Final Report

The international trade fair event for car tuning, lifestyle and the club-scene put the pedal to the metal for three days at Lake Constance

Chrome-plated and refined: Tuning World Bodensee celebrates the love of cars

May 05, 2019 | Friedrichshafen – The right car style and the right drive were what mattered most at the 17th Tuning World Bodensee. 82,300 car fans (2018: 98,700) were drawn to the fairgrounds in Friedrichshafen. With three new areas, a new date and a new schedule, the international trade fair event really put the pedal to the metal once again. “The optimizations and changes to the trade fair concept were well received and reflect current trends in the scene. This attracts a young and trend-conscious audience from the large area around the border triangle and continues to make Tuning World Bodensee the largest pure tuning event in Europe,” explains Messe Friedrichshafen CEO Klaus Wellmann. 1,300 cars – more than ever before – and 197 exhibitors showed all the popular and trendy innovations in the field of care refinement. The Style Mile, where the tuning trends were shown, the Polo Dome and the eSports Circuit celebrated their premiere. Also extremely popular were the drift shows, the European Tuning Showdown (ETS) and the crowning of Miss Tuning 2019.

Carbon, gold leaf, airbrushing or LEDs – everything that makes cars more beautiful and special was shown for three days. “Tuning World Bodensee celebrates cars in all their facets and all the tuning artists who meet here, exchange ideas and get inspired. We are satisfied with the number of visitors because we were able to break through the 80,000 mark on three days despite the absence of an additional holiday,” Show Director Dirk Kreidenweiß summarizes. 1,300 cars, 156 club stands, 156 participants in the Style Mile, 120 polos, 48 ETS participants and 12 candidates for Miss Tuning – the 17th edition of Tuning World Bodensee was impressive not only because of these figures. “The fair went very, very well and the number of visitors felt even better than last year. Tuning World Bodensee is an absolute must-attend event. In my opinion, three days is also more than enough. I thought the Style Mile was very cool. This fair is an event not to be missed," sums up Franz Simon, Managing Director of Simon Motorsport GmbH. Harald Schmidtke, CEO, Verband der Automobil Tuner (Association of Automobile Tuners, VDAT), adds: “Scheduling Tuning World Bodensee for the first weekend in May naturally meant a change. Still, the decision was necessary in order to sustainably solve the scheduling conflicts that often came up for in the past with other events relevant for the exhibitors. Even if the shorter schedule impacts the number of visitors, Tuning World Bodensee will continue to be successful and will be marked for the future in the calendars of the tuning fan community. This was also demonstrated by the first fair following its redesign.”

The organizers of the new eSports Circuit powered by RaceRoom also had a positive reaction: “The great atmosphere and fantastic sports we experienced here at Lake Constance was pure madness. Bringing the topic of eSport to Tuning World Bodensee was the right decision. We were very popular with the visitors,” reports Holger Stangl, project manager of RaceRoom.

When tuned classic cars go up against the sheer power of wide-body cars, and lowered American cars compete against totally refined pickup trucks, it's time again for the European Tuning Showdown. At Europe's most renowned competition in show and shine, 48 first-class conversions faced off. Current trends were shown by the new Style Mile, where the right wheel-tire combination could be found together for maximum lowering. “In addition to the ETS, with the new Style Mile the fair offers even more space for exclusive show cars. In combining forces with the European Tuning Showdown, the fair has once again cranked it up," explains ETS and Style Mile organizer Sven Schulz.

As is tradition, the 156 Tuning Clubs took special care in presenting their stands: From a wild west saloon to a jungle feeling or disco ambiance – they spared no cost or effort for the right car presentation. “The solid demand for the stands in the club halls is just great. Several club cars were also shown in the Polo Dome and at the Style Mile. These new areas were generally very well received,” reports club scene supervisor Alexander Métayer. The new Polo Dome in Hall A7 celebrated the Polo in all its facets.

Automotive beauty and all kinds of accessories will be presented at the next Tuning World Bodensee from April 30 to May 3, 2020, at the fairgrounds in Friedrichshafen. “Our concept for the new event was proved popular and was confirmed by everyone involved. Now, we are actively exchanging ideas with the industry and scene in order to decide as quickly as possible whether the 2020 event should also go back to four days,” explains Show Director Dirk Kreidenweiß.

More information is available at www.tuningworldbodensee.de, www.facebook.com/tuningworldbodensee and www.instagram.com/tuningworld_bodensee. #tuningworldbodensee, #MISSTUNING