Automässan a great success: “All-time high”

Automässan 2023 in Gothenburg attracted no less than 19,301 visitors. This represents a significant increase and is a sign that the industry is of greater interest than ever, something that was also reflected in the business dealings that took place during the event. “We received live leads with a total value of SEK 60 million”, says Mikael Lund of HBC System, one of the event’s many satisfied exhibitors.

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Automässan 2023, which took place 18–21 January, reaffirmed its status as the Nordic region’s largest meeting place for the automotive service and aftermarket industry. The previous edition in 2020 attracted 17,480 visitors, while this year’s figure was 19,301 – an increase of more than ten percent.

“This year’s visitor statistics are extremely pleasing and represent an all-time high! The industry is currently undergoing a major transition towards increased electrification and digitalisation, which is something we succeeded in highlighting. There was a great atmosphere at the event, with a lot of intensive networking. We have received a lot of very positive feedback from exhibitors – so it feels like we can truly describe this year’s event as a great success”, says Anna Lena Friberg, Business Manager for Automässan.

Engaged exhibitors

Automässan 2023 attracted visitors from 36 different countries, and 244 exhibitors from 13 countries participated at this year’s event.

“There was an incredible level of engagement from this year’s exhibitors, and they really made the most of the exhibition as a meeting platform. They arranged a lot of activities and events for their important target groups”, Anna Lena Friberg says.

Preparing the next generation

A much appreciated feature of this year’s event was the student programme. Almost 1,200 upper secondary school students from the automotive technology programme came to Automässan to attend an introductory programme arranged by the Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprises, and to visit exhibitors and thus find out more about potential future employers.

“The programme functions as a sort of long-term recruitment process and is much appreciated. There is an acute shortage of automotive technicians at the moment, and the current electrification trend imposes demands on mechanics to learn new skills and knowledge. The shortage of individuals with the right qualifications was also highlighted in the conference programme. This is an extremely important issue, and we are pleased to be able to contribute to the discussion and highlight the issue at an event that brings the whole industry together”, Anna Lena Friberg explains.

Focus is now turning to the next edition of Automässan, which will take place 14–17 January 2026.

“We received an unusually large amount of early bookings during this year’s event. Three years may seem like a long time but they will pass quickly, so I would encourage all companies interested in obtaining a good placement at Automässan 2026 not to wait too long before submitting their booking”, Anna Lena Friberg concludes.

What exhibitors have said about Automässan 2023

Mikael Lund, CEO, HBC System
“Our stand was packed from day one, and there were queues of people waiting for the chance to talk with us. Our new painting robot, for renovation of wheel rims in combination with a wheel lathe, attracted the greatest interest. An investment package of SEK 1.3 million that has caught the attention of a large number of dealers, disassemblers and tyre shops, among others. We have received leads that we definitely deem to be serious in nature, with a total value of SEK 60 million. An incredibly good outcome! Naturally we will once again be exhibiting at the next edition of Automässan in 2026.”

Johnny Karlsson, CEO, Dataliner
“We beat our previous record at this year’s Automässan. We cater for automotive repair shops with a range of equipment for aligning and welding vehicles, and our customers gather here. In years when Automässan takes place we notice an upswing in sales of between SEK 1.5–2 million. And this year’s figures are looking even better: we had sales of SEK 1.2 million on the first day of the exhibition alone. I’m delighted with the outcome!”

Claes Törnqvist, CEO, Continova
“It’s incredible how many visitors we had to our stand – it was non-stop the whole time! As one of the industry’s leading operators, we offer a wide range of equipment and consumables for the entire automotive industry and can deliver a complete workshop if required. We made a large number of sales on site at the exhibition, and we also received an unusually large amount of leads that we will now be following up. This year’s event was great!”

What visitors have said about Automässan 2023

Per Olsson, IT Manager, Car Tech Ystad
“There was a really great atmosphere and a fantastic range of activities, both at the exhibition and the conference. This is the perfect place for me to meet our software providers, for example, and being able to get together face-to-face is completely different to simply talking on the phone.”

Angela Staaf, Salesperson, AD Bildelar
“I’ve attended Automässan many times, and this year’s event was definitely one of the best. It’s the perfect place to make new contacts and look for new suppliers, to ensure that our field operations are optimised. We’ll be making quite a lot of purchases this year.”

Would you like to know more?

Anna Lena Friberg, Business Manager for Automässan
Phone: +46 (0)31 708 80 68
Email: anna-lena.friberg@svenskamassan.se