Hello there. Deputy Editor Steve Gibbs here again.

I've spent this past week putting together the next print issue of Service Dealer which concentrates on our Awards which we held back in September. I have also attended Kubota's first ever European Agri Convention, and I've been compiling the results from our Survey as they have been coming through.

And these have all been very positive experiences.

From what I can see, dealers out there at the moment are doing an amazing job promoting themselves and the wider industry, and thankfully it appears that many are prospering from doing so.

Our winners this year are of course just the tip of the iceberg, but as a representative sample of dealerships of all types (garden, farm, pro turf, forestry and ATV), from all corners of the UK, it's obvious how well served the British public are by our specialist sector.

And from attending Kubota's Euro Agri Convention in France last week, it certainly brought it home to me the level of interest there is in land based machinery. Because as well as the huge amount dealers from across Europe there was also hundreds of trade press in attendance from all the different countries. When Masatoshi Kimata, Kubota's top man from Japan, appeared at a press conference there were scenes similar to George Clooney's wedding, with hacks falling over themselves going snap crazy getting pictures (admittedly the British contingent was somewhat more subdued and reserved).

But it just brought it home to me that it seems as though this industry has a really quite exciting and positive buzz about it at the moment. And one which potentially will only get stronger.

And this is being backed up by the results we're seeing come though in our survey. We're being told that overall business, sales and service are all 'up' or 'well up' by the majority of our respondents.

So if you've not had your say yet, please do so by clicking here. We are leaving the survey open until Monday (Oct 6th).

And don't worry, Chris should be back in the driving seat next week, so you won't have to endure my beardy mug staring back at you from off the top of this email!

Cheers.