Frankfurt will not host the next International Motor Show (IAA) in 2021, with the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) reporting the city is no longer on the organiser's shortlist for host city.
VDA’s contract with Frankfurt Messe expired at the end of 2019 and now other German cities have thrown their hats in the ring. Berlin, Hamburg and Munich are under active consideration
The VDA is expected to make its final choice in the coming weeks for IAA 2021 host city.
The organiser said the decision to drop Frankfurt “was not an easy one” given that it has been host of the IAA for almost 70 years.
The VDA added that a new format biennial motor show could go beyond the format of a traditional tradeshow.
“Today we are limiting ourselves to the tradeshow grounds, but tomorrow we want to take new mobility to the citizens on a wider scale,” it said in a previous statement.
With auto shows are facing a crisis of identity and declining attendances, carmakers are increasingly questioning the value of traditional elaborate stand displays, and the investment required at the shows. Some carmakers are even feeling more at home at technology tradeshows like CES, given the changing nature of the car itself.
Last year’s IAA show attracted 550,000 visitors, significantly down on the 810,000 attendance for the 2017 edition.
Currently the IAA complements the Paris Motor Show on an alternate year-to-year basis.
