Exhibitors report Truck World deals

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Exhibitors secured plenty of orders in Toronto. Now organizers prepare for Expocam in Montreal.

TORONTO, Ont. – Truck World enjoyed record crowds in 2018, but preliminary feedback from exhibitors show that visitors were doing more than learning about products and services – they were placing orders and closing deals on the spot.

Almost 19,600 people attended the largest Truck World trade show in history from April 19-21. It featured 14,807 visitors interacting with 4,788 exhibitor representatives in 525 exhibits spread across nearly 400,000 sq.ft. of Toronto’s International Centre.

“One of the things that sets Newcom trade shows apart from other options is the quality of attendees,” said Joe Glionna, president of Newcom, which jointly produces Truck World and the North American Commercial Vehicle Show (NACV Show) with Deutsche Messe. “The people who pass through our gates are there to conduct business and learn about everything the trucking industry has to offer.”

Exhibits had barely opened when the Pride Truck Group placed an order for 100 Peterbilt UltraLoft sleepers.

“We came to Truck World with the specific intention of sourcing equipment to meet our business needs,” said Vik Gupta, Pride Truck Group’s senior vice-president for sales and operations. “We weren’t just there to kick tires.”

It was hardly the last of the equipment and service orders secured on the show floor.

Steve Hoke of Redline Emissions Products said his business generated more than $50,000 in revenue overall. “As we have a facility in B.C., it was fantastic to come and meet our local dealers and gain new dealers as well,” Hoke said. “This show brought us the best of resale accounts and fleet buyers, which assures us Truck World will be on our show schedule for years to come.”

“The show was well-attended, well organized,” added FEMCO’s Richard Morin. “The aisles were well-marked, and I found that we derived value for the money we spent.”

Peter Prodani of OBD Monitor saw this as the strongest Truck World he had ever attended – and dubbed it the best automotive trade show in Canada — after selling no fewer than nine diagnostic tools during the three-day show, identifying future buyers as well.

“During the show we closed several deals with training institutions and independent businesses that operate in the trucking service and repair industry,” he said. “The truck show gave us the opportunity to expose our products and services to potential buyers and as a result, we closed several deals which were considerably greater in comparison to the previous show.”

“We will definitely be attending the upcoming show.”

Meanwhile, more than 100 trucking companies in a two-day recruiting pavilion attracted more than 5,000 drivers looking for new career opportunities.

Exhibitors are already booking space for the ExpoCam truck show to be hosted from April 11-13, 2019, in Montreal. For more information, visit www.expocam.ca.

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John G. Smith is Newcom Media's vice-president - editorial, and the editorial director of its trucking publications -- including Today's Trucking, trucknews.com, and Transport Routier. The award-winning journalist has covered the trucking industry since 1995.


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