The CV Show is back
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The 2011 CV Show will be well worth visiting for any CV operator, just ask RHA CEO Geoff Dunning
Words: Steve Hobson
AFTER A THREE-YEAR absence, the CV Show will make a welcome return to the NEC in April, with conirmed exhibitors including truck manufacturers DAF, Hino, MAN and Mercedes-Benz and 10 van makers including VW, Ford, Fiat, Nissan and Peugeot. Iveco dealer Guest Trucks will also be there.
While 2011 is expected to see a small uplift in UK truck sales as many operators can no longer put off much-needed leet renewals, Dunning says it will be a mixed picture.
“The big operators are now returning to vehicle replacements. They have extended leases and kept vehicles up to two years more than normal, and now they know these vehicles need to be replaced,” says Dunning. “Moving down the leet sizes, there is a mix of different vehicle acquisition policies, with different ways of funding vehicles. The banks have not shown much interest in funding the industry in the last couple of years, so if we see a return of a willingness by the banks to lend, that will help.”
More money this year
Dunning also expects hauliers to have “more money in their pockets” this year to invest in new vehicles as haulage rates inally start to creep upwards.
“All the messages we are getting from around the country on freight volumes have been positive and people are busy,” he says. “Hopefully we will start to see a general trend upwards in rates. We have seen that already in some individual sectors and although there hasn’t been much sign of that in the general haulage market yet, as the year progresses, it may be people will be more optimistic about the rates they can get.” And while acknowledging that manufacturers’ marketing budgets remain stretched, Dunning believes the CV Show is an ideal place for sellers serious about the UK market to meet buyers.
“The UK is an important market for all the CV manufacturers. Because mon ey is so tight, the vehicle makers are looking at different marketing approaches, but we believe that the show gives them a real marketplace and is the ideal platform to promote their products,” says Dunning. “A large proportion of the people interested in buying vehicles will be there. We see the decision not to exhibit as disappointing and a missed opportunity but that is up to them.”
So far around 300 exhibitors have booked stands, totalling around 20,000m2 that will ill Halls 4 and 5 of the NEC, so the 2011 CV Show will be bigger and feature more vehicles than last year’s CV Operator Show. But Dunning emphasises that visitors should not expect a return to the glory days of 2007 and 2008 when CV Show stands illed 50,000m2.
“The big issue is that everyone remembers 2008, which was an enormous show,” he says. “That was an unprecedented period and we will probably never get back to that. Halls 4 and 5 will be full, so it will be a healthy show and there will be more than enough of every aspect of the industry to make a visit worth the trip.” As well as going to see the latest offerings from the CV manufacturers, Dunning says operators will be able to learn more about a range of topical issues affecting their businesses.
“There are all sorts of issues coming up – such as Euro-6, longer semi-trailers and rising fuel prices – which will make a day spent at the show even more worthwhile,” he says.
So, while the presence of the truck and van manufacturers is undoubtedly important to the CV Show, Dunning says operators will ind lots of interest besides the latest vehicles. “There has always been much more than just new vehicles at the CV Show, and out of 300 exhibitors only ive will be truck manufacturers,” he points out. “From the vehicle engineering view point, the Workshop section has always been a strong element of the show and a lot of people go to talk about equipment, maintenance, etc.”
Finding new technologies
“I know from talking to our members that, yes, they go to see the manufacturers, but they are also interested in everything else that’s going on. Looking back, digital tachographs have been a major talking point and now there are satnavs, routeing and scheduling softwares. So there are always new technologies coming along that people are interested in.” The 2010 CV Operator Show proved that even without the truck makers, it is possible to run a successful event that provides operators with innovative and useful ideas on how to run vehicles more eficiently. So the partners behind the show – the RHA, vehicle manufacturers’ association the SMMT and the Society of Operations Engineers – now have the lexibility to offer the market the right show at the right time.
“Last year we established an alternative show, so we now have two products we can put to the market,” says Dunning. “The 2011 exhibition will be a proper, ‘full-fat’ CV Show and hopefully we won’t need to go down the CV Operator Show route again, but we can’t decide what to do next year until we see what happens this year.
“It is important that the UK has its own show; people have far less time available now, so they don’t want to go to Europe to see the latest developments.” For CV operators of all sizes, Dun
ning’s message is clear: “Whatever you want to know, it will be there. There will be heavy truck manufacturers talking about their products and how they are responding to new legislation; technology to help you operate more eficiently; and training companies, including RHA Training, talking about how to improve driving and other skills. There will be absolutely everything there that anyone could want to get a better business”. ■
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