The Australian Bus and Coach show is taking shape, with exhibitors jumping on board and the conference program coming together
By David Goeldner | June 17, 2011
The exhibitors are lining up in droves to get onboard at this year’s BusNSW Australian Bus and Coach Show at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on 5-6 October.
BusNSW Industry Development Manager Matt Threlkeld says its looking like 120 booths will be filled at this year’s event with up to 100 vehicles on display over the two days.
“The exhibition space is being taken up by the industry’s suppliers and that’s all going well,” he says.
BusNSW is currently working on the show’s conference program with invitations already sent to NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian and Tourism Minister George Souris.
Pencilled in for the conference are BIC Executive Director Michael Apps and ITLS Director Professor David Hensher.
BusNSW Executive Director Darryl Mellish says Hensher’s address will likely stir up delegates with a call for action on bus transport initiatives.
“Professor David Hensher has got a hard hitting view about more action and less conversation in transport, which is going to be an important aspect of the conference,” Mellish says.
“There’s been a lot of planning done over the last ten years, but arguably there hasn’t been a lot of action, so we are hoping that this conference will fit into that call for greater action in growing public transport.”
Mellish is seeking to use the show as a vehicle to communicate the new state government’s plans for the bus industry.
“With the review of some of the major transport infrastructure projects it’s quite timely six months after the election that we are holding this major NSW event,” he says.
Mellish says anyone who walks into the Rosehill Gardens arena at show time in October will see the serious side of the bus industry.
“We are there to provide solutions to transport issues.”
The show also aims to provide access to the usually ‘unseen’ face of the NSW Government bureaucracy.
“We plan to run another Department of Transport forum at the conference where the regulators take questions from the floor,” Mellish says.
“We’ve had good support from DOT to front at those forums in the past and we would like to get the RTA to the forum as well.”
The NSW industry’s finest will also be honoured at the October show.
Threlkeld says nominations are open until August 26 to nominate industry representatives in three categories for the annual BusNSW awards, which will be a highlight of the event’s gala dinner.
“There will be three awards – outstanding contribution to industry, environmental-innovative operator of the year, and the third is the NSW supplier of the year,” Threlkeld says.
“We’ve just called for nominations and we are hoping to have the Minister for Transport present the awards on the night.”
The winners then go into the nominations for the BIC awards at the annual conference at Fiji at the end of October.
Mellish says the 2009 Bus and Coach Show was deemed a great success and at the equivalent planning stage two years ago the 2011 edition already appears to be surpassing the last show.
“Our punch line is that it’s going to be the biggest and best Australian Bus and Coach Show yet.”