that the 2009 show is already 60 per cent booked. 2008’s show is proving to be as bustling as ever with 300-plus exhibitors and visitors numbers (based on pre-registration indicators) up between 10 and 15 per cent compared with the 2007 show.

Wilko Fong is hoping that the nine, which represents long life according to Chinese numerology, will be Reliable’s lucky number in relation to next year’s show, which is scheduled to take place at the Shanghai Everybright Conventional and Exhibition centre from 9 September 2009 (09/09/09).

This year Citexpo ran concurrently with Auto Testing Expo and was spread out across three halls in two separate buildings. According to Fong, visitor and exhibitor growth means the company will be in a position to “un-fracture” the event next year by hosting it on up to three levels of the same exhibition hall.

Explaining that the company is predicting a further 10 per cent visitor growth next year, Wilko Fong told T&A: “In 2009 it will be easier for us to organise the show in one building on [at least] two floors rather than one. Also, the Automotive Testing Expo will be held a week after Citexpo in 2009.

“By the end of the first day of this year’s shows 60 per cent of the 2009 show’s exhibition space has already been sold, which gives us the confidence to plan to have three floors [of the same building] in 2009.”