Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

• Region’s biggest automotive sector(aftermarket and services) awards set to recognise and reward excellence and innovation
• Almost 400 award entries from regional and international companies are now down to 30 finalists

Dubai, UAE: The Automechanika Dubai Awards has returned for its third edition, celebrating and honouring the crème de la crème of the region’s automotive aftermarket and service industry.

Held on the second morning of the three-day Automechanika Dubai, the Middle East and Africa’s largest international trade exhibition for the automotive aftermarket industry, from October 2-4 at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), this year’s awards have attracted a record-breaking 399 entries across ten awards.

Now narrowed down to 30 finalists by an esteemed panel of regional and international senior industry judges, this year’s event also includes several new categories, including a special recognition award to be announced during the award ceremony with the exhibition on the morning of October 3.

As the MENA region’s first-ever platform to recognise the people and organisations creating significant impact within the automotive sector, the 2023 awards celebrate service providers, people, digitalisation, products, and leaders making a difference in the industry.

Mahmut Gazi Bilikozen, Portfolio Director at Automechanika Dubai organisers Messe Frankfurt Middle East, said: “Our awards this year very much reflect the changing nature of the industry – for the first time we are featuring an award for the digitalisation project of the year, as well as the digital product of the year.

“Our new Start-up of the Year category also throws a spotlight on all the innovation we’ve seen in the sector in recent times, and interest has once again grown in our ground-breaking ‘Women in Automotive’ category.”

Finalists for the Women in Automotive Aftermarket category are Mary Munyao, YNA Kenya; Nisreen Akhter, Star Composed Chemicals MFG LLC; and Shubhra Srivastava, GaragePlug Inc.

For the new Digitalization Project of the Year category, the judges narrowed the entries to three finalists: GaragePlug Inc., Autobia and Arabian Automobiles Company. The Start-Up of the Year award puts Autobia, AutoSmart Technology and Ennoventure up against each other.

The companies in the final three for the Digital Product of the Year accolade are AutoSmart Audit by Autosmart Technology, Encrypto by Ennoventure and Frondesk Digital Platform by Frondesk Technology and Solutions.

An international line-up of finalists representing Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the UAE, and Australia will compete in the Product of the Year category. Brembo Beyond Geenance Kit, Encrypto by Ennoventure; GS27’s eco-certified care line ‘PURE’; the GuniWheel by Martech Corporation, SSL HD lighting by Hella, and UniClutch by Clutch Industries.

Elsewhere, Al Shirawi Enterpises LLC, Munich Motor Works and Arabian Automobiles Company – Aweer, Royal Swiss Auto, Eurodiesel Services, and Orient Motors LLC have been shortlisted across the Bodyshop of the Year, Workshop of the Year – Passenger Cars, and Service Provider of the Year – Commercial Vehicles categories.

Rounding out the awards, Performansion and D Luxe Car Care have been shortlisted in the widely anticipated Customization Specialist of the Year category.

The Automechanika Dubai Awards 2023 are sponsored by Bridgestone Middle East and Africa. Jacques Fourie, Vice President and Managing Director, said: “Bridgestone is deeply honoured to partner with the Automechanika Dubai Awards 2023. In collaboration with the esteemed Automechanika Dubai platform, our goal is to foster diverse opportunities for individuals and organisations to thrive.

“These awards serve as a testament to the hard work, dedication, and ingenuity of all participants. We recognise that success in this industry is not attained in isolation; it arises from collaboration, the pursuit of excellence, and the unwavering quest for improvement.

“As Bridgestone, we eagerly anticipate continuing our journey of innovation and excellence, hand in hand with the dynamic automotive community. Together, we will address challenges and seize opportunities in a rapidly evolving landscape. We remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing the automotive industry to new horizons.”

Highlighting a recent report from market research analysts, Technaviosuggests the region’s automotive market will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.74% between 2021 and 2026. “There is much to celebrate in our industry as the sector continues to go from strength to strength,” added Bilikozen.

The landmark 20^th edition of Automechanika Dubai is set to attract over 1,912 exhibitors from 61 nations, showcasing a diverse range of innovative products, services and technologies to a global audience of thousands.

This year’s judges’ panel comprises:

• Graham Threlfall, Global Key Account Manager – Vehicle Refinishes, AkzoNobel
• Abdulla Rashed Obaid AlDahail Almheiri, Strategies and Organizational Excellence Office Manager, Dubai Government Workshop
• Nasir Saif Sultan AlSeeri, Head of VIP Vehicles Maintenance Section, Dubai Government Workshop
• Dr. Nima Mehrdadi, Vice President Aftermarket Middle East, Africa, CA & India, Managing Director, Hella Middle East
• Alan Whaley, Founder and Chairman, AMENA Professional
• Vishal Pandey, Partner, Automotive & Mobility Practice, Glasgow Research & Consulting
• Michel Malik, CEO, BodyShop News International
• Zuhri Yusof, Automotive Industry Expert
• Tufan Baysal, Director, Middle East/Africa/Eurasia Aftermarket EMEA, Niterra

The latest Automechanika Dubai news stories are available on our ‘Press Releases’ page.

To register for Automechanika Dubai 2023, please visit our ‘Visitor Registration’ page.

Media Registration

To reserve your media badge, or to learn more about Automechanika Dubai 2023’s accredited media eligibility criteria, please visit our ‘Information for Journalists’ page.

About Automechanika Dubai

Automechanika Dubai is the largest international automotive aftermarket trade show in the Middle East, taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre between 2-4 October 2023. Automechanika Dubai acts as the central trading link for markets that are difficult to reach connecting the wider Middle East, Africa, Asia, and key CIS countries.

For more information, please visit our website.

About Messe Frankfurt

The Messe Frankfurt Group is one of the world’s leading trade fair, congress and event organisers with their own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of some 2,160 people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. Group sales in financial year 2022 were around €454 million. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of Messe Frankfurt’s key strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. Sustainability is a central pillar of our corporate strategy. Here, we strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity.

For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com/sustainability

With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).

Further information: www.messefrankfurt.com

About Messe Frankfurt Middle East

Messe Frankfurt Middle East’s portfolio of exhibitions includes: Automechanika Dubai, Automechanika Riyadh, Beautyworld Middle East, Beautyworld Saudi Arabia, Intersec, Intersec Saudi Arabia, Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East, Light + Intelligent Building Middle East and Paperworld Middle East. In the 2022/23 event season, Messe Frankfurt Middle East exhibitions combined featured 3,939 exhibitors from 66 countries and attracted 151,990 visitors from 116 countries.

For more information, please visit our website.