Officially opened by Andrew Leigh MP and Wayne Bryant, the chair of the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), the 2024 Australia Auto Aftermarket Expo (AAAE) expects more than 11,000 visitors from April 11 to 13.
Co-located with the Collision Repair Expo, the event focuses on the future of the aftermarket, offering technical training, business advice, networking opportunities, and a trade exhibition.
The bi-annual event has returned to Melbourne and comes at a time when the industry finds itself in the middle of a sea change of which the scale and the speed of change are phenomenal, according to AAAA chief executive Stuart Charity.
Charity says the atmosphere on day one of the event was electric, and hundreds of guests were queueing up at the doors before it opened at 10 am on April 11.
More than 400 exhibitors have occupied more than five acres of floor space inside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, including significant trade delegations from China, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Charity says with the automotive industry facing the transition from ICE to Hybrid and Electric Vehicles and with more and more technology, such events must take place regularly.
“This year, the exhibitors have gone to extraordinary lengths to build their stands and showcase their products; the presentation quality is world-class,” Charity says.
“It’s a one-in-two-year opportunity for people to find out what’s happening today and, in the future, and take advantage of the training and networking opportunities.
“Business change is inevitable, and this is the opportunity to come and see the industry suppliers and learn from them. People need to go and see the event, not just to survive but also to thrive,” he says.
