Messe Essen, the organisers of the biennial Reifen event, looks likely to bow out gracefully at the end of an era represented by this year’s show. In the last Essen-hosted show ahead of its “trailblazing” move alongside Frankfurt’s Automechanika show in September 2018, or retreat in the face of Koelnmesse’s rival Tire Cologne show (see the April edition of Tyres & Accessories for complete details of the move, then delete as you see fit), the 24 to 27 May show will host 675 exhibitors, presenting their innovations for the tyre sector. This, Messe Essen states, represents a new record number of exhibitors in Reifen’s decades-long history. The organisers have also notched up another record with regard to the exhibition area: Reifen 2016 will occupy just over 60,000sqm of exhibition space.