Futuroad truck expo at Nasrec is back

After being cancelled in 2021 due to the global pandemic and lockdown restrictions, Futuroad is back this year.

It is the largest truck and bus trade show in Sub-Saharan Africa and will be co-hosted with Automechanika Johannesburg, Africa’s largest trade fair for the automotive aftermarket, at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg from June 7-10.

This will be the third edition of Futuroad, an international business platform for the commercial transport industry. Changes to Covid-19 restrictions mean that the open-air event will be able to attract its usual number of visitors again.

The expo will feature a comprehensive range of trucks, buses and commercial vehicles, with products and deals from over 600 local and international exhibitors. More than 14,000 visitors attended the previous show in 2019.

Visitors will be able to keep up to date with legislation and industry trends that impact their business, and enhance their skills by attending free skills development seminars.

It will be the seventh time that Messe Frankfurt’s international Automechanika brand has hosted a trade fair for the automotive aftermarket in Johannesburg.

WesBank is the headline sponsor for Futuroad 2022, which is a positive endorsement of the event, says Michael Dehn, MD of Messe Frankfurt SA.

“We look forward to welcoming the industry back, and to offering a platform for companies to generate leads, create brand awareness, to network and to learn about the latest technology and trends in the commercial vehicle space and related sectors,” says Dehn.

There will be demo and experiential areas for a first-hand experience of the latest technologies available to the market

Tracy Gounden,portfolio director of Messe Frankfurt SA, says the latest manufacturer to sign up as an exhibitor is FAW, a growing force in the local truck industry, as well as MCV Bus and Coach, and RAW Industries, a designer and manufacturer of integrated buses.

Visitors will be able to put some of these new models to the test on the special evaluation track being built for this expo, she says.

“Futuroad is the business platform for its target market and attracts a visitor audience from across the sub-Saharan region, which makes it an ideal platform for local stakeholders in this industry to grow their business footprint.

“We are promoting Futuroad as an important part of our Messe Frankfurt promotional road shows to potential exhibitors and visitors throughout Southern African as well as being ready to assist in setting up business-to-business opportunities with relevant people during the four-day show,” she added.

“Futuroad is ideally positioned to start the return to normal-type business association conferencing too. The Southern African Bus Operators Association has confirmed that its annual conference, which attracts about 300 delegates, will take place during the expo.”

“We are also expecting several other similar organisations to use Futuroad as the venue for their conferences.

Free visitor passes to the trade fair are available online from www.automechanikasa.co.za