Transport Minister to speak at Euro Bus Expo
A headline speaker has been confirmed for the opening keynote of the Masterclass Theatre on the second day of this year’s Euro Bus Expo, which is taking place at the NEC, Birmingham on 1-3 November.
Baroness Vere, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Transport, will open the second day of sessions in the Masterclass Theatre. The presentation will cover a whistle-stop tour of the government’s priorities for the bus and coach industry. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to submit questions for consideration on the day.
Says event director Helen Conway: “We’re delighted that Baroness Vere will be speaking at Euro Bus Expo. As the premier exhibition for the industry, there's no better place to witness the sector's scale, innovation, professionalism, and excellence.
“This commitment from the transport minister demonstrates the importance of the sector on the government agenda. No doubt visitors will have questions to put forward. We encourage those to be sent in advance to [email protected].”
One of many Masterclass Theatre highlights
The keynote address will be one of many highlights of the free-to-attend trade show. The Masterclass Theatre will host other presentations, panel talks, and interactive roundtable discussions. These sessions will allow attendees to ask questions, voice opinions, and get up-to-date news from industry leaders.
Decarbonisation will be a big theme this year. There will be presentations on the goals, challenges, and solutions the industry faces on its journey to net zero – with an additional focus on what all of this means for small and medium operators. Visitors will get a better understanding of the future landscape and how to ready their businesses.
Elsewhere in the show, the Zero Emission Zone will make its Euro Bus Expo debut. The Zone will highlight the latest vehicles designed to decarbonise passenger travel, with demonstrations taking place from several leading manufacturers.
Attendees can also discover new ways to move their businesses forward with the latest products, services, and vehicles on offer from hundreds of exhibiting brands.
Free registration
For further information and to register to attend, visit eurobusxpo.com
Exhibiting opportunities
For exhibiting enquiries, contact Martin Laverton on [email protected]
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Registration and media enquiries to:
Jacqui Trayford, Marketing Manager
Christina Glenister, Marketing Director
Exhibition sales enquiries to:
Martin Laverton, Sales Manager
Event enquiries to:
Helen Conway, Event Director
Press registration
To apply for a press pass, please click here.
Diversified Communications is a fast-growing trade event organiser and publisher based in Brighton. Diversified’s transport & travel portfolio includes Euro Bus Expo; Coach & Bus UK; routeone magazine; routeone Awards; British Tourism & Travel Show; and the British Coach Tourism Awards. For more information, visit: www.divcom.co.uk.
Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities and digital and print publications. As producers of these market-leading products Diversified Communications connects, educates and strengthens business communities in over 15 industries including: travel and tourism, food and beverage, healthcare, natural and organic, business management and technology. Established in 1949 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA with divisions and offices around the world, Diversified Communications remains a privately held, third generation, family-owned business. For more information, visit: www.divcom.com.
Celebrating 30 Years of Mistral Group
This summer, Mistral Group celebrates its thirtieth year of business. From its roots as a small-scale Cheshire bus operator, the business has grown into a nationally recognised market leading brand in the industry, offering financing, rental and sales of new and used buses to a wide range of clients across the UK.
Through a strategy of consistent year on year growth, combined with a strong depth of knowledge and industry expertise, Mistral has remained at the forefront of the market, managing the challenges presented by the recent pandemic and now looking to move forward dynamically towards the rapidly developing industry changes.
Mistral pride themselves on a culture of customer service, repeat business and a wide-ranging offering designed to assist their nationwide customer base with all their fleet upgrade needs.
Looking into the near future, and especially towards the era of zero-emission technology, the team at Mistral are excited to be able to spearhead a new generation of products, embracing every innovation as they look towards an evolving market of alternative fuels, electric and hydrogen buses.
Steve Low, Group Managing Director, comments:
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to see the business grow and develop to the level that it is at now. The industry in which we operate has undergone considerable change and it has been vital that we have kept up with the speed of innovation that has been experienced. Now more than ever we are on the cusp of another wave of change with the move towards a net zero transport system, and once again we are looking to lead the way in finding innovative ways to get this technology cost effectively into the hands of operators around the country.”
Adds Martyn Bellis, Sales Director:
“When I re-joined Mistral in late 2021 it was clear that there had been significant growth & development since I last worked for the business some 8 years earlier, I’m excited to be part of the on-going evolution of the business as it transitions with the industry to zero emission, we grow our rental fleet, continue to support customers with rental & asset finance solutions, and diversify into new complimentary markets. The business benefits from an enthusiastic & experienced sales & support team ready to take Mistral on to the next stage of its journey.”
Simon Fawcett, Mistral Group’s founder, comments:
“What a journey we have had! It is incredible to see how times have changed since I was a small bus operator, and I saw an opportunity in the market to become a supplier to the industry. It has been a big learning curve and I have been blessed by a brilliant team of people around me, who have dedicated such a lot of time, energy and real expertise to our business; they have dreamt up ideas that we have been able to put into practise, become bus spotters and industry nerds, and above all poured their enthusiasm into everything that we have achieved so far. Just as the last few years have presented us with issues that we had never anticipated, the next few years are set to bring us many more exciting challenges and we look forward eagerly to see where the new advances in the industry will take us.
It would also be impossible for us to celebrate this milestone without not just celebrating the staff but by thanking all our customers, partners, and suppliers who have played a part in the journey which has brought Mistral to where we are today – we are extremely grateful. Here’s to a solid, strong and fruitful next 30 years!”
Irizar i6S Efficient integral makes UK debut on roadshow
The first Irizar i6S Efficient integral has arrived in the UK and was quickly dispatched on the first part of dealership Irizar UK’s summer roadshow. That will see the vehicle displayed to operators from the north of Scotland to Devon as the Spanish manufacturer bids to capitalise on what it described at launch as “the coach of the future.”
Significant work has been done to reduce weight and drag, which Irizar claims will deliver a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions of up to 13% in a like-for-like comparison. The first right-hand drive i6S Efficient integral is a two-axle, 55-seat example that is PSVAR compliant. It has a DAF MX-11 engine developing 408bhp coupled to a ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox.
Irizar UK Sales Director Julie Hartley says that the summer roadshow will last for around five weeks. In addition to England and Scotland the coach will visit Wales, with Mrs Hartley adding that stops will be made at “a lot of operators” to take account of the strong interest seen so far.
In May, Golden Boy Coaches of Hoddesdon became the first operator in the UK to order an i6S Efficient integral in the form of a 13.2m tri-axle example. Mrs Hartley says that orders from other operators have since been confirmed. Irizar UK also plans to hold the i6S Efficient integral in stock in the future.
The first demonstrator is finished in mid-blue livery. It comes with the manufacturer’s optional rear-view camera system that contributes to drag reduction.
Test data from Spain shows that the promise of excellent fuel economy is accurate, she adds. “The results are positive, and both ourselves and colleagues in Spain are very confident that this is a highly efficient vehicle.”
A further i6S Efficient integral demonstrator will arrive in September. It will be a two-axle, 53-seat PSVAR compliant example and be displayed on Irizar UK’s stand at Euro Bus Expo at the NEC Birmingham on 1-3 November while the initial coach continues its customer evaluation work.