The Scottish Expo, Dinner & Conference, 5-6 November 2003

The Scottish Expo, Dinner & Conference was held in Glasgow on the 5-6 November 2003 and began with a Civic Reception at the City Chambers in Glasgow when invited members and guests were able to enjoy the City's hospitality in the splendid surroundings of the City Chambers.

The Conference and Exhibition began on the 5 November and during day there were presentations on such topics as Customs and Excise Issues, the Glasgow & Edinburgh Airport Rail Links, NADICS (the National Driver Information and Control System) and Servicing the FMCG Supply Chain.

The exhibition area included exhibitors from railways, vehicle suppliers, consultancy firms, materials handling specialists and bus companies in addition to trade organizations and local authorities.

Two separate conference areas were provided and both were in use at the same time, such was the diversity of the presentations being given.

Some presentations were given on both days so that those attending for the whole 2 day event would not miss a presentation if there was something else equally interesting on at the same time.

Also exhibiting were organizations such as NADICS (the National Driver Information and Control System), the RHA and the Energy Saving Trust. The ILT had its own stand where members could meet some of the staff from headquarters and catch up on the latest institute developments. The transport charity, Transaid, was also represented and the star prize, a car, in their current prize draw was on display.

A series of seminars was held, covering a wide range of topics and these all featured question and answer sessions allowing those attending the opportunity to actively particpate in the seminars. Many of those attending found that this was a welcome feature of the event.

The Annual Dinner was held on the evening of 5 November and this well attended event was one of the highlights of the year.

During the proceedings, the incoming Chairman of the Institue, Steve Rinsler, spoke of his vision for the development of the Institute and outlined some of the measures that azre being considered for the future.

During his speech, the Scottish Region Chairman, John Standaloft, paid tribute to Donald MacCuish's 50 years in transport and presented Donald with a specially engraved decanter. A somewhat surprised Donald thanked the Region for the honour and gift and said that this came as a complete surprise. He pointed out that it was not everyday someone achieved 50 years in transport and said he was looking forward to his second 50 years.

The winning tickets in the Transaid raffle were then drawn and prizes presented by Lara Lopez, Transaid's fundraising manager, with over £2,000 being raised for the charity, before the after dinner speaker, Mr. John Htet Kin, from Edinburgh, entertained members and guests with a collection of hilarious anecdotes.

Report by John Fender.