Industry professionals seized the opportunity to view a line-up of newly released trucks and equipment yesterday at the Transport and Heavy Equipment Expo (THE Expo) at the Mystery Creek events centre.
Pre-event registrations exceeded previous years with 6836 industry professionals registering to attend.
This four-yearly industry event attracted attention throughout the sector with some high-profile guests visiting Mystery Creek, including the associate minister of transport David Bennett.
Those working on the Hyundai stand had been kept busy throughout the day following the official debut of the Xcient prime mover. A steady queue of visitors and exhibitors had been lining up to get a glimpse of the vehicle.
Amongst the eager visitors were Mercedes-Benz fans, who got the chance to check out the new line of Actros prime movers released yesterday.
Senior Manager of Daimler Truck and Bus New Zealand, Pieter Theron said initial feedback from the truck launch had been positive, with plenty of people keen to take up the opportunity for a test drive.
“We had high expectations of the release, and it has exceeded those expectations,” says Theron.
The four-yearly event is the only all-encompassing tradeshow in the country to showcase developments across the transport, logistics and heavy equipment sectors.
The NZ National Fieldays Society who owns the event has been working alongside industry endorsees to create a proper space for multiple industries to come together.
The society’s chief executive officer Peter Nation says collaboration is a key factor in driving innovation in the transport and heavy equipment industries.
Gulf Oil National sales manager Sander Kriek credits the success of day one to the opportunities for exhibitors and visitors to have conversations and make connections in an open environment.
“We’ve been able to connect with a whole bunch of industry players we’ve wanted to reach. It’s allowed them to make contact and talk to us and us to talk to them at their leisure which is just invaluable” says Kriek.
The Expo is open from 9 am to 5 pm, Friday to Saturday and those working in the industry can register for a discounted ticket at the gate. For more information go to theexpo.co.nz.
