The new Automotive Trade Show website has gone live at www.atshow.com. Visitors will be able to book entry tickets and plan their visit to the show. They will also be able to research exhibitors and details of their exhibits through the A-Z listings and product locator.
The 2006 ATS is set to be 54 per cent cheaper than in 2001, says one of the people behind the organisation of the exhibition. Marketing consultant, Bob Sockl explained that prices had gone against the rate of inflation: “Whereas the Garage Equipment Association members who exhibit at the show every year have been aware of the huge cost reduction since 2004, it has come as a nice surprise for parts suppliers returning to the Show in 2006. With space costs as low as £59 per square metre, compared to £130 in 2001, exhibiting at ATS is a really cost effective way of meeting the managers and technicians who buy and fit replacement parts.”
According to the organisers, it all began with the decision in 2004 to run ATS and the CV Show at the same time, in adjacent halls. The resulting economies of scale, with 651 exhibitors across the two means a 20 square metre area can cost £1180, ATS is within even the smallest company’s reach.
The Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) has confirmed that 26,843 visitors attended the 2005 combined Commercial Vehicle Show and Automotive Trade Show in April.
Demographic data, provided by visitor registration company CTS, shows that those 26,843 visitors had more purchasing power this year than at any previous CV Show and ATS says the SMMT. A detailed breakdown of visitors showed that 72.3 per cent were at owner, director or senior manager level.
The SMMT believes that these figures confirm the informal feedback from exhibitors during and after the event, suggesting that visitors and business leads were of a very high quality. Visitors came from across the UK and Ireland, with a further 1,000 from overseas, finding the NEC an ideal place for a business-to-business event of this type.
The 2006 CV Show and ATS will be on 25, 26 and 27 April, in halls 1 to 5 of the NEC.
Last year some 29, 000 business visitors flocked to the combined Automotive Trade Show and the Commercial Vehicle Show. After a strong start in 2004, the ATS and CV show now has the support of market leaders across the entire aftermarket. With exhibitors and visitors expected from all sectors; garage, body shop, fast fit or factor, there will be a range of new products to see and try. Organisers say there is no longer any doubt that combining the two exhibitions was the right thing to do – Tyres & Accessories will be there to see if they are right.
The SMMT have described this years Commercial Vehicle Show and Automotive Trade Show as “an outstanding success.” Provisional figures show that almost 27,000 visitors attended the three-day event at the NEC last week.
“The CV Show and ATS is the most successful show of its type in Europe,” said SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan. “Last week’s excellent event reinforced that market-leading position, delivering multi-million pound business opportunities to 632 exhibitors and thousands of trade visitors. We know that many exhibitors made good use of the opportunities we delivered and collectively announced billions of pounds worth of new business.”
Bandvulc Tyres will be showcasing Bandvulc Tyre Contracts (BTC), its tyre management system, at this year’s CV show, having committed £1/4 million to create semi-intelligent reporting software.
A selection of tyres will also be on show, including the BD04 295/80R22.5 new generation drive axle tyre, the BDE1, 225/75R17.5 bead-to-bead remould and the B2K 385/65R22.5 super single tyre for trailers.
The CV and Automotive Trade Show guides and fast track passes are arriving this week for pre-registered visitors, reports the SMMT. The show organisers are encouraging those who wish to register to do so by 30 March and visitors will get a free show guide and fast-track entry pass.
“Register this week, online,” says Bob Sockl of Crystal Communications, which markets the show on behalf of the SMMT and CV Show partnership. “But if you can’t, don’t worry, you’ll still be most welcome and will still get to see Europe’s biggest and most successful automotive, CV and road transport show.”
MOTOR Wheel Service Group, the Manchester-based independent distributor of commercial vehicle wheels, will be launching a full range of forged alloy wheels at this year’s CV Show. According to the company, the new forged alloy wheels are exclusive to the MWS Group and will increase the comprehensive range of wheels already stocked by MWS. The company did not release details of where or which company will produce the wheels.
The CV and Automotive Trade Show is to support a major careers initiative through next year’s exhibition. The event will host a Skills Centre displaying a range of careers across the road transport and commercial vehicle industries. The scheme is intended to help cut skills shortages across the two related business sectors.
The CV Show is a very different automotive experience from the usual exhibition. Unlike most automotive shows the aisles were not bulging with the public ogling the latest dream car which most will never be able to afford. Admittedly there were a few truckers taking a look at the latest models, but by and large the visitors to the CV Show are there to do business, either at the show or shortly afterwards. It is a show where the emphasis is in selling rather than showing. This year attendance was stable and early figures from the SMMT suggest visitor numbers around 22,500 through the doors over the three open days of the show.
This year’s Commercial Vehicle show at the NEC was a combination of three exhibitions – the SMMT’s CV show, the IRTE Show and Tipcon. No fewer than 579 exhibitors filled 42,500 square metres of floor space. Held over three days, the event attracted a remarkable 22,556 visitors and was generally held to be a great success. The tyre sector was well-represented, with manufacturers, retreaders and service providers, illustrating the importance of the commercial fleet market to tyre companies. Competition in this sector of the tyre business is fierce, with margins consequently depressed. TYRES & ACCESSORIES spoke to ten tyre manufacturers and retreaders at the show and the overwhelming message was that customers were demanding ever-increasing amounts of information and more sophisticated back-up services. The actual product of the tyre, given that it is of an acceptable level of quality in the first place, appears to be of less and less importance in today’s market. An increasing number of fleet customers are looking for a partner to handle every aspect of their tyre policy, from supplying product to carrying out maintenance and servicing breakdowns. How do the smaller companies, which lack the resources of large manufacturers, survive in such an environment? Read the views of the following ten companies in the May issue of TYRES & ACCESSORIES. Bandag, Bandvulc, Bridgestone/Firestone, Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, Marangoni Tread, Michelin, Truck Tyre Specialists and Vacu-Lug.
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