Messe Frankfurt, producer of Automechanika and UBM Advanstar, have ammended plans for the Automechanika Chicago 2017 training event and exposition, to focus on the service repair segment and forego the collision repair segment. The decision was made to address concerns regarding conflicting dates with one of the collision repair industry’s long-time shows, NACE, produced by the Automotive Service Association (ASA).

Recently, UBM and Messe Frankfurt issued a press release announcing that the biennial Automechanika Chicago event will take place July 26 – 28, 2017 at McCormick Place West in Chicago.

“The move to July is the result of our conflict with another major event, Automechanika Dubai,” commented Bridget Ferris, Automechanika Chicago Show Director.  “As there are now 15 Automechanika’s worldwide, we were forced to select an alternate date either due to venue availability or to our global calendars.  We were unaware of the show dates for NACE 2017 and we did not anticipate a direct conflict.”

Organizers have secured Automechanika Chicago show dates in April 2019 at McCormick Place as the Dubai show moves back to June.

“We will likely resume our collision efforts at that time, given that our show will not be in direct date conflict with NACE or any other similar show,” said Ferris.

“We will continue to market our 2017 show to our ABRN audience, for any collision shops that are interested in mechanical products or training, but we will not offer a collision segment training track,” said Jim Savas, VP and GM of the Automotive Group at UBM Advanstar. “With a focus on an all-mechanical show in both our training and exhibition efforts, Automechanika Chicago will continue its commitment to training and anticipate an even greater turnout in the upcoming edition.”

“Last spring 2,000 technicians took part in free training for three days at Automechanika Chicago, as a result of our efforts and the support of companies in both the collision repair and service repair segments,” Savas added.

The 2015 Automechanika Chicago show had 6,000 attendees, including more than 450 exhibitors from 23 countries showcasing the newest tools, equipment and products for the automotive industry.

For more information: www.AutomechanikaChicago.com.