Hello everyone and nice of you to stop by our blog (again). Hard to believe: We’ve only just set off and wham, the first four weeks of the #ContiEuropeanRoadshow are already over. Time flies! But no wonder, given the numerous experiences and impressions that hit me every day on the road. And I can say: Our roadshow was a great success in the first four target countries Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland! Overall, everything went well, and the events went really great – by the way, you can read more about the events and presentations at Insights. Now I’m back in Germany for a short while before heading to England, and I’d like to share my first interim summary of the roadshow with you – in this post…

Every beginning is difficult – or is it?

At the start of the roadshow, I was prepared for two things in particular: an unknown adventure and the challenges that come with it. I was sure there would be some teething problems because all beginnings are difficult, aren’t they? To my surprise, I have to say about the first four weeks on the road that my worries, which I shared with you in my post “Off to the Adventure: Goodbye Germany, Hello Europe”, remain completely unfounded.

If I’m complaining at a very high level, there could be a little more time for sports between all the events and discovery tours – at least for my taste. But that really doesn’t matter, because what’s more important is that we’ve been able to find a solution to all (unexpected) problems so far. Even the unexpected problems with the tractor in Lithuania, including all the technical challenges, do not change anything. After all, such incidents are neither plannable nor avoidable, they are simply always part of the game. And we were still on time for the next event in Poland. In short: A lot more could have gone wrong in the kick-off phase!

The show truck: eye-catcher in practical test

A large part of the preparations for the #ContiEuropeanRoadshow revolved around the show truck before the start of the roadshow – from modifications to the trailer to the wrapping and paperwork. Now I can say: The work was really worth it! Especially the interior of the truck is impressive, but also from the outside it looks pretty awesome. You can see that on the pictures – or what do you think?

Our stunning show truck from the outside. Photo: Ronny Nittmann

Nevertheless, we would still like to make a few adjustments to really get the most out of it now that we have been able to experience and test the show truck in action. Here are two examples:

• We would like to foil the pallet boxes black and add Continental lettering to make it visually consistent.
• We will blacken the white entrance doors to the truck so that there is less sun reflection when they are open. Then the view of the monitor behind it will be better, too.

I’m just grateful to help with the further development and to exploit the full potential of the show truck. Anyways, the customers in the Baltic States and Poland have already been blown away!

The entrance of the show truck – welcoming you to explore. Photo: Ronny Nittmann.

On the road in the Baltic States and Poland: My conclusion

During my first good 4800 kilometers through Poland and the Baltic States, I was able to gather many first impressions, for more, unfortunately, the time was too short. Nevertheless, I noticed some differences compared to Germany when driving on the roads. And of course, I wouldn’t dare to deprive you of them:

• In direct comparison, the road conditions are rather poor. This applies not only to highways, but also to the major cities. One example: Damaged bridges, which would be closed in Germany, continue to be used undeterred here.
• The cities themselves are usually very well-kept and clean, but on the highways, there is a lot of dust and dirt swirling around – not like I know it from home, not even during the pollen season. Therefore, many cars also look accordingly.
• We all know them: the masses of traffic and traffic jams on the German interstates. Apart from somewhat more crowded roads in the morning hours, I can actually say that such things hardly exist with our eastern neighbors. The difference is immense!
• The same applies to the truck traffic, you really wonder where they are. Probably all on the road in Germany… Altogether, I can say that the driving experience in Poland and the Baltic States is much more relaxed, especially for me as a professional driver!

Apart from these differences, I naturally don’t want to withhold my overall impression from you. And what can I say: I am impressed! The countries are very similar in many respects, such as infrastructure and traffic situation. An absolute highlight for me are clearly the friendly people, who seem very relaxed and balanced – do they even know what hectic is? In general, life is quieter, even in the big cities…

This is me exploring Estonia and picking up the relaxed life style. Photo: Ronny Nittmann.

All in all, the kick-off really was a great success and was accompanied by bright sunshine almost throughout – the weather truly was on our side. The only drawback I take away from the first roadshow stops is the lack of time at the individual locations. I would have liked to see so much more! But that’s just one more reason to come back – and I’d urge you to do the same! Because it’s worth it…

Until then – see you on the road,
your Ronny

What I experienced at the single stations? You can read all about it in my articles on Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland – so feel free to check them out!