Crowds flock to IAA Mobility
Crowds flock to IAA Mobility
An incredible half a million people flocked to the IAA Mobility exhibition in Munich last month, including CHARLEEN CLARKE, who reports that it was a fabulous event.
What a show! This year’s IAA Mobility (which took place from 5 to 10 September) was undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and clever exhibitions that we’ve attended. I can just hear the question in your mind: how can a show be clever? Well, it was the concept of the exhibition that was really smart. It consisted of two events: a trade show-come-conference attended largely by business-to-business visitors, and a public exhibition which, incredibly, was free of charge!
Dubbed the “Open Space”, the public exhibition took place in Munich’s city centre. Most of the roads were closed and members of the public could roam from stand to stand, taking in the incredible exhibits while listening to live music, indulging in some pretty terrific nosh, and enjoying the most perfect weather.
Clearly, this was a desirable combination, as over 500,000 people attended the IAA Mobility 2023, with over 100,000 visiting the Open Space on the Saturday alone. One of the biggest attractions at the fair were the test drives: over 8,500 car test drives were conducted, while visitors also embarked on about 4,000 bicycle and e-bike rides on bike test tracks in the glorious English Garden.
Of course, the media was there too… in droves. Yours truly was one of over 3,700 accredited journalists from 82 countries. While the focus down in the city centre was not only on mobility but also on fun, there was obviously also a very serious side to the fair. The 750 exhibitors dished up over 300 world premieres, for instance.
Furthermore, over 500 top international speakers at the IAA Conference provided exclusive insights into the future of mobility. These included leading CEOs from the mobility and tech sectors, and international personalities like Oscar winner Natalie Portman, Mars mission candidate Alyssa Carson, and Sophia Kianni, founder of a climate protection initiative. Chancellor Olaf Scholz inaugurated the IAA Mobility, while numerous international politicians, ambassadors, and ministers from federal and state governments were among the IAA Mobility guests.
Not surprisingly, the organisers of the event are rather chuffed with its success. “IAA Mobility 2023 was a significant success and a benchmark for the future of mobility. IAA Mobility is a signal for change, showing the automotive industry’s strong will and the capability to be innovative needed to turn this transformation into a shared success story. This is the spirit emanating from Munich to the world,” says Hildegard Müller, president of the VDA, the German Association of the Automotive Industry.
“The enthusiastic visitors highlight the immense interest people have in the future of mobility and reflect the belief that sustainable and digital cars play a pivotal role. The intense dialogue and constructive debates with stakeholders from politics, society, and business in the Open Space and at the IAA Summit are crucial in achieving climate-neutral mobility. The images broadcast from Munich in recent days show our optimistic outlook for the future and the German automotive industry’s mission – to passionately excite people about their concepts and solutions. These also signify our determination to ensure Germany remains a car country, in terms of climate, people, and prosperity. We are in productive discussions with the Messe München GmbH for IAA Mobility 2025,” says Müller. See you there!
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