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EXHIBITIONS
Futurmotive 2020: Debut of Virtual Trade Show Concept
The Futurmotive Digital Expo and Conference organised by Autopromotec, which took place on Thursday December 10 was an interesting first step into the world of the virtual trade show. Following a year in which all trade shows in the tyre sector ended up being cancelled, Futurmotive gave attendees a view of how trade shows might look in the future, even when physical events become the norm again, and provided plenty of food for thought as to
how exhibitors can optimise their presence at such events and expand their contact base globally.
Futurmotive, organised entirely on a virtual platform and hosted by Barbara Pedrotti, was attended by thousands of visitors who, via live streaming, followed the talks delivered by several company representatives, international experts in the sector, university lecturers and trade associations and visited the virtual booths of the 50
exhibiting companies.
During the conference programme, the speakers debated issues related to smart mobility and the application of
new technologies in the field of components, the digitisation of service and maintenance networks, the eco-sustainability of the sector, the development
of a new global supply chain model and post-pandemic economic scenarios.
Of key interest to the tyre retreading and recycling sectors was a workshop session entitled “Case Histories on Circular Economy in the Tyre and Retreaded Tyre Business.” This workshop was led by Marc Aguettaz, Managing Director GiPA, who was be joined by Stefano Carloni, AIRP President, Enrico Moncada, Sales Director Continental Italia, Marco Prosdocimi, Retail Director for Goodyear, Francesco Capurso, Sales Manager Truck Tyres Europe for Marangoni, and Silvia Vergani, Marketing Manager B2B for Michelin Italia.
Before and after the Circular Economy session, attendees were able visit the virtual stands of the show exhibitors, including Retreading Business and Tyre & Rubber Recycling’s own virtual stand.
"Futurmotive was a gamble, but one that we intend to take again in the future,” said Renzo Servadei, CEO of Autopromotec. Indeed, the exhibition organiser has now announced a hybrid version of the event scheduled for May 2021, which, according to Servadei, will be something between a digital and a physical event. “Today, given the predicaments caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, our sector must exploit all the tools that technology makes available to promote networking and interaction between different sectors in order to spread knowledge, strengthen existing business relationships and