Aurélie Jouve, EQUIP AUTO Exhibition Director
EQUIP AUTO Paris enjoyed an exceptional edition to mark its 50th anniversary – how does the trade fair position itself within the international economic landscape?
Right from the start, our ambition was to make a lasting impression with this anniversary edition. From a strategic perspective, we wanted to celebrate both the automotive aftermarket sector and the anniversary of an event that has managed to endure, bounce back and weather crises, whilst demonstrating that the show can evolve, adapt and look to the future for the next 50 years.
For EQUIP AUTO Paris 2025, which took place from 14 to 18 October, we had set ourselves a major goal, which we achieved: for the first time, the show occupied five pavilions at the Porte de Versailles, covering 100,000 sq.m. of exhibition space – almost half of the venue’s total area. This growth can be attributed in particular to the expansion of the exhibition’s scope into new sectors such as new energy sources, connectivity and new powertrains, which are transforming the entire industry and are featured at the show. We were keen to show our visitors how these new technologies – both current and future – will transform their industry. To highlight these topics, we developed, in particular, a Tech Village and a Tech Academy, with a focus on content.
We have invested heavily in the show’s 50th anniversary, ensuring we had the resources to position EQUIP AUTO as a truly international event. This was reflected in the figures, as we welcomed 55 per cent international exhibitors, with 35 countries represented, and 48 per cent new companies, which clearly demonstrates the show’s appeal. In terms of visitors, we attracted 91,500 trade professionals, 18 per cent of whom were international, with 118 countries represented and numerous diplomatic delegations. At the last edition in 2022, international participation was still very low, as we were only just emerging from the Covid period, and Asia in particular was absent.
Furthermore, EQUIP AUTO has the capacity to attract a huge number of French distributors and repairers, so we are, of course, continuing to work on a comprehensive communications and partnership strategy that enables us to achieve this high level of market penetration in France. However, we are committed to being an event with an international scope that also attracts international buyers, so the trade fair really does have a dual positioning.
Promosalons has supported you in both sourcing exhibitors and promoting the event to an international audience – what have been the benefits of this collaboration?
This is the first time we have invested so heavily, with around twenty agents – including 18 Promosalons delegations – who have worked alongside us to promote the trade fair and recruit international exhibitors. We have tripled the number of agents between 2019 and 2025! This has enabled us to look beyond the usual exhibiting countries and to bring back countries such as India, the Czech Republic and Portugal, for example. Overall, the Promosalons network exceeded the ambitious targets set by the trade fair, achieving excellent results in China, Spain, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Promotion aimed at visitors also yielded good results, with an increase in visitor numbers across all countries in the Promosalons network – a sign of renewed interest in the trade fair.
For us, the Promosalons delegations are truly part of the team. We hold regular meetings to ensure we maintain close contact. We have also travelled extensively with Philippe Baudin, the exhibition’s Chairman, to promote the event through press conferences and meetings with major clients and key partners identified in each country. It’s an investment in both time and money, but we feel it’s important to demonstrate the event’s commitment to attracting these countries: we’ve visited all the Maghreb countries (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco), as well as Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey. In China, thanks to Promosalons China, we met with the organisers of the Chinese pavilions, with whom we have decided to work. All of this demonstrates our commitment to raising awareness of what EQUIP AUTO is all about and to showing the interest we have in the various markets we wish to attract to the show.
With Promosalons, we are fortunate to have teams who have been familiar with EQUIP AUTO for a long time, which enables us to continue building on this positive momentum together. We have reinvested in several countries in 2025 to boost the trade fair’s visibility, and we hope to do even better in 2027 and in subsequent editions.
What are the plans for the EQUIP AUTO 2026/2027 brand in France and internationally?
Our ambition is to continue strengthening the international dimension of EQUIP AUTO Paris, which will now return to its biennial schedule. We are keeping this flagship event in Paris and will continue to enhance its offering and overall appeal. And indeed, for some years now we have been keen to export the EQUIP AUTO model, as we have already done with EQUIP AUTO Algeria – also run in partnership with Promosalons Algeria – which takes place annually and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in March 2026. We plan to establish a presence in areas where there is business potential and scope for EQUIP AUTO, because even though there is competition, we have a model and a formula that work, and a brand that enjoys strong recognition. We focus on cultivating what sets us apart, and so far it’s working well!