ADAF - Association des Dépanneurs Automobile de France

What ADAF - Association des Dépanneurs Automobile de France does

ADAF (Association des Dépanneurs Automobiles de France) is a French nonprofit professional association (Association loi 1901) founded in 1990 and registered in Guingamp, France. The organization represents more than one hundred member companies operating in the automotive breakdown and towing sector across the entire French territory. Its principal mission is the collective representation and defense of breakdown professionals' interests before public authorities, insurers, and industry principals, complemented by regulatory guidance, professional training, and visibility work for an occupation the association describes as historically under-recognized.

The association's flagship commercial asset is REMORK'Show (formerly Salon International du Dépannage), an annual international trade show now in its 27th edition, which functions as the sector's leading industry gathering. The 2026 edition in Clermont-Ferrand hosted close to 100 exhibitors across more than 12,000 m² and was the first co-organized with MOBILIANS. Adjacent programming includes the Trophée de l'Innovation (Innovation Trophy awarded in VL, PL, and Accessories categories) and the Challenge du Dépanneur de l'Année, a skills competition launched in 2022. ADAF also publishes the ADAF'Mag magazine and an active blog covering regulatory and technical topics such as EV habilitations and highway law.

ADAF's business model rests on two revenue streams: recurring annual membership dues from breakdown and towing professionals (enrollment via AssocationConnect and Google Forms) and transaction-based exhibitor fees for trade show booth rentals, with exhibitor pricing handled bilaterally through the secretariat. The organization operates with a lean five-person team, uses a WordPress-based web platform alongside third-party tools (Billetweb ticketing, Modulotech/QR-code entry, Google Forms), and is led by President Serge Hiltenfinck, who also serves as Data Protection Officer. No external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

ADAF - Association des Dépanneurs Automobile de France

Legal name

Association loi 1901 ASSOCIATION DES DEPANNEURS AUTOMOBILES DE FRANCE

Website

https://association-adaf.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ADAF is a French nonprofit association founded in 1990 that represents over 100 automotive breakdown and towing professionals nationally, providing advocacy, regulatory guidance, and the annual REMORK'Show trade fair as its flagship industry event.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Guingamp

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership fees paid by breakdown and towing professionals. The association recruits members through its website and events, offering join forms via AssocationConnect and Google Forms.
2. Trade show exhibitor fees: Revenue generated from companies renting exhibition space at the annual REMORK'Show / Salon International du Dépannage. Exhibitors include vehicle manufacturers, equipment suppliers, accessories makers, and breakdown assistance companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ADAF is a French trade association that provides professional representation, advocacy, and support services to automotive breakdown and towing operators across France through annual memberships. Its flagship offering is the REMORK'Show international trade show, complemented by the Trophée de l'Innovation award and the Challenge du Dépanneur de l'Année skills competition, plus the ADAF'Mag member magazine and an industry blog/news section.

Product overview

ADAF (Association des Dépanneurs Automobiles de France) is a professional trade association founded in 1990 representing French automobile breakdown and recovery professionals. The organization's core offering is the REMORK'Show, an annual international trade show that serves as the premier event for the industry, featuring exhibitions, the Trophée de l'Innovation (Innovation Trophy) competition, and the Challenge du Dépanneur de l'Année (Mechanic of the Year challenge). ADAF also provides membership services to over 100 member companies across France, offering representation before public authorities and contractors, publishes the ADAF'Mag magazine, and maintains an active blog covering industry regulations, professional issues, and sector developments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REMORK'Show: Annual international trade show for breakdown and towing professionals organized by ADAF, featuring exhibitions, innovation awards, and professional competitions.

