Landscape & Amenity
March 2019 Growing and maintaining high quality turf
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Growth of trade shows signals positive outlook for the industry America, Korea, Canada and China to showcase their products and services at SALTEX 2018. It means both the industry’s flagship shows appear to be going from strength to strength, with the addition of education programmes and other innovations undoubtedly helping to not only attract visitors but keep them in Birmingham and Harrogate for longer.
The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association has reported excellent numbers following its annual exhibition, held in Harrogate, North Yorkshire in January 2019. The BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition welcomed 4,500 individual delegates into the halls of the Harrogate Convention Centre, with the 154 exhibitors showcasing their wares in a new, innovative layout that enabled greater opportunities for interaction with visitors. The total number of visits across the three days was 7,200 with an average visitor duration of 1.6 days, up by 13% on 2018. The increase in duration was attributed to the greater opportunities for engagement, meaning visitors spent more time in the exhibition halls, alongside the expanded education programme that kept visitors around for additional days.
This year the Continue to Learn education programme increased with an additional 1,000 education opportunities made available. Visitors scanned into sessions 2,275 times, leading to a total of 6,123 hours of education being enjoyed throughout the week. This equates to more than two hours’ education for every golf club in the UK. Meanwhile, the SALTEX 2018 post-show survey has revealed that an overwhelming amount of exhibitors reported hugely successful business results with many claiming that it was the most valuable event to date. The 300 SALTEX exhibitors at NEC Birmingham back in November 2018 travelled from 18 countries with the majority being based in the UK. European exhibitors included those from the Netherlands, Finland, Turkey, Sweden, Israel, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy and France. Further afield, exhibitors travelled from North
BIGGA Chief Executive Officer Jim Croxton said: “BTME was a vibrant, busy three days and I’m delighted to say that on the whole the changes we implemented for 2019 have paid off. “I believe this was a contributing factor towards one of the statistics that I’m most proud of, which is the fact that visitors to BTME stuck around for longer than ever before. Everyone is aware of the networking opportunities provided by BTME, including those outside of show hours, and I’m pleased that so many people chose to return to the show for a second visit the following day. “We’ve received overwhelming feedback, including from our members, who said the new layout was a huge improvement, once they came to terms with where everything was. There was also an appreciation for all the things we did to improve the visitor experience. May I give sincere thanks to all the exhibitors for being part of the event. We are really keen to hear feedback and we’ll be talking with each of them extensively over the next few
Fertilisers New products that work in all conditions The core area at SALTEX was the machinery, power and hand tools segment with over half (56 per cent) of all exhibitors showcasing equipment in this category.
The post show exhibitor survey revealed that more than 82 per cent of these exhibitors feel that exhibiting at SALTEX is integral to their overall business strategy.
A further 28 per cent specialised in sports surfaces and facilities; 27 per cent represented landscaping products and services; 24 per cent were from the turf, seeds, aggregates and treatments sector; 15 per cent represented arboriculture and horticulture; 13 per cent showcased commercial vehicles; 9 per cent specialised in synthetic surfaces and 7 per cent were manufacturers of play equipment.
Survey results confirmed that every exhibitor was in agreement after an incredible 100 per cent of exhibitors thought that by attending the show they were able to maintain and promote their company profile. Ninety-six per cent said that they generated new leads, 87 per cent used SALTEX as a platform to launch new products and 82 per cent took orders as a direct result of the event.
weeks. Thanks to our team for their efforts and thanks to all the visitors who came out and made it such a special occasion.”
30-31. BTME 2020 will be held on 21 to 23 January 2020 at the Harrogate Convention Centre.
SALTEX 2019 takes place at NEC Birmingham on October
BIGGA
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Grass Seeds & Wildflowers How technology is shaping the future
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Seven for Sawgrass This year’s group of British and Irish greenkeepers are preparing for the experience of a lifetime as part of the John Deere TPC Sawgrass Volunteer Programme, organised annually in partnership with the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Ireland (GCSAI). This year the event returns to its traditional March timing after
12 years of being hosted in May. The successful BIGGA and GCSAI members selected to join the volunteer team at the tournament, which takes place from March 14 to 17, are: • BIGGA Scottish Region Darren Skinner, Castle Stuart Golf Links • Northern Region - Jon Gamble, Welshpool Golf Club • Central England Region Matthew Shaul, Cleethorpes
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Golf Club South West and South Wales Region - Mark Simmons, Kingsdown Golf Club South East Region - Andy Copeland, Chesfield Downs Golf and Country Club International - Niels Sorensen, Randers Golf Klub, Denmark GCSAI - Alex Newenham, Douglas Golf Club, Ireland.
Ride-on Mowers Jane Carley looks at the new breed of machine
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