CANARY WHARF MOTOREXPO TERMINATED

February 23, 2016 by Motorexpo

Organisers of the Canary Wharf Motorexpo have confirmed today that the annual free to visit show will be cancelled and that Britain's best attended Motoring event will close in the UK.

For the past 20 years the show has used the prime locations on the East London Estate for a week long show which has been attended by a huge number of visitors and many manufacturers.

Graeme Carver, Motorexpo CEO, confirmed 'we have been in discussion regarding the footprint required for the show for more than a year but sadly Canary Wharf are unable to continue with the long-term commitment. Naturally we are very saddened that the show has now come to an end and I'm sure the news will come as a big disappointment to Motorexpo visitors and manufacturers that attend each year'.

Over the years Motorexpo has been a hugely popular event with people working and visiting the Canary Wharf Estate each June. The combination of visitors and cars has brought a unique spectacle and atmosphere to the East London estate. During its 20 years the show has seen thousands of new cars, driving displays, test drives and parades of classic vehicles, which have entertained and stimulated purchases of new models. Visitor numbers have continued to rise and last year it was estimated that attendance was over 400,000 people. The show was always very popular and relaxed, with its ease of access to new cars being the show's trademark. Motorexpo has seen the ups and downs of both the economy and the car industry over the years and back in 2009 celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the E-Type Jaguar by running a cavalcade of 50 E-Types through central London and out to Canary Wharf.

Motorexpo was created back in 1996 by Graeme Carver and gave visitors access to many of the world's best cars free of charge. Over the years it has been visited by millions including HRH Princess Royal and Prince Michael of Kent and stars from the world of motor racing including Nigel Mansell CBE and Sir Frank Williams. The Canary Wharf Motorexpo has been a firm favourite with the working population at Canary Wharf, who have turned out each year during the British summer to see the hundreds of cars in the sunshine and rain. Motorexpo has also been proud supporters of local and national charities and in the past four years helped launch the UK Youth annual gala dinner which has raised both income for the charity and the profile of the problems facing young people in the UK.

History shows that motoring events focusing on new cars in the UK have had a difficult history with events closing in London at Earl's Court and Excel as well as the NEC in Birmingham. They have proved to be both tricky commercially and politically, but the Canary Wharf Show continued throughout the recession and outlasted the others. Following the closure of the SMMT's British International Motor show in 2008, Motorexpo played host to the SMMT International Automotive Summit where industry leaders met to discuss the developments and future of the industry.

Graeme Carver, the creator and CEO of Motorexpo, said 'it's a tremendous shame that the show now won't be taking place at Canary Wharf going forwards and I would like to offer a huge thank you to everyone who has committed to make the show a success over the years. From the manufacturers that have committed to the show each year and the visitors who have come out to see the event I would like to extend my very deepest sincere thanks and gratitude, without them it could simply never have happened. Each year it's been a real pleasure to display the latest vehicles and produce an event that has been both popular and productive for the automotive industry. I have been fortunate to work with many of the most talented people in the auto industry and, along with my close team, I am proud to have played a small part in British automotive history'.

As the event closes, Carver is philosophical 'Naturally my team and I are hugely disappointed, but I guess all good things come to an end. We will all miss so many things about the Canary Wharf Motorexpo, but for me it will be the smiles on the faces of the visitors to the show and seeing all the great cars together in one place.'