Following the scaled-down CV Operators’ Show last April, the exhibition is to return to full size at Birmingham’s NEC in 2011 for the first time in three years, from 12-14 April.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the Road Haulage Association and the Society of Operations Engineers jointly own the show.

Show organiser Bob Sockl of Crystal Communications said about three-quarters of the UK’s leading van manufacturers have already booked space, including Ford, Peugeot, Isuzu, Fiat, Renault, Nissan and Vauxhall.
He is confident the exhibition will fill halls Four and Five of the NEC, an area of 42,000sqm.

“We are already 50% ahead of bookings for the CV Operators’ Show. The appetite is there for a full size show,” he said.

The exhibition will include a Workshop section dedicated to aftermarket suppliers. “The section will be the common denominator between the CV Operators’ Show and the CV Show,” said Sockl. “So the CV Show will contain everything the operator show did.”

Geoff Dunning, chief exec of RHA, said the show was “by the industry for the industry” and would cater for all parties interested in the CV sector. He added that next year the CV Show should benefit from there being few other events at home or abroad that could be regarded as a competitor.
Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, highlighted the opportunity the CV Show presents for the sector to show off its importance to the economy.

He said: “There are few points
in the year when the industry can rally. It’s important to demonstrate the coherence, scope and scale of the road transport industry to the Government.”
Everitt stressed the Government risked forcing van makers out of the UK to cheaper manufacturing bases if it did not work towards easing CO2 reduction targets for LCVs. He claimed the proposal to cut emissions by more than 30% to 135g/km by 2020 was “too much” and could drive manufacturers out as they sought to cut down costs to compensate for the expense of the technology required to lower emissions: “Our message to politicians is that we need to sustain the recovery.” He added that freeing up access to finance for smaller LCV operators would also be crucial.

Everitt believes, however, that market factors are becoming more favourable for the 2011 show as operators look to renew their fleets. The SMMT forecasts registrations of more than 211,000 this year, rising to almost 228,000 in 2011. Although these numbers fall well short of the 300,000 vans sold in 2007 they represent a healthy improvement on 2009 when sales slumped to around 186,000. The sharp dip in sales triggered by the downturn means used vans of up to three years old are now in very short supply – driving up RVs. As a result, according to Everitt, many operators will visit the CV Show with an interest in buying new vans.