On top of a record attendance, which was up 40% on last year, the event on 9th April attracted a cacophony of tributes, as well as identifying the most eco-friendly company car drivers.
In an eco-driving competition on the infield Stowe circuit sponsored by Allstar Card Services, the top five most environmentally friendly drivers were Jason Sykes of Carillion Services; Mervyn Cattermole of Devlin Estates; Ken Walker of A-One & Highway Services; Anthony Martin of Robert Hitchins; and Richard Morcom of Capital A1.
They navigated the course using the lowest amount of CO2 emissions as measured by the Lysanda Eco-Log diagnostic system which uses telematics to report on a wide range of vehicle functions, including fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Each driver wins a Silverstone Driving Experience day provided by Allstar Card Services as reward for their eco-driving achievements.
Amongst tributes to the success of the Show, Andrea Holland, corporate marketing manager at BMW Group UK, was typical of many of the attending vehicle manufacturers when she said: ‘BMW Group was delighted to participate in this year’s Fleet World Show, particularly with the chance to display key new models such as the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé and MINI Hatch.
‘With a considerable number of test drives completed, including the all-electric BMW i3, the whole event was extremely busy and provided a great opportunity to showcase our range of models,’ she added.
She was joined in the tributes by Martin Wilson, fleet director at Hyundai Motor UK.
‘Hyundai Motor UK had a great experience at the Fleet World Show this year, and saw a wide array of businesses visit our stand for test drives. We had visitors ranging from driving school sole traders to the fleet managers of blue chip companies, as well as decision-makers from the all important SME business sector.
‘The Fleet World Fleet Show is a great way to introduce potential new customers to our brand and increase awareness of the models that we have to offer. Our i30 and i40 models were particularly popular for test drives, proving their suitability for use in fleets of all size,’ he said.
This year’s Show featured premieres of exciting new models such as the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, the Tesla Model S, the Infiniti Q50 and the Nissan X-Trail, while there was a stunning array of cars and vans available to drive on four different circuits.
However, this Show wasn’t just about test driving and the event also featured an extensive indoor exhibition of fleet service companies, a ‘fleet on fleet’ seminar programme and an extensive fleet networking facility.
CAP Consulting was one of the event’s headline partners and was represented at a special networking area where it was able to discuss with Show visitors ways of unlocking value and improving business operations.
Afterwards, Andrew Fellows, head of CAP Consulting, commented: ‘I’d like to congratulate the Fleet World team for their most successful Fleet Show yet.
‘The exhibition halls were filled with both exhibitors and delegates, the seminars were full to capacity and the manufacturer test drives were full to bursting. The beautiful day capped what was an excellent opportunity for members of the industry to get together and move their business forward.
‘That was certainly the experience at CAP Consulting and we are very happy to have been a key sponsor of the event,’ he said.
The event’s organisers were delighted with the feedback from this year’s exhibitors.
Fleet Show organiser Jerry Ramsdale commented: ‘It is a fitting reward for the huge amount of thought, planning and effort went into this year’s Fleet Show.
‘We have already begun planning for next year when we will be back at Silverstone again and we look forward to trying to surpass what we, the exhibitors and visitors have achieved this year,’ he said.
For details of the 2015 Fleet World Fleet Show, please contact 01727 739160.
