Not everything that you think up and present to the public has to work the same way. Sometimes you just want to test how something could be received or simply show what would be possible if you wanted to.
Today the first so-called ends IAA Mobility in Munich and quite a few token, it was also the last. We have not yet formed a final opinion, but we noticed various little things that at least do not indicate the growing importance of this fair. This, as the VDA had already pointed out in advance, can no longer be measured (solely) on the tickets sold with a relatively open concept such as in the Bavarian capital. Rather, the online presence of the audience must also be counted. Of course, we will not tell us who counts what. There are special agencies that list exactly why for their clients IAA wasn't that great or - much more likely - why it was.
Hardly any reports online
In the past, among other things, a certain media response was important for the rating “great”, i.e. how much and, above all, how much positive reports were reported. Of course, that has not yet been finalized either, but random checks on our part in the usual quality media and the larger portals did, cautiously, at least not result in any increase in reporting. Strictly speaking, you had to search for a long time on Tuesday to even find IAA topics online. In any case, one was about as far away from the hectic live ticketing on the occasion of earlier car or corporate presentations as Munich was from Friedrichshafen.
Which does not mean anything against the Eurobike trade fair, which took place on Lake Constance for the last time. After all, the cyclists are cleverly taking over not only the former IAA exhibition site in Frankfurt, but have also hijacked the International Motor Show Mobility - strange when you read it out in full - by the way. In any case, there were significantly more bicycle premieres in Munich than new cars or automotive concepts.
Free but limited
The fair also has to work on communication with the public. So we heard more and more that you could at least have distributed free tickets to the oppressed residents of the Open Spaces, after all, they were bothered with setting up and dismantling and the fair itself for a good 14 days. Access to the Open Spaces was free, because of Corona, however, also limited and of course the vaccination or test status was checked. Only that did not seem to have reached those affected.
It was also not well received that press shuttles repeatedly parked on cycle paths despite the fair's extensive sustainability standards. We don't really have to talk seriously about the idiots who abseil themselves off the autobahn and caused a lot of extra traffic jams, at least for a short time. Especially since you don't actually have to worry about artificial traffic jams in and around Munich. The people of Munich and their guests can do this quite well on their own every day.
Optics are enough for a trade fair
Incidentally, the Munich startup Sono Motors had been paying close attention before the IAA. Namely, how to cleverly mix appearance and reality. After all, at least that is what the newcomer has already learned from the big players, not every study at a trade fair has to be able to drive and not everything that is exhibited has to work. After all, you want to present an idea and its future function. So Sono presented a new bidirectional wallbox at the IAA, or at least an idea of the same.
In any case, the accompanying press photo showed an electric Sono Sion next to a wall with a sketch of a wallbox. So in a very resource-saving way, you didn't even bother to tinker a box with no contents, but simply hung a picture. Respect, still so new to the industry and already understood how things are going.
Seen in this way, Messe München and the VDA actually acted very similarly. Because they didn't want to risk a real exhibition because of Corona and the general criticism of the car, they just stopped some kind of idea. An IAA as if painted, so to speak. Is there anything else? Next week again.