Peter Gerber, Lufthansa Personnel Director
Nicoley Baublies, Chairman of the UFO Board
Open letter
Dear Mr Gerber and Mr Baublies
7 September 2012
The Automechanika trade fair – with around 4,600 exhibitors, one of the world’s most important events for the automobile sector – will be held in Frankfurt from Tuesday to Sunday next week. Around 150,000 representatives of the industry from over 180 countries and nations came to Frankfurt for the last event.
Underpinning this event is a net turnover of €96 billion for Germany’s parts and accessories manufacturers in 2011. Turnover of another €19 billion was created in the downstream sector, the retail business. To this must be added another €30 billion generated by the German motor-vehicle trade via the service business.
From these figures, you can see the significance of the Automechanika for the global sector in general and the German economy in particular.
Moreover, trade fairs are particularly important in times of economic difficulty because they constitute central platforms for trade. And international fairs, such as those held in Frankfurt and other major German cities, ensure a relevant share of global business travel for our country.
Against this backdrop, we appeal to all of you involved in the current industrial dispute, to bear in mind the significance of big fairs in Germany and your overall economic responsibility and permit our guests from home and abroad to enjoy a successful visit to this biennial trade fair.
Yours sincerely,
Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt
Michael Johannes, Automechanika Brand Manager
Robert Rademacher, President Federation of the German Motor Vehicle Trade
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