Jacques Mauge, Chairman of Equip Auto was delighted to welcome more than 400 representatives from the automotive aftersales industry on Friday 3 June at a special evening held in the prestigious setting of the French Republican Guard headquarters.
This exceptional event was the occasion to officially launch the 2017 edition of Equip Auto and set out its new ambition: ‘To Be The Essential Venue For Discovery And Insight Into The Ongoing Disruptive Trends Of The Automotive Sector’.
Jacques Mauge expanded on his objectives: “While maintaining the very strong connections which have steadily been built between Equip Auto and the aftersales distribution, repair and maintenance activities; the two-yearly meeting of the profession also has a duty to be in step with a changing market, and as a medium term aim, to be universally acknowledged as the definitive international trade show in services for connected mobility in Europe.”
To help Equip Auto 2017 lay the foundations for this clearly-stated ambition, the FIEV created a steering committee, bringing together, in addition to its partner the French Bodywork Federation, representatives from trade bodies CNPA, FEDA, FNAA, GNESA, SNCTA and Syndicat des Professionnels du Pneu.
After several months of preliminary discussions, three strategic priorities were identified and will serve as a road map for the coming years:
–Build Business. This priority sets out to develop the presence of the entire sector: manufacturers, OEMs, distributors, repairers, etc. New market players related to connected mobility (insurers, lenders, telematics operators, etc.) will also make an appearance, generating contacts and business with the firms attending Equip Auto.
–Innovate And Plan For The Future. This strategic theme aims to reinforce Equip Auto’s DNA by offering visitors the means firstly of easily identifying and understanding the sector’s leading technological trends, and secondly of embracing a forward-looking vision of the automobile as an urban and road-based mobility solution.
–Come Together In A Convivial Environment. This priority will in particular come to life through the organisation of networking events. The convivial atmosphere of the industry will also be illustrated through a grand gala dinner organised during the show.
These three priorities are supported by the show’s powerful international dimension which is an integral part of its identity and which will be reinforced starting in 2017, with special guest buyers invited from major international importers and distributors.
This new strategy, which received a warm welcome from the profession, will be further bolstered by a change of venue for the exhibition. Future editions of Equip Auto will be held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, where the show will occupy halls 1, 2 and 3. This change of address at the heart of Paris is backed up by the new pledge of Equip Auto 2017:
“Capital Meetings For Automotive After-Sales: Paris 2017.â€
Make a date for 17 – 21 October 2017 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.