The Commercial Vehicle Partnership, comprising the SMMT, RHA and SOE, and the CV Show Committee, made up of the partners and representatives from the commercial vehicle and component sector has agreed to cancel this year's CV Show scheduled for 28-30 April at Birmingham's NEC.
 
The partnership claims some 290 exhibitors had signed up for the Show requiring the partners to consult widely with them on support for a focussed engineering-based alternative. The results indicate that while some support was forthcoming, it was not enough to retain the credibility that the CV Show has created as a major international event of its type and which the partners and the show committee were keen to maintain.
 
“We have obviously noted that just about every other show in this sector has been cancelled for 2009', said RHA Chief Executive Roger King. “But the advanced status of ours did not permit us to cancel without careful consultation.
 
“This was a difficult decision but, on balance, the right one. What we learned from this exercise was that despite a generally negative response to 2009, there appears a much more positive approach to 2010 which encourages the Partnership to set plans in motion for a show in April of that year.”
 
Nigel Emms, the CV Show Committee Chairman added: “This is of course disappointing, but given the current economic climate and the uncertainty created, it is the only decision we could make. Naturally, the Partners are grateful for the NEC's support for this decision. Future planning for the next Show should be done against the backdrop of the outstanding 2008 event and not a compromise one for 2009."
 
Finally, Society of Operations Engineers Chief Executive Nick Jones said: “Whilst the cost of cancellation may be considerable, all exhibitors will receive a full refund. We are confident that exhibitors will be ready