So how was the Essen exhibition? ECI International managing director Paul Farrant was delighted with the response, saying: “Reifen 06 was tremendous for us, as it always has been in the past, but this time, with three shows to promote, we were kept busy from start to finish.”

Participating in the Essen show is more than just a flag-waving exercise, explained Farrant, as ECI took several firm bookings for all three exhibitions while in Germany. “We had a number of enquiries from overseas for Brityrex,” he continued, “but there was particular interest shown in Tyrexpo Africa – so much so that we are getting very close to selling out of stand space, which is very encouraging for our first show in the area.”

Tyrexpo Africa is a new venture for ECI, so why does Farrant think it has created such interest? “I think that companies are always looking for new markets,” he answered, “and at ECI we specialise in putting on specialist tyre shows for specific markets – while events such as Essen and Autopromotec tend to be pan-European in scope, we concentrate on countries where there are currently no exhibitions aimed directly at the tyre industry.”

This belief that there is demand for shows dedicated to the tyre sector has stood ECI in good stead so far, with Tyrexpo Asia now firmly established on the Far Eastern tyre scene and the encouraging response to last year’s re-introduced Brityrex International in the U.K. And now Tyrexpo Africa seems set to make it three out of three as the eyes of the tyre world turn towards Africa – particularly the prosperous and growing South African market.