I do love a trade event/show that is related to my sector and passion within automotive. So on Wednesday, it was the perfect time to get my glad rags on and head up to the NEC for the Fleet & Mobility Live Show 2021. It was also a great opportunity to take along our automotive team newbie Max Aldington to see the sights and get a real insight into the markets we specialise in. It was fantastic to speak with new businesses like Dropless and OviDrive, as well as to current customers and some passionate, like-minded people in the space as it continues to adapt, change, shift and realign to the challenges we all face within the industry.
Availability of stock, shortages of the pesky semi conductors, the lack of used cars due to high demand (and over priced), delays to conversions, and also fitting of fleet management tools to vehicles as they don't have the new vehicles to fit them to. These challenges are massively affecting the industry and creating bottle necks however, the sector still seems to be growing at a rate of knots!
Speaking with a lot of you at the show (I'm hoping you're reading this ;-)) the impression I gained is that the mobility and fleet space is changing and for the better. EVs, the charging infrastructure, MaaS (Mobility as a Service) and new Fleet Technology to streamline the corporate space is reenergising the sector and creating more jobs (which is great to see and be a part of).
It was a little quieter than I thought it would be, however the conversations, discussions and guest speakers were all really interesting and thought provoking. I can't wait to see where the next 12 months will take the industry - let alone what it will look like in 2 years!
Let the good times roll and long may we continue to be back meeting people in the flesh.
