More than 18,000 people from 127 countries attended Reifen 2010, which was held last week in Essen, Germany. Six hundred companies from 42 countries exhibited at the event.
"Reifen was not only an ordering platform but also a worldwide contact exchange, which permitted a large number of international contacts and discussions in a time-efficient way," says Frank Thorwirth, chairman and CEO of Messe Essen GmbH, the show's organizer.
"In each case, more than 60% of the exhibitors and visitors came from abroad. Our international presence and worldwide marketing of the fair have led to even greater international attention, which has been reflected in the even greater internationality on the exhibitor side, as well on the visitor side."
The United States-based Tire Industry Association (TIA) was one of Reifen's many international exhibitors. "We had a great response and a lot of intenstive discussions from the first day of the fair," says Roy Littlefield, TIA's executive vice president.
Refien "has become exceptionally valuable for TIA. It offers us a good opportunity for networking and for face-to-face conversations with our international members. The number of our contacts increases whenever we participate in Reifen."
A number of important industry issues were discussed at Reifen, including new European Union tire label requirements. Starting in November 2012, tires must be marked with data indicating their rolling resistance levels, wet surface grip capabilities and road noise volumes. Numerous tire manufacturers exhibited low rolling resistance tires at the show.
The next edition of Reifen will be held June 5-8, 2012, at Messe Essen. Many of this year's exhibitors have already committed to appearing at the event.
