Max Steventon reports on London-based Nineteen Group’s acquisition of the Commercial Vehicle Show and interviews show director Mike Costain
In April 2025, Nineteen Group announced its acquisition of the UK Commercial Vehicle Show (CVS), previously organised under The Commercial Vehicle Show LLP, co-owned by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The move formalised an agreement first established in August 2024, when Nineteen was appointed to organise the 2024 edition of CVS.
The acquisition was announced on 29 April on the show’s opening day at the NEC Birmingham, with Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT describing the show as, “an essential fixture in the UK automotive calendar”. The annual event brings together vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, suppliers, and industry stakeholders across the commercial vehicle and freight transport sectors.
Mike Costain, the show’s director, tells EW about the acquisition and future plans for CVS.
Tell us about the origins of the CVS acquisition.
We were approached. CVS had had its struggles post Covid and they wanted an organiser who could prove to the market and to the owners the event has got legs.
Why is CVS a good fit for Nineteen’s portfolio?
There is a lot of change within logistics which provides global opportunities for this sector. There are adjacent markets that we’re interested in and synergies with the existing portfolio that Nineteen has got and this opens doors to potential further acquisitions and launches.
How will you work with the show founders?
There is a long-term partnership agreed with all three parties, so Nineteen Group, RHA and SMMT. The RHA and SMMT represent a lot of the big manufacturers. They have their ear to what’s going on in government and policy changes and we are good at running events. We will lean on them for content, for their knowledge and, at the same time, they will let us do our job that we’re good at.
What organisational changes has CVS seen since Nineteen took over organiser responsibilities last year?
Both revenue and visitor numbers grew from 2024 to 2025 even though we only had an eight-month cycle to achieve that. We attracted a lot of the big names in both heavy and light commercial, so the likes of Mercedes, Kia and Renault – people who had not been to the show for over 10 years or indeed ever. They saw the levels of investment and we put more content on and also injected a bit more fun into the event.
The show is deeply ingrained for the industry it serves, how will Nineteen ensure it continues to do so?
Our job as organiser is to put the jigsaw puzzle of an industry together. We’ve constructed an Advisory Council which kicked off in September. We continue to partner with the SMMT and RHA who have got their ear to the ground. Our job is to talk to people and understand the way the market is shaping.
How do you plan to grow and develop the show?
It requires further investment in people and marketing. We need to build on what we’ve achieved. There’ll be more content, more features, more exhibitors, more visitors and we should be able to take this back to the heady heights of when this event ran in three or four halls of the NEC.
Next year’s show is scheduled for 21–23 April at the NEC Birmingham.
The post Nineteen takes the wheel at the Commercial Vehicle Show appeared first on Exhibition News | The trade for shows..