Germany’s international auto show “IAA”, which has been firmly linked with Frankfurt for nearly 70 years, will in future be hosted by Munich. This was decided on 3 March 2020 by German automotive industry association VDA (Berlin; www.vda.de). The details for the event will be negotiated over the next few weeks. Bavaria’s capital won the competition against the other two competitors on the shortlist, namely Berlin and Hamburg – see Plasteurope.com of 03.02.2020. The “IAA Commercial Vehicles” show, which is held every two years, will remain in Hannover / Germany running from 24-30 September 2020.

Munich says it is already planning for the next two events in 2021 and 2023, both for the beginning of September. However, it seems that the VDA is not so keen to commit itself and wants to talk only about 2021 for the moment, with the exact date not yet decided either. Whether or not there will then be a longer-term contract for the IAA beyond next year is the subject of the upcoming negotiations. Chairman and CEO of Munich trade fair company Messe München, Klaus Dittrich, was at any rate delighted with the news.

Munich would be unlikely to want to shoulder the necessary investment just for one show. The VDA’s new concept also calls for a certain amount of urban development, which implies several conditions for Messe München. The development of the IAA from a purely automotive show to a mobility platform would, at the same time, provide an initial spark for the city staging the show to position itself long-term with intelligent traffic concepts and innovative integration of modes of transport. For Munich, this is likely to mean a considerable investment.

According to VDA president Hildegard Müller, Munich provided a convincing argument with its approach to erect platforms and stages in the city centre and on city squares for the auto show, as had been asked for by the VDA. A traffic route with priority lanes for environmentally friendly vehicles will then connect these areas with the exhibition site.

Another argument in favour of Munich was likely the fact that it is one of Germany’s five major railway hubs and also number two behind Frankfurt in terms of airports. The city is regarded – somewhat more than Berlin and Hamburg – as a centre for technology companies and the automotive industry. An additional factor was probably its “Smart City” project that has been running since 2016 and with which new technologies and sustainable solutions are being tested for urban development, transport and climate protection. Alongside Lyons / France and Vienna / Austria, Munich is one of the pioneers in this respect. Some EUR 24.7m has been invested among other things in car-sharing, e-bikes for cargo and charging stations.