A short history of
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(CV) Show business
CM takes a trip down memory lane to bring you some of the highlights (and oddities) that have graced the CV Show
Wordc Steve Hobson
The first incarnation of a show majoring on road freight vehicles was way back in 1907, when the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders turned the Motor Show spotlight on lorries and vans, launching the first Commercial Motor Show at Olympia, west London. Then, as now, Commercial Motor (a mere two years old) threw its weight behind this new venture, which moved to Earls Court in 1937 and continued to alternate with the Motor Show until 1977, suspended only during World War II. Open to the public after the war, in 1956 the Commercial Motor Show drew a record audience in excess of 281,000, featuring long-gone marques such as Thornycroft. AEC and Atkinson.
Then in 1978 there was a huge wind of change in CV show business when the National Exhibition Centre opened near Birmingham. For the first time, the UK boasted a venue that could accommodate the Motor Show and the Commercial Motor Show simultaneously. The first combined show attracted almost a million visitors over 12 days, a record that has never been beaten.
It was inevitable that the freight sector would be eclipsed by the might of the car show and, by 1988, trucks and large vans disappeared from the NEC event. With a huge decline in HGV sales in 1990-91, plummeting from 69,000 to 36,000, shows took a back seat until bodybuilder members of the SMMT suggested a new, low-cost event. Thus. the Commercial Vehicle Bodywork Show saw the light of day in March 1994, at the National Showground. Stoneleigh Park,Warks. More than 2,000 visitors and 78 exhibitors rolled up and the foundation for today's CV Show was laid, moving swiftly to the NEC and heading for great things as attendance increased to exceed 30,000.
Joining forces
In MI, The Institute 01 Road Transport Engineers launched its own event, with the IRTE Show appearing at the St John's Hotel, Solihull. Soon to outgrow this venue, the conference and exhibition relocated to the Solihull nOne of the more dramatic liveries seen at the CV Show in 2005 was this feline Foden Alpha 6x4 tractor, presumably not powered by Cummins nA popular part of the CV Show in the digital age has been RTTV, ably presented by former Commercial Motor editor and road transport's answer to Jeremy Clarkson, Brian Weatherley, seen here describing the new Volvo FH16 in 2006 nIn 2003, LDV provided a teaser of the secret Maxus under camouflage on the back of a Stewart & Stevenson truck, which was then a contender for the big military vehicle contract eventually won by MAN. The Maxus was launched the following year COver the years, the Commercial Motor stand at the CV Show has provided help and advice in numerous areas, ranging from legal to health Civic Centre when multiple outside vehicle displays drew complaints from local residents.
Success demanded a move to a 'proper' exhibition centre and Telford became its home until 1999, when IRTE joined forces with SMMT to form the Commercial Vehicle Show partnership. In the same period, the annual tipper show TipCon was established in Harrogate, so it was an obvious move for the Road Haulage Association to join with smmT and IRTE to provide a one-stop-shop for the road transport business.
For the past 10 years, the CV Show has become an annual meeting place to do business and network with colleagues and it is the sixth largest business-to-business exhibition in the UK. The show was postponed in 2009 because of the economic downturn similar. but it is back from 12 to 14 April 2011, where Commercial Motor and its stable mates Motor Transport. Truck & Driver and Roadtransport.com will continue to play a key role in keeping the industry meeting and doing business Put the dates in your diary and register for free tickets at www.cvshow.com to become part of more than 100 years of road transport show business. See you there. •