THE Commercial Vehicle Show 2000 will be Britain's biggest ever commercial vehicle trade show when it opens next month.

Three exhibitions, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Commercial Vehicle Show, the Road Haulage Association Tipcon and the Institute of Road Transport Engineers Telford, have joined forces to give the commercial vehicle industry the single exhibition it wanted at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, from March 28-30.

Hundreds of companies have applied for space at the show, making it the biggest commercial vehicle show yet seen in the UK.

The largest so far was last year's SMMT CV Show, but even that looks small when compared with the 2000 exhibition

The SMMT's head of exhibitions Philip Jones said: "Specialist areas for recovery, refrigerated transport and tippers are all well supported. By using Halls 4 and 5 we have effectively doubled the size of this year's SMMT CV Show.

"This show now clearly demonstrates the importance of road transport to the UK economy. It also shows the wealth of innovation and technology being exhibited, all designed to improve operators' working conditions, reduce their costs, and improve the environment. The NEC is the place to be in March for anybody in the road transport industry."

CV Show chairman Nikki King said: "Before we launched the 2000 CV Show last June there were a few reservations that the social feel of the shows would be lost and that smaller exhibitors would stay away. That hasn't happened.

"Lots of people have chosen to use our shell scheme, where we assemble stands for exhibitors who don't want the costs involved with building their own.

"It helps keep their costs down, and helps to retain the atmosphere visitors to all the shows have enjoyed for years.

"We've got a broad range of companies exhibiting, so everyone will find something they're interested in."

The Commercial Vehicle Show 2000, incorporating IRTE and Tipcon, runs at the NEC, Birmingham, from March 28 to 30. Opening hours are 9.30am to 5.30pm on March 28 and 29; 9.30am to 4.30pm on March 30.

Story date: Wednesday 02 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.