30^th July, 2009

FUTURE OF JOHANNESBURG INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW SECURED

The future of the Johannesburg International Motor Show has been secured with the announcement by the Johannesburg Expo Centre that it has concluded a joint venture agreement with the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) to stage and develop the show going forward.

“We are delighted to have come to an agreement with NAAMSA to ensure the future of South Africa’s international motor show which was last staged in October last year,” commented the chief executive officer of the MTN-sponsored Johannesburg Expo Centre, Craig Newman.

“This venture is an ideal fit with our other automotive show, the Automechanika South Africa trade fair for the automotive aftermarket, which was staged for the first time in March. It proved a major success in terms of the number of exhibitors it attracted and the space they occupied, despite the depressed state of the vehicle market.”

“NAAMSA, as the primary representative body of the South African automotive industry, is pleased that it has finalised this joint venture with the Johannesburg Expo Centre,” commented NAAMSA’s executive director, Nico Vermeulen.

“Johannesburg Expo Centre, as the venue owner, is the right strategic partner for us, it has well established and experienced resources on which to draw when it comes to organising exhibitions and events, NAAMSA is confident that our joint venture with the Johannesburg Expo Centre will ensure a world class automotive lifestyle exhibition” says Nico Vermeulen, Director NAAMSA.

The next Johannesburg International Motor Show will take place during 2011 and not in October 2010 as was the original schedule. The reason for the change was due to the staging of the Soccer World Cup in 2010.

The 2011 Johannesburg International Motor Show will be an important event and opportunity for the South African motor industry to showcase the way it has restructured and become more efficient to address the key challenges in the automotive business environment.

It will be a groundbreaking event showcasing vehicles that will generally be greener and more efficient with several examples expected to use alternative power sources. It will also be a major platform focusing on visitors from South Africa and major automotive trading partners.

Issued jointly by NAAMSA and Johannesburg Expo Centre (Pty) Ltd

Enquiries: JF Loubser, NAAMSA Show Co-Ordinator
Tel: 082 551 9844
e-mail: jasloubser@mweb.co.za
NAAMSA: 012 3232980
e-mail: naamsa@iafrica.com

• The Johannesburg International Motor Show enjoys world accreditation through OICA (Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles) and is one of only two motor show events on the Africa continent to enjoy such accreditation status.
• The MTN-sponsored Johannesburg Expo Centre, located in the Nasrec precinct, south-west of Johannesburg, is currently undergoing extensive upgrading to fit it for its role as the International Broadcast Centre for World Cup 2010.
• The facility offers 42 000m2 of covered exhibition space as well as a further 80 000m2 of outdoor display area. There is secure parking for 20 000 vehicles and the facility boasts one of the most sophisticated security monitoring systems in South Africa.
• The highly rated Johannesburg Expo Centre has garnered a number of accolades in the past, including a Diamond Award from the Professional Management Review magazine.

NAAMSA OFFICES: PRETORIA
30TH JULY, 2009