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Was it worth it?
Page 4
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It will be another 72 hours before we have confirmation of the number of visitors who passed through the turnstiles at the first-ever Car and Commercial Motor Show at NEC. Because there is no previous British show to compare it with, the attendance must be a record.
When the euphoria which followed last weekend's massive crowd dies down, other factors will have-to be analysed. The basic question which will require to be answered is, Was it worth it?
But how can the industry judge if £20m was wisely spent? Will the Show generate that much more business and, if it does, will it be for British vehicles or have we merely provided a shop window for importers?
The car side of the industry can always find justification for a show it seems, but what of the commercial vehicle builders? Will they be happy with business when the doors close? Might they not have done as well or better with their own show? How many genuine inquiries did they have?
Our own sales compared with the last Earl's Court show will tell us how valuable NEC was. The commercial vehicle industry has always been capable of standing on its own. It will be surprising if the NEC results do not confirm this.