DEAR
Page 32
Page 33
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
SIR
NEC IS OK Ei I write in reference to the letter from Mr Charlesworth of Neville Charrold Limited.
Whilst agreeing with the earlier part of his letter, I find it very sad to see that the remainder of the letter is yet another attempt at 'knocking' the Motor Show on grounds of 'cost and lack of support'. Our experience of all the shows at the NEC has been that the cost of exhibiting need not be high, and by good housekeeping and care with design, costs can be kept at very acceptable levels.
For example our stand this year which has the equivalent of five vehicles was achieved with a cost of approximately £12,000 — this figure includes hotel bills, meals, graphics, stand space and all other related costs. Our ground loader exhibition unit has now completed three shows at the NEC as well as shows for IRTE and Holland, the cost of some £10,000 having easily been recovered many times over.
Uninformed comment can be very damaging to a Motor Show, and can sometimes turn people away from exhibiting by exaggerating the cost element. There are problems with the NEC, particularly cluing the second week but the three trade days were the best we have ever had—both in number and quality of enquiries. If we could have finished with the coach boys on the Sunday night then everything would be perfect. Stands designed for trade only would be cheaper, and hopefully more body builders would then attend.
Shows such as Tipcon are very good, particularly if you specialise in tipping equipment, but the Motor Show is still a prestigous event, and in our experience still worth par ticipating in.
David Browning Sales Director Ray Smith Demountables Limited Peterborough BRUM BRUM, BARCELONA
IN This year's Motor Show coincided with the results of who will be lucky enough to host the next Olympics and so one's attention was drawn to what the city of Birmingham may be able to offer to both participants and visitors to the world's largest and most complex sporting event. I have now sampled at first hand the sort of organisation, or lack of it, that visitors to the Olympics may have had to experience. Sad to say I am not surprised that Birmingham failed in its gallant attempt. It is my view that the city has been badly let down by people working in their areas of officialdom. I do not wish to ramble on about the various problems one encounters when trying to enter and exit the NEC complex but I must mention one area that seems to be utterly chaotic and that is the external parking, security section. Armed with a very large orange disc stating quite clearly the car park that I had paid to park in for the duration of the Motor Show, I found that every peaked capped official I came to stopped me even though displaying the disc on the windscreen and questioned, or should I say interrogated, as to where I was going.
On one of the later days during the show we had cause to deliver some heavy boxes to the show and so to avoid walking miles we went straight to the goods system and acquired a large green square of paper which gained us access into the complex and closer to the halls. Despite this we were stopped 18 times, something of a record, and asked where we hoped to go. We knew where we were going, the people at the goods system knew where we were going and had approved this but the communications from officer to officer was to say the least, very poor.
The final straw was when we arranged with the security at the NEC one evening to allow some members of our staff in before the show opened the following day, an order which clearly did not get through to the people on the door on the day and we spent half an hour debating the fact, by which time the show was officially open.
1 feel that perhaps some of the security/car park officials should reflect on the fact that if it were not for the support of exhibitors and their various aides the NEC would not exist
and therefore they would be unemployed.
In conclusion I am rather glad that Birmingham failed to get the Olympics if the NEC is an example of their ability to organise and deploy large numbers of people since I think it would be a grave embarrassment to the country. Angry Exhibitor
Kent (address supplied) REMAKES • We read with interest your article which appeared in the September 20, 1986 issue of Commercial Motor.
Whilst we would agree with some of the content, we do think that there are some remanufacturers who do supply a first class service to their customers.
We are Fleet Parts Ltd, based in Warrington, and have been in business for eleven years, primarily re-manufactur ing air braking equipment for commercial vehicles and also supplying new air brake equipment. The majority of the senior management has been in the motor trade since commencing employment and has previously been employed by distributors of the air brake manufacturers for a number of years.
The decision to start a remanufacturing company was taken because of the poor supply situation from the air brake manufacturers and the very high prices charged at that time for their equipment. Both the major air brake manufacturers in the UK supply repair kits to recondition their equipment and are quite prepared to allow inexperienced people without the proper equipment to repair faulty parts. As soon as they become aware that a company is in existence with the facilities to remanufacture and test the equipment, they object strongly and restrict the supply of spare parts to remanufacturing companies.
We are aware as in any trade, that there are companies supplying re-manufactured equipment which leaves a lot to be desired and to this end we have attended meetings with both Clayton Dewandre Ltd and Bendix Ltd, in conjunction with the Motor Factors Association to try to establish a code of practice for re-manufacturing air brake equipment. We have had two meetings to date, one in July 1985 and a further meeting in January 1986. We have had no contact since May 1986 from either of the manufacturers and do not anticipate any further meetings in the near future.
C R Rothwell Managing Director Fleet Parts Ltd Warrington