Another OEM is out of next year’s Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS).Mack Trucks has officially announced that it will not participate in the 2016 show, Mack’s media relations representative Chris Heffner told Fleet Owner Friday morning. Mack is the fourth OEM to withdraw from the 2016 show.“We were concerned with reduced attendance and the diminished return on investment from our participation in the show,” Heffner said, noting that decisions to participate in the show are based on strategic planning. Mack’s sister company, Volvo Trucks, announced earlier this summer that it would not participate in the show. Volvo followed Daimler Trucks North America as the second OEM to bail. Shortly after, Navistar withdrew from the 2016 show. Both Daimler and Volvo had said that they believe MATS would benefit from a biennial calendar in the same way that IAA in Germany is held every second year.“We evaluate all our sales and marketing activities when we develop our business plan for the following year,” said Avery Vise, Volvo Trucks public relations manager. “As part of that effort, we have decided not to participate in the 2016 Mid-America Trucking Show and have informed show management of this decision.” “MATS is an important industry event, and because we believe the industry would benefit from a biennial schedule, we intend to participate in 2017,” he said.Paccar’s Peterbilt and Kenworth have not made any formal announcements regarding MATS 2016. But, Preston Feight, Kenworth general manager, told Fleet Owner this week that they were still evaluating their participation in next year’s show. A decision is expected in the next few weeks. MATS is an annual heavy-duty trucking industry event held each year at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville. The show attracts more than 70,000 attendees and more than 1,000 exhibitors. The International Motor Show for commercial vehicles, or IAA, takes place every other year in September in Hannover, Germany.
