If auto parts is your business, Panama is the place to be! The fourth edition of the LATIN AUTO PARTS EXPO took place July 19-21, 2017 at the ATLAPA Convention Center in Panama City, Republic of Panama. 357 exhibitors from 18 countries exhibited a wide range of products, including accessories and custom parts, tools and equipment, auto repair and maintenance & auto body and trim. Approximately 3,000 visitors from 60 countries were present. Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica were ranked the top countries of visitors.
The Inaugural Ceremony was celebrated on the first day of the show at Teatro La Huaca in the convention center, welcoming all exhibitors and visitors the beautiful country of Panama. The ceremony consisted of a ribbon cutting, a musical and dance performance by the orchestra Sociedad Anónima, cocktails and a full complimentary hors d'oeuvres. Repeat exhibitors participating for the fourth consecutive year were presented with plaques on stage recognizing their companies’ loyalty to the expo.
The Educational Conferences were held on the second day of the exhibition at the Salon Portobello. The Conferences featured diverse range of speakers from industry leading companies. Topics presented in this year’s Conference line-up included, “Oxygen Sensors Diagnostic and Vehicle Emissions” (Mr. Alejandro Hernandez Marquez, Walker Products), “Heavy Duty & Industrial Specialty Lubricants and Fluids” (Mr. Santiago Estrada, Warco Products, Inc.), “The Benefits & Challenges of Selling Ultra-Premium products in a predominantly Low Cost Market” (Mr. Andy Abascal, Akebono Brake Corporation), to name a few.
This year a New Product Showcase was added to the second floor, which allowed several exhibitors to display their new and innovative products. Exhibitors who participated in this new feature included Mighty Auto Parts, Greentune/ASNU Fuel Injection, TSI Supercool, Akebono Brake Corporation, ROWE Marketing GmbH, Harfon Electric and TVA Automotive.
“Over the course of three days, we met and received bona fide leads from Cost Rica, Panama, Florida, Jamaica, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Chile. We have already initiated discussions with two accounts on becoming a distributor for FTZ in their country. FTZ considered the show to be a great success, and hopefully these leads will generate additional revenue, allowing us to achieve our international goals”, stated Stuart Pinholster, Director of Sales and Marketing for the American company FTZ Industries.
"My meetings during the expo went very well. I am already close to closing the first deals," said exhibitor Santiago Estrada, International Export Manager of Warco Products, Inc.
The LATIN AUTO PARTS EXPO connects leading manufacturers and distributors of the auto parts industry with qualified buyers from Latin America and the Caribbean, creating and growing the distribution of their products in the region. The objective of the trade show is to facilitate long-term commercial relationships between suppliers and buyers.
The next edition of LATIN AUTO PARTS EXPO will be held July 25-27, 2018 at the ATLAPA Convention Center, Panama, Republic of Panama. If you would like to request more information, please call +1 786-293-5186 or email [email protected].
