The Motorsport Industry Association is a global trade association for the motorsport, performance engineering, services and tuning sectors. The MIA represents the specialised needs of this highly successful global industry as it undergoes continuing rapid development throughout the world. Although most of the British motorsport industry is based in the so-called Motorsport Valley in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, around the Silverstone Circuit, the organisation is in Warwickshire. Motorsport Valley is a registered trade mark of the Motorsport Industry Association, owned by them on behalf of its members.
Function
It represents the UK motorsport industry at a national level. Around 4,000 companies in the UK are involved in the motorsport industry, with an annual turnover of around £9 billion, with around 70% being exports. It spends 30% of turnover on research and development. There are around 25,000 qualified engineers involved in the UK industry. The MIA was started by Brian Sims, ex-Marketing Director of F1 Benetton and Lola and the current CEO, Chris Aylett took over in 1997. National Motorsport Week – running from the end of June each year – is a special celebration of UK motor sport jointly promoted by the Motorsport Industry Association and the Motor Sports Association and starts with the Goodwood Festival of Speed and finishes with the British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Structure
In April 1994, leading personalities in British motorsport joined forces to form their own trade association - the MIA - with the aim of promoting one of the UK's most successful industries - motorsport. The original concept was proposed by Founder and original CEO, Brian Sims, with the first Executive Committee comprising Rob Baldock ; Dick Scammel ;Tony Schulp ; John Kirkpatrick ; Tony Panaro and Tony Fletcher. The Rt Hon the Lord Astor of Hever, PC, DL accepted the role of Honorary MIA President for a second time when his term as a Defence Minister ended in 2015. The MIA has embraced an ever-expanding international network of business contacts, the result being that today it boasts nearly 400 Global members, whose companies transact more than £9 billion of motorsport business worldwide.
