MATS Organizers Say They Have Not Considered Making Event Biennial
Organizers of the Mid-America Trucking Show said they have investigated expanding the show’s length.
But at this point they are not considering cutting back from its annual schedule.
Those are two desires expressed by Daimler Trucks North America, which has pulled out of the show for 2016, as first reported by TTNews.com on May 12.
"We have not investigated the possibility of going to an every-other-year schedule, but we have investigated expanding the show's length and adding a supplier/manufacturer day or event to the front end of the show," Toby Young, president of Exhibit Management Associates, which owns and operates the show in Louisville, Kentucky, said in an e-mailed statement to Transport Topics on May 13.
“MATS is driven by the needs of the market. We are always open to direct discussions with our supporters to make MATS a better event for the industry,” the statement said.
DTNA President Martin Daum said in an exclusive interview the company wants MATS to move to an odd-year schedule, to better complement the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover, Germany, which is held in even years. DTNA wants to “support MATS to become a significant show in the world,” Daum said.
Young noted that MATS “is coming off a record-breaking year as the 2015 show marked our highest attendance total in our 44-year history and our fastest sellout in 15 years. We have significant pent-up demand and feel that we will be able to fill the exhibit space that DTNA is releasing.”
Young added he believes “MATS fills the need for an annual event where the entire industry comes together as one.”
See the May 18 print edition of Transport Topics for additional information.
