As the leading convention centre in Slovenia, GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre events are visited by 400,000 people every year. It is internationally recognized as a contemporary, mid-sized convention centre with a tradition stretching back more than 60 years.
After 16 years in Ljubljana and 10 years in Slovenia the centre was this year proud to announce that the 24th Slovenian Motor Car Show, the biggest car industry fair in Slovenia, was making its way back to the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre.
From 27th March to 2nd April 2017 the event is expected to attract between 80,000 and 100,000 visitors and present the best of the automobile industry over 12,000 m2 across all the halls, as well as three additional assembly halls, of GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre.
Q: What does hosting the 24th Slovenian Motor Car Show mean for GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre?
Car sales in Slovenia have been growing for the last two years, which is great for the Slovenian economy. The number 24 of this show, meaning the continuity of these events, is also significant. In our country, motor car shows are traditional. The GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention centre has been recording such international events from 1957 onwards, so from just a few years after its establishment. As the organisers, we are confident that people want to see new cars and that we have to prepare interesting presentations for them and show them the innovations at the Ljubljana Motor Car Show immediately after the Motor Show in Geneva. Raising the recognition of exhibitors and presenting new models and sales promotion are, of course, some of the key missions of the fair activities. The Motor Car Show Slovenia is no exception. However, we have also fully dedicated our forces into the show content and the implementation of attractive accompanying programme activities.
Q: The Company Celjski sejem was also competing for the organisation of this event – what turned it in your favour?
In the Section for Passenger Motor Vehicles of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce they were unanimous that the motor car show must be held in Ljubljana, at GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, where it is going to be accessible to the largest possible audience. The show will be carried out immediately after the Home Fair, so additional exhibition space will be available in three assembly halls that have been updated for this occasion. Compared to some other locations, such as Geneva, Frankfurt, Belgrade, Zagreb, etc., we can see that this sort of fair event is being held in the major economic centres or capitals, where the flow of people is significantly higher than elsewhere.
Q: What precisely is behind the organisation of Slovenia’s biggest automobile industry event?
First and foremost, to bring almost every major automobile brand to the show and basically to ensure that at the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre a glittering parade of recent trends continues, and that the event will be heralded and repeated again in two years’ time. It is simultaneously necessary to satisfy the modern customer – in the sense of why he or she needs the show and what he or she expects of it. We believe that the purchase of a car still drives the need for a direct, physical and even sensual contact with the product. And yet when buying a car amidst a flood of offers, more and more questions come to surface, such as “how to choose the right one”, “what kind of drive most meets the personal needs of the potential buyer”, “what kind of funding is available”, “what size is car is best”, “which is the appropriate safety equipment” and so on.
Q: Which brands have already confirmed their participation at the Motor Car Show in Ljubljana?
The Motor Car Show will present the brands that are members of the Section for Passenger Motor Vehicles of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and also some other brands.
Visitors will therefore see all the latest innovation from Alfa Romeo, Audi, Citroen DS Automobiles, Dacia, Ford, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Mini, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Smart, Suzuki, Toyota, Volvo and VW (Volkswagen).
Within the other exhibitors’ offer there will also be on display the BMW and Tesla electric car models, as well as the prestigious brand Lamborghini, American Fisker Automotive and number of others. In the motorcycle section Piaggio, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi will be presented.
Q: Last year Zagreb (Zagrebački velesajam) hosted the Auto Salon for the first time since 2008. What can you tell us about the revival of these events in this part of Europe?
Unlike the motor car shows in Zagreb or Belgrade, the Ljubljana motor car show is not a sales type show; its main mission is educational. We orientate towards the customer and their dilemmas. I would also like to mention that on the first day, the Motor Car show will be closed to the public until 3 p.m. and will focus on a business audience and the media, followed by press conferences at the brands’ exhibition spaces. That is to say, there is the chance to be informed first hand, compare the offer and report about the advantages of individual brands. We want to ensure the event is reported on as much as possible and that its educational professional note reaches the greatest number of people. With the exception of the first day, the fair will be open to the public from the 28th to 30th March, from 9AM to 8PM, and from Friday to Sunday (from 31st March to 2nd April it will close an hour later, at 9PM).
Q: What will the 24th Motor Car Show in Ljubljana present to its visitors?
First of all, visitors will get an overview of the latest automotive offers at the exhibitors’ stands. They will also get a guide through the most common issues regarding the purchase and use of cars, which will be offered to visitors in the dedicated Technological Pavilion, which we are preparing together with the Automobility RTV SLO (Slovenian Public Television) media partner.
In the Technological Pavilion visitors, will get an insight into the latest technological development policies in the automotive world, where with the help of independent experts they can become acquainted with modern safety systems, determine which type of fuel best suits their needs, what are traps of different types of financing when buying a car, and what to become most familiar with and attentive about when buying a car, and other such issues.
We are confident that, with this kind of additional offer, visitors and exhibitors alike will be brought together even more closely, as the buyers will be able to know precisely what they are looking for and the vendors who will be offering them the most appropriate features will be able to sell easier later in the process.
