Collision Repair Expo exceeds expectations

26 May 2011

Media Release 20 May 2011

The Collision Repair Expo and Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 12 to 14 May exceeded expectations by attracting 12,625 trade visitors to the largest aftermarket trade show held in the Victorian capital.

Most of the 3,000+ people who registered as Collision Repair Expo visitors were also educated and entertained by the co-located Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo.

There are separate organising committees responsible for the two Expos (one representing the collision repair industry, and the other representing the aftermarket accessories, equipment and parts sector) and both Expos are co-ordinated for the industry by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA).

AAAA Executive Director Stuart Charity said the organising committees praised both industry sectors for their extraordinary support of the trade shows. "The 2011 Expos set attendance records - 20% up on the Melbourne Expos in 2007 and 50% up on the Sydney Expos in 2009. The 12,625 attendance figure for the 2011 Expos is remarkable when you realise that there are only an estimated 15,000 aftermarket mechanical and collision repair workshops in the whole of Australia," he said.

"We were also delighted with the significant increase in interstate and international visitor numbers this year. Since our first Collision Repair Expo in 2007, these events have grown as a national event and into an Australasian destination. Exhibitors welcomed visitors from Western Australian and the Northern Territory, a delegation of 750 New Zealand trade visitors and high level buying missions from China, India, Taiwan and the USA," said Stuart Charity.

Exhibitors are star attractions

The shows were busy from start to finish and offered visitors a huge array of live demonstrations of products and technologies. The two Lowbake demonstration spray booths - one featuring the new Broadband Gas Infrared technology - and the heavily subscribed International Seminar Series were among the special attractions. We were also delighted to see that collision repair industry visitors had strong interest in the Choice of Repairer Campaign Seminar.

"We thank the 69 Collision Repair Expo exhibitors for the tremendous efforts - and considerable investments - they made in presenting displays of international standard. They were the stars of the show and were rewarded with an enthusiastic crowd," said Stuart Charity.

Visitor follow up is critical

"Most importantly, countless exhibitors told me they were delighted with the number and quality of the visitors, because there were few 'tyre kickers'. Our visitor research shows that workshop owners and managers visit the biennial Expos to learn about and shop for the latest technologies and products," he said.

"A common comment from exhibitors was that it would take years to get out and personally speak to the same number of workshops that visit their stand during the three day show. Now those exhibitors face the big task of doing the follow up on the sales leads they generated from Expo visitors.

"Selling off the Expo floor is a bonus and some exhibitors were delighted by the sales achieved, with many happy in the knowledge that their sales had repaid their Expo investment many times over," he said.

"On behalf of the organising committee, the AAAA thanks at exhibitors and visitors for making the 2011 Expos the biggest and most successful to date. Planning begins in June for the 2013 Expos scheduled for Sydney. Already we have expressions of interest from keen exhibitors," said Stuart Charity.

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Photo caption CREBusy.jpg: The busy Collision Repair Expo and co-located Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo smashed the previous attendance record with 12,625 trade visitors attending over three days. This is a remarkable result given that there are only an estimated 15,000 aftermarket mechanical and collision repair workshops in the whole of Australia.

Photo caption AkzoNobel.jpg: Collision Repair Expo major corporate sponsor AkzoNobel made a striking presence at the show with a spacious stand featuring painted panel samples and the rear wing from the Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 car.

Photo caption Lowbake.jpg: An AkzoNobel technician worked in the Lowbake demonstration spray booth while Expo visitors watched from the viewing room behind the glass partition. The popularity of the Lowbake demonstration spray booth at previous Expos encouraged the company to add a second booth for 2011 - a new Broadband Gas Infrared technology booth.

About the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA): The AAAA is the national industry association representing manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, importers and retailers of automotive parts and accessories, tools and equipment in Australia. The Association has over 1,300 member companies in all categories of the Australian automotive aftermarket and includes major national and multi-national corporations, as well as a large number of independent small and medium size businesses. Member companies are located in metropolitan, regional and rural Australia.

Further Information:
Barry Oosthuizen
AAAA Communication Advisor
+61 (0)413 185 135

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