Reifen boss: End of the road for tire-only trade shows

Essen, Germany – The model of the industry exhibition dedicated solely to tires is nearing its ‘use-by’ date, believes Oliver P Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen, organiser of the Reifen 2016 expo, taking place 24-27 May in Essen Germany.

The move will bring the tire and wheel rim industries as well as the tire trade together with the automotive aftermarket. The combination, said Kuhrt, will supply “valuable stimuli” for both the tire sector and the automotive aftermarket.

And, while Reifen 2016 has attracted record numbers of exhibitors, Kuhrt said that the synergies with Automechanika indicate that “the model of the isolated tire show will become outdated in the long term.”

The Messe Essen boss went on to say: “The sector must find new revenue structures and open up the automotive aftermarket for this purpose. A pure tire show will no longer help anybody in future."

Read the full interview in the May/June issue of ERJ magazine.