Autopromotec’s return to an in-person event has been heralded as a great success, with more than 75,141 visitors travelling to the Bologna Exhibition Centre in Italy to see the automotive industry’s latest innovations.
Fifteen per cent of visitors were from 116 countries around the world, while 31 per cent of the 1311 participating companies came from 46 countries. Products and services were displayed in 15 exhibition halls and six outdoor areas over an area of 141,000 square metres.
With the strategic support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, ICE-ITA, and local network agencies, Autopromotec said the event also attracted more than 180 foreign delegates from over 35 countries to the exhibition. Within the B2B area, planned with the support of Enterprise Europe Network, more than 800 meetings took place, a sharp increase compared to the 629 meetings of the pre-pandemic edition of the exhibition.
Automotive industry challenges, such as ecological transition and autonomous driving, framed the event. The Futurmotive Experience talks, developed with the support of ICE Agenzia, looked to the future through analysis and comparison of the industry’s most important trends such as disruption in the mobility supply chain, with numerous workshops and conferences facilitating in-depth discussions. Throughout the first edition of Electric City, Autopromotec brought a “360-degree” view of electric mobility, supported by a display of alternative-powered vehicles.
Autopromotec said the automotive aftermarket also gathered on a digital level. In the first five months of 2022, the event’s website reached 285,733 unique visitors, compared to 234,868 in 2019. There were also more than 2.4 million page views. Additionally, a significant number of users followed the event through social channels. In the first five months of the year, Autopromotec digital profiles had 58,369 interactions and 2,074,809 post views.
“For the automotive aftermarket, Autopromotec 2022 was the first great opportunity to get together again,” said Renzo Servadei, CEO of Autopromotec. “During the entire event there was tangible great enthusiasm to meet face to face after such a long time. In the past three years, while the world seemed to stand still, companies have never stopped to invest and innovate. This led to an enormous technological advance that was seen in every way during these days of the show: visitors have finally been able to touch all the innovations announced in recent months.
“An increasingly technological and digitised sector, along with challenges, offers important opportunities to be seized: professional operators have shown that they are well aware of the importance of updating and training to keep up with the times. The large, registered participation shows that the sector is ready to seize the challenges of the future of mobility,” Servadei said.