By Paul Marinelli
The 30th Anniversary of Italy’s largest automotive aftermarket trade fair, Autopromotec, can best be described as an incredible success in showcasing Italian automotive equipment and accessory manufacturing and design expertise to the world.
After 60 years of growth for this primarily Italian manufacturer focussed, biennial trade fair, it is more than fair to say that as of May 21 to 24 this year, this show has now become one of the global leaders of our industry.
Rather than showcasing the brilliance of Italian design and engineering to a primarily Italian or European marketplace, this year’s Autopromotec trade fair saw more of the world take notice, with visitor attendances, global buyer and exhibitor participation and worldwide trade media taking part at record levels.
This four-day trade fair included a bumper schedule of industry leading seminars and training events, which saw several senior European and international automotive aftermarket industry identities take part.
The statistics following this year’s Autopromotec trade fair are very impressive. This 30th Anniversary event became the biggest and best in the six-decade history of this highly respected Italian trade show.
A total of 97,348 registered attendees took part, all making the trip to Bologna from 131 countries. 17 per cent of these visitors were buyers and senior business owners from foreign countries, clearly outlining the growing international appeal of this trade fair. This was coupled with the major appeal of the many Italian companies whose automotive workshop equipment and aftermarket components continue to lead the world in quality.
The cumulative Autopromotec attendance figures averaged out at almost 25,000 per day over the four days of this well-structured industry event, setting new attendance and exhibitor records. A total of 1,692 companies participated in Autopromotec 2025 from 46 countries, including a total of 61 local (Italian) and global automotive aftermarket brands.
A number of highly informative seminars, panel discussions and training sessions took place throughout this busy trade fair. These seminars saw some of Europe and the world’s leading industry representatives tackle the most serious issues currently facing the global automotive aftermarket industry. These included the latest vehicle sales trends, access to data and cybersecurity threats, mobility trends into the future, the impacts of science and fast developing technologies like Artificial Intelligence along with the effects of global economics to our industry. Topics of making the industry more attractive and welcoming to women and young people to address skills shortfalls were also covered in detail.
Europe’s GiPA Automotive Aftermarket Intelligence Group presented their annual Excellence Awards at Autopromotec this year, while the impressive steps forward made in auto parts remanufacturing throughout Europe and Italy was also showcased through detailed presentations. There is no doubt that Europe is leading the world through its best practice circular economy remanufacturing industries and processes.
Many hundreds of pre-organised company business owner and parts buyer matching meetings took place within the centrally located special international delegates meeting area of the trade fair. These meetings ensured the generation of new contacts and potential European or foreign business opportunities for those taking part.
Another string to the bow for the organisers of this year’s Autopromotec trade fair was their attainment of ISO 20121 certification, attesting to the sustainable environmental management of the event, including all of the event’s vast logistical processes.
Autopromotec, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, along with the Italian Trade Agency, ensured that this year’s trade fair became a truly global industry event. This was achieved through their detailed efforts to promote and encourage businesspeople and media representatives from all over the world to attend this special 30th Anniversary trade fair.
As always, Autopromotec serves as the strongest global promoter of the total automotive product quality that comes from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, the country’s “Motor Valley” that designs, manufactures and delivers several of the world’s most desired automotive vehicles, along with premium quality parts, performance components, accessories and wheel service / workshop equipment.
Save the dates of May 26 to 29, 2027 to take part in the next Autopromotec trade fair at the Bologna Fiera. Find out more at www.autopromotec.com.