Products and services

• REMORK'Show (Salon International du Dépannage) Annual international trade show organized by ADAF for the breakdown, recovery, and roadside assistance sector, bringing together 70-100+ exhibitors and 2,000+ professional visitors over three days for exhibitions, conferences, networking, and competitions.
• Trophée de l'Innovation (Innovation Trophy) Innovation award competition run alongside REMORK'Show, recognizing exhibitor companies that develop innovative products improving daily operations for breakdown and recovery professionals, with categories for Light Vehicles (VL), Heavy Vehicles (PL), and Accessories.
• Challenge du Dépanneur de l'Année (Mechanic of the Year Challenge) Annual skills competition organized by ADAF at the trade show that recognizes the breakdown mechanic profession through three technical workshops, honoring individual professional expertise.
• ADAF Membership Services Annual membership subscription for French automotive breakdown and towing professionals, providing collective representation before public authorities and principals, regulatory guidance, industry visibility, and access to REMORK'Show networking and resources.
• ADAF'Mag The association's magazine providing news and updates about the breakdown and recovery industry, regulatory changes, and ADAF activities, distributed digitally through the ADAF website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ members across France
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MOBILIANScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026First-time collaboration between ADAF and MOBILIANS to co-organize the 2026 edition of REMORK'Show (April 21-23, 2026 at the Grande Halle d'Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand). This historic partnership aims to unite the breakdown and towing profession around a single, federating event. The two organizations jointly bring together their respective networks of professionals and industry stakeholders.
• AIVAR (Association d'Aide aux Victimes des Accidents de la Route)minorOthers · 1 January 2023AIVAR is a public utility association supporting road accident victims. ADAF donated proceeds from its charity tombola at the 2023 Salon International du Dépannage to AIVAR. The partnership reflects the shared concern for road safety between the breakdown profession and accident victims.
• JIGE InternationalminorOthersJIGE International is a long-standing exhibitor and partner of ADAF's annual trade show. Founded in 1969 and based in Revigny-sur-Ornain (55), JIGE manufactures towing and recovery trailers and equipment. The company has won 5 Trophée de l'Innovation awards at ADAF events (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022).
• DEALSminorOthersDEALS is a partner supplying equipment for the Challenge du Dépanneur de l'année competition at ADAF's annual trade show.
• MADELINminorOthersMADELIN is a partner supplying equipment for the Challenge du Dépanneur de l'année competition at ADAF's annual trade show.
• PROLUXminorOthersPROLUX is a partner supplying equipment for the Challenge du Dépanneur de l'année competition at ADAF's annual trade show.
• France 3minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrance 3 produced a television report on the Challenge du Dépanneur de l'année competition during the 2023 Salon International du Dépannage, providing broadcast media coverage for the event.
• NICOFLIPminorOthersNICOFLIP provided arcade game terminals for visitor entertainment at the 2022 and 2023 Salon International du Dépannage events.
• HYPERCUBEminorOthersHYPERCUBE provided a virtual reality module for visitor experience at the 2022 and 2023 Salon International du Dépannage events.
• PLASS'ARTminorOthersPLASS'ART provided musical entertainment during the evening event (nocturne) at the 2022 Salon International du Dépannage in Nantes.
• LE 137 and B-GOURMETminorOthersFood trucks LE 137 and B-GOURMET provided on-site catering at the 2022 Salon International du Dépannage in Nantes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• EQUIP AUTO: Major international trade show for automotive aftermarket and services held in Paris. Comparable as a broader automotive-services trade event that competes for the same French exhibitor and visitor audience ADAF serves through REMORK'Show.
• FNTR (Fédération Nationale des Transports Routiers): French federation representing road transport operators, with downstream reliance on breakdown/towing services for fleet recovery. Comparable as a French mobility-sector federation engaging overlapping stakeholders and regulatory bodies.
• FIEV (Fédération des Industries des Équipements pour Véhicules): French federation of automotive equipment manufacturers whose members (towing equipment, accessories, light/PL component suppliers) overlap heavily with REMORK'Show exhibitors and exhibitor-fee revenue streams relevant to ADAF.
• FFSA (Fédération Française des Sociétés d'Assurances): French federation of insurance companies, which are major 'donneurs d'ordre' (principals) for breakdown operators. Comparable given ADAF's stated focus on relations with insurers and the central role insurers play in the breakdown/towing value chain.
• Solutrans: Biennial trade show dedicated to road haulage and urban transport solutions, covering commercial vehicles and associated equipment. Adjacent peer given ADAF members operate trucks and PL (heavy vehicles) that overlap with Solutrans' commercial vehicle ecosystem.
• Comexposium: Major French trade show organizer running numerous industry events including automotive-sector exhibitions. Comparable as a professional event operator in the French market whose model of exhibitor-fee monetization parallels ADAF's REMORK'Show economics.

Regional players

• ARC Europe: European motoring assistance and roadside service club network providing breakdown services across multiple European countries. Comparable to ADAF's represented profession as the operator-side counterpart for international breakdown assistance whose network relies on national towing providers.

Direct peers

• Towing and Recovery Association of America (TRAA): Leading U.S. trade association for the towing and recovery industry. Directly comparable to ADAF as a national membership organization that represents towing/breakdown operators, runs industry events, and conducts advocacy on their behalf.
• MOBILIANS: The leading French federation for automotive mobility professions (formerly CNPA), representing automotive services and trades nationally. Directly comparable to ADAF as the recently announced co-organizer of REMORK'Show 2026 and as a parallel trade association serving overlapping French automotive professional constituencies.

Others

• Association d'Aide aux Victimes des Accidents de la Route (AIVAR): French nonprofit association supporting road accident victims, which is a beneficiary of ADAF's charitable tombola proceeds. Comparable as a fellow French loi 1901 association operating in the road-safety ecosystem adjacent to ADAF's membership base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/adaf.fr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adaf-association-des-d%C3%A9panneurs-automobile-de-france

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ADAF - Association des Dépanneurs Automobile de France