MAG attended the Motorcycle Trade Expo in Stoneleigh Park in January 2018 to talk with the industry.
The event focused on the motorcycle, scooter and ATV markets and is a business forum for industry professionals and decision-makers, with many international participants too.
MAG’s West Midlands Regional Rep, Colin Brown, Executive Officer, Julie Sperling, and Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Lembit Öpik attended. Colin says ‘I think the value of the event is illustrated by our meeting with MCIA head, Tony Campbell, to discuss joint working and the forthcoming Ride to Work Week which I’m organising activity for in the Midlands. The discussions were actually far wider-reaching than anticipated and I was pleasantly surprised by how long we had with Tony and his team. The Expo is not as glamorous as the big motorcycle show in the Birmingham NEC, but it’s a different kind of animal. We’re there to make contacts, not show off, and it’s useful to be able to talk one-to-one with the industry in a way I don’t feel we’ve done before.’
During the three-day show a number of other MAG officials attended including Chair, Selina Lavender. ‘MAG is prioritising the events we attend’ adds Selina, ‘because there’s just so much going on that we could attend if we had infinite resources. These industry forums matter because there’s a mutual benefit in sharing our research and time on common projects. The manufacturers make what we ride and so we’ve both got plenty to gain from each other when it comes to influencing the authorities and Government. It also saves us from both doing the same research and duplicating time and effort.’
Contact MAG at 01926 844 064 or central-office@mag-uk.org