Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) vs Vehicle Festival: Which Should You Exhibit At?

Choosing between Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) and Vehicle Festival is a decision that can define your trade show year. Both events serve the automotive industry, but they attract different audiences, offer different opportunities, and demand different investments. Here is an honest, data-driven comparison.

Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW): The Profile

Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) takes place in Dallas, TX, scheduled for January 18-21, 2027. The event attracts approximately 2,975 attendees and 329 exhibitors.

Booth pricing: $5,000 - $25,000.

Vehicle Festival: The Profile

Vehicle Festival takes place in Montreal, Canada at Palais des congres de Montreal, scheduled for 14 - 18 Sep. 2026. The event attracts approximately 3,000+ attendees and 2,000+ exhibitors.

Booth pricing: $8,000 - $35,000.

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Head-to-Head: What the Numbers Say

The automotive industry is in the middle of its most significant transformation in a century. Electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and connected car technologies dominate the conversation. Exhibitors positioned at this intersection of hardware and software capture the most attention.

When evaluating Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) against Vehicle Festival, the raw numbers only tell part of the story. Attendee quality, geographic reach, and the caliber of speakers and programming all influence the true value of each event.

Cost Comparison

Direct booth costs are just the entry fee. The total cost of exhibiting includes design, shipping, team travel, accommodations, and marketing. Exhibiting in Dallas versus Montreal may involve significantly different travel and lodging expenses, which can swing the total investment by thousands of dollars.

Calculate cost per qualified lead for each event. The show with the lower booth rental is not always the better investment. A more expensive show that delivers higher-quality leads may generate a better return per dollar spent.

"Do not ask which show costs less. Ask which show makes you more."

-- Center for Exhibition Industry Research

The Verdict

Both Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) and Vehicle Festival serve the automotive community, but they serve different segments of it. The right choice depends on three factors: where your target customers are concentrated, what your budget can support, and which event aligns with your strategic priorities for the year.

Vehicle Festival offers the larger audience, which may favor companies focused on brand exposure and volume lead generation. Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) may deliver a more concentrated, specialized audience that yields higher-quality connections.

Companies with sufficient budget should consider exhibiting at both to maximize market coverage. If forced to choose one, start with the event where your existing customers are already present — expanding within a warm network is always more efficient than breaking into a cold one.

Use our ROI Calculator to model both scenarios and browse our complete show directory to explore alternatives.