Innovation Challenge to make Euro Bus Expo debut in 2022
Euro Bus Expo will host the popular Innovation Challenge for the first time at this year's show at the NEC Birmingham on 1-3 November. Having debuted at Coach & Bus UK in 2019, the Challenge brings together the most significant product and service developments from across the industry and gives visitors the opportunity to quickly and easily evaluate them.
Among the initiatives to be highlighted in the Innovation Challege will be those that could lead Euro Bus Expo visitors to cut costs, drive productivity and unlock growth within their businesses.
Products will be displayed in the Innovation Challenge Gallery. On the first and second days of the show, visitors will vote for their favourites. Suppliers of those that accrue the most votes will then deliver a 90-second pitch in the Masterclass Theatre of their product or service to a panel of judges drawn from within the industry, and visitors.
Judges from industry to decide on awards for best entries
The judges will then award bronze, silver or gold certificates, and winning suppliers “can relish the moment of having one of the most innovative products or services at Euro Bus Expo 2022,” says event organiser Diversified Communications UK.
Judges this year will include Abellio London Bus Managing Director Jon Eardley; Belle Vue Manchester MD Phil Hitchen; Leach-O'Connell Consultancy MD Chloe Leach-O'Connell; Confederation of Passenger Transport Cymru Director Josh Miles; and Trentbarton Group Commercial Director Tom Morgan.
Exhibiting suppliers have been invited by Diversified to enter into the Innovation Challenge their product or service that is launching at Euro Bus Expo, or which has debuted during the 12 months prior to the show.
Says Event Director Helen Conway: “Following its successful launch at Coach & Bus UK in 2019, the Innovation Challenge celebrates new products and services from across the industry.
“As well as giving visitors a convenient way to discover all the latest additions, the challenge is an extra opportunity for exhibitors to showcase the very best of their work and highlight the importance it has on shaping the future of our sector.”
Innovation Challenge highlights 'real benefits' for coach and bus
At Coach & Bus UK in 2019, Ticketer won the gold award in the Innovation Challenge. Former CEO John Clarfelt adds: “I highly recommend entering if you are looking to launch a new product or service.
“We were excited to be involved in the Innovation Challenge at Coach and Bus UK 2019. It was a chance to get in front of the whole exhibition audience and showcase something we are proud of, which could really benefit the industry. Reaching the final and winning the gold award was naturally a bonus.”
Diversified again expects to attract thousands of coach, bus and mini vehicle operators to Euro Bus Expo, which will run concurrently with the routeone Awards presentation evening at the nearby Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Wednesday 2 November. Euro Bus Expo is the UK’s largest trade show dedicated to the coach and bus industry.
Registration is free of charge via the show website.
Mid-sized Irizar i6S integral joins Don Fraser Coaches
Don Fraser Coaches of Rufford, Lancashire has added the first Irizar integral to its fleet in the form of a 10.8m i6S, supplied by Irizar UK.
It has 41 i6 Plus seats with synthetic leather inserts, drop down tables, magazine nets and footrests. A double USB charging point is at each seat pair, while entertainment comes via a Bosch DAB radio, CD player and PA coupled to an Actia DVD unit with twin monitors.
Also fitted is wood effect flooring and blue LED mood lighting. The Hispacold air-conditioning unit is equipped with an Eco3 air purification unit, which disinfects the air circulating with the vehicle.
Externally, the Irizar for Don Fraser is finished in metallic grey, and it comes with a cherished registration mark. Power is from a DAF MX-11 engine developing 367bhp driving through a ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox.
Customised Irizar i6S for Kuwait showcases interior scope
Irizar has continued its delivery of highly customised coaches for niche markets with the supply of an i6S built on a Mercedes-Benz chassis to the Kuwait Fire Force.
The vehicle will carry high ranking officials and those from the Ministry of the Interior on special occasions. It is a 12.2m model built on a Mercedes-Benz chassis with what Irizar describes as a “unique decoration and seat layout” that is adapted to suit the customer’s requirement.
At the rear of the coach is a meeting area with seven captain’s chairs surrounding a central table. Elsewhere, the coach comes with additional small tables at forward-facing seats as part of its fitment with wood furniture (see gallery, below). It also has USB points at all positions, along with several 220v universal outlets, a galley with an additional refrigerator and a coffee maker, and a toilet.
Recognising the climate of Kuwait, the coach comes with extra-tinted windows and a maximum-capacity Hispacold air-conditioning unit that can tackle ambient temperatures of above 50oC. The body manufacturer has also included eco3 air purification to eliminate viruses and bacteria.
Irizar notes that all the fittings in the customised coach for Kuwait are available to other buyers, including those in the UK, with a spokesperson noting that the interior was completely manufactured at its plant in Spain.
The Irizar i6S for the Kuwait Fire Force follows the delivery of a highly-customed i8 integral ‘Blodbussen’ to a customer in Denmark. It is configured as a mobile blood donation centre and represents a continuation of Irizar’s activity in the healthcare market in Scandinavia; the OEM earlier delivered two ambulance vehicles to Sweden.
Click on any of the following pictures to see a larger version, or the complete gallery: