The Pavilions – a success story

There will be 43 international pavilions covering an exhibition area of 15,000m2 at EQUIP AUTO 2007.* The pavilions will represent 23 countries and 1,100 exhibitors, with debut appearances from Russia, Egypt and potentially Pakistan. Brazil will be expanding its presence by adding a second pavilion. Turkey, which has participated in the show since 1999, will have a slightly smaller pavilion this session – but this is because around ten exhibitors have now grown big enough to exhibit at EQUIP AUTO independently: there couldn’t be better proof of the pavilions’ effectiveness. Some international exhibitors have opted for a middle route by exhibiting as an offshoot of their national pavilion in the hall for their specialist sector. China’s strategy is one of carefully managed growth, with 5 pavilions and rigorous quality selection for the parts on display.

Continuing the anti-counterfeit strategy deployed in 2005, the organisers have ensured that all exhibitors sign an anti-counterfeit charter which includes a formal undertaking from all exhibitors in the pavilions of countries regarded as sensitive that they are exhibiting only products which comply fully with French and European legislation.**

The OEM Meetings: making global connections

The aim of the OEM Meetings (16 and 17 October) is to bring international suppliers into contact with the major buyers relevant to their specialism. The latter – buyers working for the major global automakers and parts suppliers – provide information about their purchasing requirements (e.g. seeking industrial subcontracting in Africa). All their requirements are collated in 8 digests* which can be viewed in full and downloaded from our website: www.equipauto.com. Suppliers who come forward (by registering on the website or with their specialist association) are then selected by the potential contractors. This shortlist provides the basis for the OEM Meetings which take place at the exhibition: 45-minute meetings in a private space (multilingual interpreting provided – all aspects of hosting the meeting are managed by EQUIP AUTO). Twenty-four major contractors have already signed up, including Renault Agriculture, Kubota (worksite machinery) and Fenwick (materials handling). The fact that all three companies will be coming to EQUIP AUTO for the first time is extremely encouraging.

Six guests of honour

A new feature for the 2007 session is the selection of six countries exhibiting at the show to be guests of honour, with the aim of promoting contacts and relationships between suppliers and contractors. Two “guest of honour” talks are scheduled, on Algeria (Tuesday 16 October from 11 am to 1 pm) and Russia (Thursday 18 October from 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm). Turkey, South Africa, Korea and Hungary with be the subject of one-hour “country focus” meetings summarising each country’s economic profile and the prospects for the local automotive market. The full schedules will be announced in early September.

EQUIP AUTO 2007 will be more international than ever – a global platform for dialogue and discoveries focused on building effective B2B contacts for its 1,600 international exhibitors and 45,000 international visitors (out of a total of 2,140 exhibitors and 140,000 visitors).

*NB: the EQUIP AUTO 2007 Exhibition Catalogue will have a section devoted to the international pavilions giving full contact details for all exhibitors.

** Anti-counterfeit measures – the legal context: under the law, a huissier de justice (bailiff) may not intervene on a stand (which is regarded as private property) unless mandated by the local juge d’instruction or magistrate (supplied within 24 hours at the request of a plaintiff or their legal representative). For this purpose EQUIP AUTO can supply all exhibitors with the list of local huissiers de justice in the département of Seine-Saint-Denis, who can attend the exhibition at short notice.

Press contact:

Anne Plantié-Roux

Tel.: + 33 (0)1 49 09 64 78 et aplantie(at)comexpo-paris.com