The Australian automotive industry enjoyed its biggest show of 2013 with 367 exhibitors at the  Australian Auto Aftermarket and adjacent Collision Repair Expos filling over five acres of exhibition space and attracting almost 8,000 trade and industry visitors to the Sydney Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour between 11 and 13 April.

Organised by a separate industry committee representing the automotive aftermarket sector, the Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo is hosted by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA). AAAA Executive Director Stuart Charity said pivotal points in the successful 2013 Expo program were the:

    - High calibre stand designs, which created a world class look for the show.
    - Number and quality of trade visitors attending - they came to learn and buy.
    - Comprehensive seminar program covering key topics of interest to workshops and resellers, which attracted over 1,200 attendees. 
    - Awards to Industry Banquet featuring Federal Opposition Leader the Hon Tony Abbott MHR as special guest speaker.

"The Awards to Industry Banquet is a biennial event to recognise the achievements of the industry's high performing people and businesses," said Stuart Charity. "Given the upcoming Federal election and the range of issues challenging the automotive aftermarket, it was appropriate to share this special gathering of almost 700 industry leaders with some potential future government policy makers.

"We welcomed three key Federal Opposition MP’s to the Awards Banquet. The Opposition Leader Hon Tony Abbott MHR, Shadow Minister for Innovation Industry and Science the Hon Sophie Mirabella MP and Senator Scott Ryan, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition. They all took the opportunity to talk to individual AAAA members and learn about our industry," said Stuart Charity.

Tony Abbott addresses the AAAA
 
In a spirited address, Tony Abbott acknowledged that the automotive industry is far larger than just the three local car manufacturers and recognised the automotive aftermarket’s critical role in maintaining the national car fleet as well as the contribution it makes to the economy. He also congratulated the commitment and innovation demonstrated by the award winners.

Tony Abbott went on to say that he fully accepts that, at least in the foreseeable future, there will be a role for government in providing specific support for car manufacturing in this country, but that in return for this support, the industry must do what it can to ensure Australian produced cars are being marketed to the world.

Stuart Charity said this recognition of the contribution the automotive aftermarket makes to the Australian economy by the leader of a major political party in Australia is long overdue. "Our 1,700 members turn over $11 billion, employ more than 30,000 people and export $800 million worth of product a year. We also provide competition, convenience and choice to Australian car owners and help keep the cost of car ownership down," he said.

"A key role of the AAAA is to ensure that the appropriate policy settings are in place to enable our industry to continue to grow. In recent months, we have implemented a national series of meetings between our members and their local members of Parliament. The purpose of these meetings is to demonstrate to MPs the size, scope and contribution of the automotive aftermarket in their electorate and to discuss issues of concern.

"In all cases, the MPs left those meetings with a better understanding of the critical role played by the automotive aftermarket in designing, manufacturing and selling new products to keep vehicles safe and roadworthy.

"Visits to the Expo by a number of politicians and government officials from Canberra, New South Wales and Victoria also helped to deliver the message that the Australian automotive aftermarket is innovative, dynamic, exporting and growing," said Stuart Charity. 

Seminar success

While the opportunity to see and experience displays of the latest vehicle service and repair equipment, tools, replacement parts and accessories was the key reason workshop managers and owners flocked to the Expo, the special seminar program also proved popular.

"We were overwhelmed with the response to the 2013 Expo seminar program," said Stuart Charity. "We had to make late arrangements for larger rooms to accommodate the flood of registrations. The committee is delighted that 1225 people attended the 12 seminars presented by Australian and international experts.

"This wonderful exchange of ideas and information adds significant value to the Expo experience for visitors. Attendees benefited from the research and expert advice across a range of topics including online retailing, using technology to compete against OE dealers, accelerated training, an update on the Choice of Repairer campaign and the ever popular topic - common technical faults and fixes," said Stuart Charity.

Commercial contribution

Another success signal from the 2013 Expo was the commercial return on the exhibitors' significant investment in the event. Most exhibitors presented fresh displays this year. "The whole five acres looked incredible and international visitors labelled this Expo world class," said Stuart Charity.

"The trend to open space on the stands made traffic flow smoother and less congested. These great looking new stands paid off for exhibitors. There was a real buzz on the Expo floor as exhibitors booked follow up meetings and signed business on the spot," said Stuart Charity.

"Our objective for the 2013 Expo was to provide our exhibitors with an effective platform to showcase their products and services and to attract people keen to look for products and ideas that will help them improve their businesses.

"The feedback from the show floor is that these objectives were achieved. Indeed, we already have a huge pile of expressions of interest for our next Expo to be held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 16-18 April 2015.

"We thank our hard working industry committees for their insights and guidance - this show really is run by the industry for the industry," said Stuart Charity.