Multimodal Remains Freight and Logistics Event of the Year

UK – IRELAND – As the dust settles on Multimodal 2015 comes time to review what has become the number one show for the freight and logistics community for Ireland and the UK. This year’s event, once more at Birmingham’s NEC, attracted over 8,500 visitors to view the 300 stands, attend the transport seminars and network with customers and colleagues. Attendance was up 19% year-on-year and the organisers say over sixty exhibitors have already booked for next year’s event which will be held between 10 and 12 May 2016. Highlights this year included the VIP dinner, again at the National Motorcycle Museum, the popular figure of Simon Weston regaling the assembled company with tales of his life pre and during his military service.

The dinner also gave an opportunity to announce various awards with Co-operative Food worthy winners of the Environmental Contribution Award, a prize sponsored jointly by Multimodal and the Freight Transport Association (FTA), for switching 35,000 tonnes of goods to rail in cooperation with rail provider W H Malcolm thus saving 570 tonnes of CO2 emissions by cutting one million road miles. There was a warning however that future progress in this field would be impeded unless significant investment was available to match the pace of road transport innovation.

Malcolm Logistics itself was awarded Exhibitor of the Year for ‘growing with the show to become one of its leading lights and embodying all that is great about the event’. Espace Europe was highly commended for an excellent stand design and an innovative and engaging marketing campaign.

John Williams, who has grown Maritime Transport more than tenfold into a £200 million business over the last 14 years, was presented with the prestigious Multimodal Personality of the Year Award. The fourth generation to enter his family business, Russell Davies Group, Williams went on to head Securicor’s logistics group and later headed up Hutchison Ports’ UK commercial activities.

There were two new award categories this year, with Bethany Forvague, head of membership for Women in Logistics, picking up the inaugural Woman of the Year award from her chairwoman, Ruth Waring, with the second new award, Young Logistics Professional of the Year, going to Joanne Dolan, sales and marketing manager for distribution specialist Paul Ponsonby. Presenting her award, Enno Osinga, Senior VP Cargo at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, said Joanne had helped her company achieve an ‘impressive business transformation’.

Transaid, the transport industry’s favourite charity, was selected as the beneficiary for both Multimodal 2015 and this year’s CV Show and CEO Gary Forster thanked all those who had supported the good work it does with over £2,600 raised at the annual Multimodal dinner raffle.

Many exhibitors went the extra mile to present stands which would remain in the memory. From the brass band from Yorkshire Tea which appeared at the PD Ports stand, to retro video games at the Samskip display this event once again had something for everyone.

Photo: The Yorkshire Tea band wait to tune up.