According to the latest list of exhibitors (September) neither Linde nor Kalmar are exhibiting, along, incidentally, with a raft of other global forklift producers and their dealers like Briggs.

Yes, of course, many forklift producers are struggling but there may now be a new sense of realism about the worth of major trade show exhibitions, given the very high costs of attending such shows when participants take large stands with all the fatuous razamatazz that goes with it. The fact is that while such shows had some value in the past in terms of raising new business in the pre-internet era, most forklift players can give all the details of their new trucks and other developments on their websites.

When one hears about big new contracts being signed at such trade shows it is nothing more than a specious PR exercise. The particular deal would have been done, in essence, before the show. Such exhibitions today have very little to do with raising new business, relative to the past, but rather more to do with showing the flag.