Even though I'm not a parent, my internal calendar still seems to work based around the school holidays (admittedly it could be something to do with being married to a schoolteacher - or more likely, based on my obsession with superheroes and space lazers, that I'm stuck in the past!).

Regardless, the end of August always says to me back to school - or rather in our industry, back to trade shows and dealer days.

Every year at this time, looking at the upcoming schedule of events will reveal a plethora of days all vying for your time away from the business.

In this Update today for example, we're mentioning next week's Tillage-Live which could be of interest for our agricultural machinery dealer readers. In a couple of weeks, there's this year's Glee, which lawn and garden dealers might find of interest. This is followed up in October by the IOG's SALTEX exhibition which professional turfcare dealers should find valuable. And for those who fancy a trip further afield, there's the huge GIE-EXPO in Louisville, Kentucky also in October.

That's not forgetting, the Service Dealer Conference and Dealer of the Year awards evening which follow in November.

Add into this mix, the various manufacturers and suppliers who are running their own dealer days, conferences and regional demonstration events throughout this upcoming autumn season and there's clearly a potentially very large pull on your time resources coming up.

The perennial debate which swirls around a timetable like this tends to focus on whether the inevitable disruption caused by being away from work for a couple of days is outweighed by the benefits afforded by attending? A difficult one, and one which frankly only you can answer - and even then the answer will vary depending on circumstances at any given time.

As I've stated before, I believe shows and demo days are undoubtedly, A Good Thing. The positive benefits which attending can afford in terms of expanding knowledge, networking, gaining expertise, sourcing new products etc etc is hard to deny.

However, let's be realistic, if you went to every single event you've received an invite to, or even just sent a representative of the dealership along, the pull on a small business's resources would be far too much. Therefore carefully picking and choosing appears to be the order of the day.

There might be an argument though, that this year of all years, is one where listening to new ideas, picking up some fresh thinking, sharing opinions and war stories with peers, is more valuable than ever? What with last year's well documented hardships and this one's roller coaster of fortunes, perhaps considering heading along to a few more industry gatherings in the next couple of months could pay off?

Say it quietly, but there appears to be a whiff of optimism in the air currently for the industry. I read a quote from the event director of the Glee show, Matthew Mein, who said, "The market is reporting a strong start to the 2019 season, with sales up 37% year-on-year.

"A combination of good weather, and consumers retreating to their homes in a time of economic uncertainty, has paid dividends for our industry. As such we move into the 2019 event with a sense of excitement regarding the future development and growth of our sector."

I also saw a mostly positive piece in the U.S trade journal, Rural Lifestyle Dealer, by Mike Horak who is the president of the outdoor products group for Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance. He wrote, ".. 2019’s first half has provided a solid foundation for lawn and garden industry performance. In addition to more favourable weather patterns this year, strong employment and consumer fundamentals are helping drive purchase activity." 

So perhaps, this upcoming show season is an ideal time to catch this burgeoning wave of optimism? Coming off a tricky period, now could be the time to find that new product line, try that new business method or mix things up a bit in the dealership.

Finding the time to attend could be the best decision you make this autumn.