First up today, I'd like to point you in the direction of our Digital Special Report that has just been published.

All about the recent Equip exhibition that took place in Louisville, Kentucky, the report gives a real flavour of what the show was like from a UK visitor's perspective. I was lucky enough to attend again this year as part of a fantastic Service Dealer and TurfPro contingent that included dealer Pete McArthur of Strathbogie Forest & Garden and turf professional Danny Lewis, landscape contracts manager at Manchester City FC. 

Throughout the plethora of video content within the report, you can hear these guys' views on the American show, specifically from the point of view of UK professionals in their respective fields, attending for the first time.

Within one of the videos for example, Pete talks about being able to see machinery on show that you're not going to get to experience at events at home. He says, "Potentially some these items could be the next product to sell in the UK. If there was the opportunity to bring some of these things over to the UK, you'd seriously look at that opportunity."

And I think that can sum up the appeal as to why a UK dealer might choose to attend Equip in the future. Of course not every piece of kit seen will be relevant to our shores, but there will be some exhibitors there whose displays stand-out and offer genuine inspiration.

Hopefully a peruse through the Digital Special Report today might get some thoughts percolating amongst our dealer readers, regarding a potential visit to Equip next year.

Recruiting fresh blood

Moving on to some more genuine inspiration, this time from our trade associations, you may have seen that LE-TEC are looking to win the hearts and minds of young people with a new campaign.

Called @wearelandbased, the scheme hopes to inspire a new generation of land-based engineers to enter the sector. A wholly admirable intention, LE-TEC should be applauded for trying something new in this regard.

With this push, LE-TEC are clearly hoping to cut through with the young people they are targeting and potentially introduce them to a whole new industry that they may not even have heard of before. As they say, "When 13-17-year-olds think about their future, chances are land-based engineering doesn’t cross their minds."

There is no doubt that this lack of fresh blood coming through is a real problem felt by dealers and manufacturers alike. For the sake of the future viability of the industry, I'm sure all who are reading this today hope that LE-TEC's multi-platformed campaign gains some real traction amongst the youngsters it's aimed at.

To enter their consciousness whilst they are still at school and considering what options there might be for their future, is a fantastic goal for the scheme. One likes to hope that for those with an affinity for modern, progressive technology and those for whom engineering of any description is beginning to feel appealing - turning those heads towards the land-based industries should be achievable.

In fact, it's vital that it's achievable.