The organisers of tyre-related exhibitions are also taking a much closer look at this – as it seems – market of boundless opportunities.

This November the organisers of the Reifen show in Essen, Germany, are organising for the very first time an equivalent in China, the Reifen China. The organisers from Messe Essen GmbH and the China United Rubber (Group) Corp. are hoping to host a successful premiere show in Shanghai. The annual Reifen China show will take place concurrently with the Rubber Tech China show, both held under the same roof.

Klaus Reich, director trade fairs and exhibitions with Messe Essen GmbH, and in this function also responsible for Reifen China, explains in an interview with Tyres & Accessories why his company is taking the Reifen show to China, what the expectations for this November’s show are and what exhibitors and visitors will get in Shanghai when they come to Reifen China.

Q: For many years Messe Essen GmbH has successfully organised the Reifen show in Germany. Do you count on a similar success with its offspring in Shanghai?

Klaus Reich: The international trade fair Reifen has now existed for more than 40 years. It has continuously been developed, has become increasing international and has gained relevance. I also see good prospects for the Reifen China. In the mid-term I am convinced that the quality of our organisation will prevail over other exhibition organisers; we will be able to present a very successful show, in particular keeping China’s growth potential in mind.

Q: It is widely known that China is one of the biggest producers and consumers of tyres worldwide. Does this fact correlate with China’s relevance as a location for exhibitions?

Reich: It usually is the case that leading industry exhibitions take place in Germany. Chinese exhibitions in turn normally meet the huge domestic market demand. With regards to the tyre industry in China it can be pointed out that – despite many attempts – no organiser has yet managed to host an exhibition covering the whole industry. But this is what we want to do. Just like with the Reifen show in Germany we now want to offer an exhibition that covers the tyre trade, the tyre repair industry as well as the retreading business.

Q: How important is it to use the brand name “Reifen” for a successful entry into your foreign Reifen operations.

Reich: The Reifen brand signifies quality and a successful bringing together of supply and demand. We realise this when we meet with our international exhibitors in Essen and when we meet abroad, say at the SEMA show in Las Vegas or at Autopromotec in Bologna, Italy. There is a close attachment to the Reifen brand. We experience something similar with our other trade shows, whose logos and brand names we use when we transplant them abroad.

Q: What are the major differences between Essen and Shanghai or between Germany and China when it comes to the general direction of your show?

Reich: In both locations we first try to concentrate on efficiently bringing together supply (i.e. our exhibitors) and demand (i.e. our visitors). We must regard the success of our exhibitors and visitors as our number one goal regardless of where the exhibition takes place, Germany or China. Of course, there are some technical differences with regards to organising such a show, but today this has become somewhat irrelevant. A point of difference from the Reifen show in Germany is we will have many more national visitors in Shanghai, although the Reifen China is also intended to be an international show. But if one country represents about 25 per cent of our global population it is of course much more difficult to attract more than 50 per cent international visitors like we do with the show in Germany.

Q: You have entered into a partnership with the China United Rubber Corporation (CURC), the co-organisers of Reifen China, at very short notice. Did you have enough time in order to guarantee a professional show that satisfies your high standards?

Reich: CURC has itself been active in organising exhibitions for many years. For example, it organises the Tyres & Rubber Tech China exhibition in Shanghai. We have watched this event quite closely and have also spoken with German and international exhibitors at Tyres & Rubber Tech. Our impression that CURC is running a professional organisation in this respect has been confirmed. In CURC, I believe, we have found a partner to whom you don’t need to explain how to conceive a successful show. We both march in step and we know that we can count on each other although there are about 7,000 kilometres between our offices.

Q: Were or are there areas where the Reifen China exhibition won’t meet your high standards?

Reich: Only this March, after we finished some intensive market research and our search for a possible partner, did we finalise the Reifen China deal. Thus the eventual time for preparing the show has been relatively small, and we expected to be confronted with potential exhibitors who’d already spent their marketing budgets. However, it was the right decision to get a foot in the door.
After all, there are 45 Chinese companies that exhibited at the Reifen show in Germany last year, 35 of which were tyre manufacturers. A major proportion of these companies will also exhibit in Shanghai. Unfortunately, international tyre manufacturers won’t attend the show like they attend the Reifen show in Germany. In a few years time we will be able to offer a show that reflects the whole value-added chain of the tyre business.

