Geneva Motor Show: What will happen to Hall 7?
LONG OR SHORT? The question seemed to have been answered with the positive feedback on the slimmed-down version of Hall 7 2019. But now the show seems to be opening up the hall to suppliers who want to go long. GIMS-Tech, as the SAA-Expo was previously known as a trade exhibition for the automotive industry in Hall 7 during the Auto Salon, will run from Wednesday, March 4, to [...]
GIMS-Tech, as the SAA Expo was previously known as a trade exhibition for the automotive industry in Hall 7 during the Auto Salon, will run from Wednesday, March 4 to Monday, March 9, 2020.
The industry had previously assumed this. It took notice when the new Salon Director Olivier Rihs announced that exhibitors who want to participate for the entire duration of the Salon (March 4 to 15) should register for GIMS-Tech and indicate their wishes for a long-term presence accordingly.
Option meets the needs
ESA President Markus Hutter told AGVS: "This option meets ESA's needs. ESA will therefore register for the entire duration of GIMS in Hall 7. The industry is speculating on this basis: in 2020, there may be a short and a long trade fair after all - unlike originally planned.
Olivier Rihs neither wants to confirm nor deny this: "We will find the best solution for each exhibitor." Sébastien Moix, Marketing Director of the Swiss Automotive Group (SAG): "We still have time to make a decision based on current developments. We can't say any more at the moment."
Long version still under discussion
And Hostettler as the third-largest exhibitor? Here, too, no decision has yet been made. However, Marcel Stocker, Head of Automotive, assumes that Hostettler will register for GIMS-Tech 2020 - for the short version, as in 2019. In principle, however, Hostettler would opt for the long version if the trade fair continues to offer both versions in the future.
Driving course for electric vehicles
There may be another dimension to this: Exhibitors are wondering how the Salon intends to compensate for the lack of exhibitors from the automotive industry in Hall 7. It has not been ruled out - which Olivier Rihs describes as "pure speculation" at the moment - that the show will open the hall to mobility providers for driving courses for electrically powered vehicles. This would divide the exhibition into four areas: Short Show, Long Show, Suppliers and Mobility Providers. Let's wait and see.
