The Service Dealer Conference & Awards take place on Thursday 30th November at the Crowne Plaza, Stratford upon Avon, England. Already there are some great speakers lined up for the event, including the keynote speaker Daryl Fielding, who is a branding expert. The theme of this year’s conference is Taking Care of Business.
This conference is scheduled at a good time as it is almost at the end of the year and also at the end of the growing season. Even though it is a one day event, there is a lot packed into the conference. As conferences go, I consider this to be a very special and unique event because, not only is it held in the main hall, but two breakout sessions are also organised (morning and afternoon) in smaller rooms where delegates come together to hear fantastic guest speakers in a more intimate environment. This allows people to engage with each other and share their thoughts and ideas of the relevant issues.
To round off the day the conference gala dinner takes place in the evening. This is always popular as it is a relaxing way to round off the day where entertainment is provided. It is also the time when the award category winners and the Overall Dealer of the Year is announced, which always generates great excitement.
I thoroughly recommend attending the Service Dealer Conference and Awards. It would be lovely to see more dealers from Ireland travel to attend. Updates on the conference can be found on the Service Dealer website.
An event closer to home but happening next month is the National Ploughing Championships. It takes place in Ratheniska, County Laois from 19th – 21st September and, for the first time, exhibitors are put on a waiting list as trade stand bookings are at capacity due to exceptional and unparalleled demand. This event is considered one of the largest in Europe and attracts in excess of 300,000 people. Dealers who have been fortunate to have secured an exhibition space should get plenty of visitors. I hope they have decent sales over the three days.
Coming back to the Service Dealer theme I would like to congratulate Service Dealer publishers, The Ad Plain (TAP), who, last week, became B Corp certified in recognition of their commitment to people and the environment. B Corp is an international movement to change the global economy and encourage for-profit businesses to be a force for good.
The announcement comes following a rigorous two-year process. Duncan Murray-Clarke, Service Dealer owner and group managing director of TAP, which has offices in the UK and in Spain, said, “We are beyond thrilled to become a B Corp-certified business. It has been a long and detailed process, but it reflects all that we believe in”.
The business of TAP is carbon positive; office space and travel have been reduced to enhance both the environment and employee wellbeing, and conservation is at the heart of TAP’s ethos and values.
You can read more about what it means to be B Corp certified here.
