Photo by: Megan van Wyngaardt
The Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS), scheduled to be held at the Nasrec Expo Centre, near Soweto, from October 14 to 27, has been cancelled.
The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa’s (Naamsa’s) chief executives decided to pull the plug on the show, as the costs of automotive exhibitions had risen disproportionately.
“This called into question the return on investment for exhibitors. Internationally, in recent years, concerns about affordability and return on investment for exhibitors have led to the cancellation of automotive exhibitions in a number of countries,” Naamsa said in a statement.
Additional considerations in the decision not to proceed with JIMS included the fact that the event clashed with the Rugby World Cup in the UK and the EcoMobility Festival – a month-long car-free city district event – in Sandton.
“Moreover, the economic and financial climate in South Africa currently has impacted on trading conditions in the automotive sector and has resulted in substantial pressure on margins throughout the automotive value chain,” Naamsa noted.
Naamsa and show management company South African Shows Messe Frankfurt would, by the end of June, make a decision on whether to host a JIMS event in 2016.
South African Shows Messe Frankfurt, in consultation with the industry’s marketing and sales experts, had been tasked to formulate proposals and a strategic action plan to enhance the value proposition for exhibitors and to substantially increase the return on investment for participants.
This was aimed at ensuring a sustainable, financially attractive model for possible future JIMS events.