Q: Usually, the success of any exhibition correlates with the quality of the venue. How will this be in November with Reifen China?

Reich: The Reifen China show will take place within the Shanghai New Exhibition Centre (SNIEC), one of the most modern exhibition facilities in China. This June our show “Beijing Essen Welding,“ which commutes annually between Beijing and Shanghai took place in the SNIEC for the first time. We received only positive feedback about the venue. The SNIEC offers a standard comparable to modern European exhibition locations.

Q: How’s the show developing with regards to the reservation of floor space and pre-registrations of visitors?

Reich: I think that we can count on about 50 exhibitors this year. According to Chinese standards this is a good figure for a premiere show. In parallel with the Reifen show there will be the Tyres & Rubber Tech as a concurrent event. Already group visits have been arranged by our goodwill partner from the German tyre trade association BRV and from an Indian partner. Obviously, there will barely be any pre-registrations for Chinese visitors. Unless I miss my guess, there will be about 1,000 up to 1,500 visitors cuing at the registration counters during the first day.

Q: The CURC – for some years the organiser of Tyres & Rubber Tech China – must not have been the only possible partner in China, where there are several well-established tyre shows. Why exactly have you chosen this partner?

Reich: The BRV and Messe Essen GmbH each independently visited several exhibitions in China. During these trips we witnessed different degrees of professionalism. There was even a show which was scheduled to be a three-day show but was called off at the end of day two because there were not enough visitors. As was mentioned above, it was the professionalism with which CURC has staged the Tyres & Rubber Tech that was crucial.

Q: The German tyre trade association BRV is a goodwill sponsor to Reifen China. What is it contributing to the success of your show and are there other such partners in Europe?

Reich: As a goodwill sponsor to the Reifen China the German BRV is helping us develop and implement our “China” exhibition concept, which is directed to meet our high demands in regards to quality. The association consults us regarding industry issues and it helps the Messe Essen GmbH with the acquisition of exhibitors and visitors. The BRV is planning a special seminar in Shanghai during the show. And it is also organising a round trip for its members. There are also other partner associations across Europe that have been invited.

Q: Most market observers think that your premiere show in November will be a success. But what then? How are you going to develop Reifen China in the coming years?

Reich: No matter whether a premiere or anniversary show – every exhibition has to be analysed carefully. Upon this we will be able to make the right adjustments in terms of marketing and PR for upcoming shows. Currently we are vigorously trying to implement Reifen China as a brand and in doing so we are using full-page advertisements and announcements in the media. Our partners from the CURC are constantly talking to manufacturers and dealers about the show. Once the premiere show has been a success we need to build upon that. We need to press ahead with acquiring exhibitors and visitors and covering segments of the tyre market that maybe haven’t been properly covered yet.

Q: Do you think that China is big enough to allow for the success of several tyre exhibitions or will there be a consolidation of this special market over the coming years?

Reich: Even compared to Europe, China is a huge country. Because there is above average economic growth there also inevitably is an uncontrolled growth of different exhibitions that sometimes turn out to have dubious organisers. This can also be a great opportunity for us. But we also have to anticipate that there will be several tyre exhibitions. However, we take up this challenge as a good competitor. It is our goal to sooner or later become market leader and then we will possibly move annually from Shanghai to Beijing and back.

Q: There are still tyre markets where there are no professional tyre shows with an international reputation. Look at India, Brazil or other emerging markets for example. Will the Messe Essen GmbH continue to expand abroad with its Reifen show?

Reich: Actually there have been quite a number of inquiries to establish more tyre shows around the globe on other emerging markets. We will closely analyse these markets and in particular whether or not exhibitors will be able to do good business there. If we think that’s the case the expansion of our Reifen onto other continents won’t be excluded.