Forty of the car industry’s most important players have been invited to a drinks reception with British prime minister Tony Blair, and it just happens to be on the night of press day at July’s British motor show.
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The move is part of a strategic plan to boost the profile of the event. Flagging visitor numbers and a lack of car world debuts has seen it slide in importance with car bosses. It’s hoped the PM’s recent involvement on the world stage, coupled with the honour of doing something usually reserved for visiting heads of state, might help convince them to attend – and schedule new vehicle launches as well.
Details of the invited 40 haven’t been released, but a spokesman for the British Motor Show said they were “chairmen and CEOs of global car companies”.
For those who don’t make that cut, 200 lesser industry VIPs will be invited to attend a banquet hosted by London mayor Ken Livingstone.
The British motor show will, for the first time, be at the ExCeL exhibition centre riverside in London’s Docklands east of the city. Press day is Tuesday 18 July.
Richard Yarrow
