Reifen China 2010 Had 39% More Visitors

For the fourth time in its history, Reifen China welcomed floods of visitors through the doors of the Shanghai New International Expo Center on 25 November where over 100 exhibitors from some of the country’s leading suppliers and traders were waiting to share details of the latest products and business developments. The headline news is that by the end of this year’s show on 27 November, Reifen China had attracted a total of 9356 trade visitors from 75 countries – an increase of over 39 per cent compared with the previous year (2009: 6,693).

Of these 1186 were international visitors from a range of 75 countries, figures that both demonstrates the willingness of Chinese tyre manufacturers and traders to support the show as a means of generating domestic business – which is something of a trend at the moment in the Chinese tyre market – and that significant numbers of international visitors remain willing to invest in attending the show. Early estimates had suggested the show attracted 10,554 visitors – the first time the exhibition had grown into the double digit thousands – however the official figures appear to show that the event was just shy of this mark.

The show hosted a total of 114 exhibitors from 14 countries, covering 8400 square metres of gross exhibition area. Exhibitors are said to have praised the trade fair and the professional audience in attendance, with “many companies having already confirmed their participation in the next show in 2011.”

As in previous years Reifen China was held alongside the RubberTech China exhibition of tyre and rubber manufacturing equipment and raw materials suppliers. With over 300 exhibitors in attendance at this show, with stands covering more than two halls (and spilling into the Reifen China area) this mutually beneficial arrangement is likely to have brought additional footfall to both shows.

What was different about the 2010 show was that for the first time – and apparently quite by co-incidence – this year’s event was also held alongside the Bauma China exhibition. The presence of this crane and off-road equipment show saw some tyre firms Double Coin for example) maintain exposure at both Reifen China and Bauma China and so could have had either a positive or negative effect on the specialist tyre trade fair. Reifen China 2010 was also held in parallel with the “Rubber Business Meeting” for the first. Organisers said this effort has been “successful for vendors, retailers and entrepreneurs.”

Despite strong traffic, more big names and traders would set show apart

Like the 2009 show, this year’s Reifen China didn’t have the near complete set of the top 10 Chinese tyremakers that the organisers have been able to attract in the past. However, Messe Essen GmbH’s cooperation with the China United Rubber Corporation (CURC) and conceptual sponsor cooperation with Bundesverband Reifenhandel & Vulkaniseur-Handwerk e.V. (BRV – the German tyre distributor and vulcanisation association has managed to attract some of the biggest players in the business and certainly offer the largest scale and most attractive exhibition stands at any tyre show Tyres & Accessories has visited in the country.

The largest booths were been constructed by leading local tyre manufacturers, which by virtue of the fact that the Chinese domestic market continues to boom and because they export so many tyres should also be recognised as some of the largest in the world. Notable amongst the many firms producing multiple millions of tyres for export markets include Triangle Tire Company Ltd., Cooper Chengshan (Shandong) Tire Co., Ltd., Shandong Linglong Rubber Co., Ltd., Guizhou Tyre Co., Ltd., and the ChemChina group of China National Tire & Rubber Corporation-association companies, but there are dozens more. One noticeable European addition to the exhibitor list this year is that of Interstate Tires, which was exhibiting at the Reifen China show for the first time and is reportedly experiencing the surprise growth of its own-brand tyres in the Chinese domestic market (see separate article).

Commenting on the attendance and exhibitor statistics representatives of Messe Essen (Reifen China’s European organisers) said in a statement: “China is an attractive market: The country’s economy is growing, the gross domestic product increases. High-quality cars are increasingly in demand,” adding that this year’s Reifen China also witnessed increased demand from the Middle East.

Over joint organisers Messe Essen, and China United Rubber Corporation (CURC) and the conceptual sponsor BRV (the German tyre trader and vulcanisers association) were said to have been “very satisfied.” In their opinion the statistical success of the show means Reifen China is now established as an important platform for the tyre, wheel and workshop businesses across “the entire Asian region.” All this while strengthening the position of the company’s leading trade fair – Reifen Messe Essen, which is next scheduled to be held from 5 to 8 June 2012 in the Germany city of Essen. The next Reifen China is due to be held 22 – 24 November 2011 at the same venue as this year, the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.