The new look, redesigned Service Dealer magazine is now bi-monthly and includes a host of new and familiar features.
Jan / Feb 2014 issue contains:
2014 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY REPORT HERITAGE AWARDS PROFILE OF DAVID WITHERS LIVES REMEMBERED BTME PREVIEW LAMMA PREVIEW DIARY OF A SEASON + 2014 EVENT PLANNER
We need a new ECB. That obviously might true of the cricketing organisation of the same name after the Ashes whitewash, but I refer to the Exhibition Clearing Board.
There isn’t such a body as far as I am aware - but there ought to be.
Shows and exhibitions have faced real challenges in recent years. Some like Royal Smithfield and The Royal Show have disappeared. Those that remain have to work hard to attract exhibitors and visitors in order to make economic sense and justify their place in the calendar.
So you wait and plan for one - and then two come along together.
That is exactly what is happening next week, with BTME Harrogate and LAMMA sharing the same three days. On the face of it, a show for golf greenkeepers and another farmers might not seem in competition, but in broad terms the crossover is immense.
For a start, the leading industry bodies for the machinery and equipment market (AEA, BAGMA, IAgrE) encompass both groundscare and farming, as do many manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and dealers. You only have to think of the likes of Lely, Kubota, Reco, John Deere, Ransomes, New Holland of the major companies to whom BOTH sectors are important, as they are to those in the ATV and forestry markets - not to mention hundreds of dealers across the country
Many of the ‘big boys’ are resigned to stretching resources and exhibiting at both shows. But that is not an option for small companies to whom groundscare and the agricultural market are compatible - and important.
I understand that contracts are required well in advance for venues - and sometimes the ideal dates are not available. But, we have a situation this coming week where a difficult choice must be made by exhibitors and potential visitors, particularly now that LAMMA has moved from Newark to Peterborough, putting more distance between the two shows.
The ECB (cricketing version) has a Future Tours programme planning years ahead, it should not be beyond the wit of the exhibition industry to provide such a forward planning ‘clearing house’ for show organisers, venues and exhibitors to tap into in order to prevent the unfortunate clash that we see next week .
