Truck & Bus News can report growing disquiet among truck makers regarding the Truck Industry Council plan to stage its own industry truck show in Melbourne in March 2021.
TIC members apparently voted unanimously at last weeks final Council meeting for the year to back a plan for TIC to stage a truck show in 2021, however this masks the fact that two of the leading truck groups did not take part in the vote and have told TIC they will not be at the planned Melbourne show.
The two truck groups Volvo and Daimler, which between them control six major brands are unlikely to take part in the Melbourne show which is planned for March 2021 during the same week as the Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne.
As previously reported there is disquiet among the truck makers over the cost of floor space at the planned Melbourne event as well as the challenges that will come with the availability and cost of accommodation in Melbourne during Grand Prix week.
T&B News can report that the quoted cost for floor space in Melbourne is around $105 per square metre by comparison with $83 per square metre charged this year by the HVIA for its long standing Brisbane Truck Show.
We also believe that at least one truck maker has told TIC it will not take part in the Melbourne Show because its financial year ends on 31 March and it has already had its 20-21 budget signed off with no allowance for a truck show. Given the normal cycle the manufacturer would have planned for expenditure on the Brisbane Show in the second month of its 21-22-budget year.
Another manufacturer source told T&B News that at the moment they believe the whole Melbourne Show concept is teetering because if Daimler and Volvo aren’t there and a couple more makers decide not to go “it will only be half a truck show”.
TIC CEO Tony McMullan told T&B News in June that further announcements about the structure and plans for the Melbourne truck show were to be made in July but as yet nothing has been put out by the peak industry body save for the initial statement announcing it would be staging a Melbourne based show in 2021.
As we go into the New Year there is just on 16 months to the planned show in the Victorian capital, so some critical deadlines will be approaching. We will report any updates as they come to hand
