With the change in the weather, it well and truly feels like we have rapidly clicked over from summer into autumn.

As September is now showing on the calendar, dealers across the country will know what that month means for their schedule - even greater demands on their time! And as we know, many of those demands will be asking for hours and days away from the dealership - with local shows, manufacturer dealer days and national trade events all taking place this month.

The first of the major exhibitions that will be of interest to many of our dealer readers kicks off this coming Tuesday (September 9th) at Stoneleigh Park with the third staging of GroundsFest. For the first time this year, Service Dealer and our sister title TurfPro, will have a stand at the show (42A). The whole team will be there for both days, so please do come along and say hi. It'll be great to see as many of our readers as possible.

My colleague Laurence Gale who is the editor of TurfPro and whom many of you will know from his visits to dealerships around the country for his articles in Service Dealer magazine, has been invited to share his expertise on a panel on the first day of the show. At 11am on Tuesday, Loz along with several other turf industry luminaries, will be talking about the issues of recruitment and retention in the professional end-user sector. I'm sure many of our dealer readers who specialise in commercial machinery will be fascinated to hear the group's thoughts on these issues that will clearly have a direct impact on their businesses - and indeed I'm sure there will be parallels to be drawn to the staffing crisis in the dealer sector itself.

My feeling ahead of the show is that there is likely to be more dealers in attendance than ever before. The event has clearly built significant momentum ahead of next week -  from its previous editions, from its newly launched academy events and from its year-round online presence. It genuinely feels like it has some buzz surrounding it this year.

Also, greatly aiding my expectation of serious dealer numbers is the fact that several major manufacturer suppliers have chosen to hold get-togethers for their partners at GroundsFest. Companies like STIGA and Toro UK for example, clearly have sizeable networks. If a decent proportion of just those turn up, there truly will be quite the gathering of specialists on site. If this happens I'm sure the show organisers themselves would be delighted, but it would be equally good news for all the other machinery exhibitors who may be looking for quality dealerships to expand the reach for their products.

One of the principal draws of GroundsFest is, of course, the fact that a sizable chunk of the exhibition takes place outside in a large demonstration area. Now, I'm not saying the show lives or dies on the weather - because we're all hardy-types in this sector - but it is undeniably better if it doesn't rain! As someone who camped at a music festival last weekend in an absolute deluge, I can very much attest to this! My advice from looking at the mixed forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday? Bring a jacket with you that is actually waterproof - not water resistant! These are very much different beasts - as I discovered to my own chagrin.

So, if you are attending next week, let us know in the comments below. Also, do tell us if you have had to make special provisions for your time away from the dealership?

Equally, it'll be of interest to hear if anyone feels they can't make it because time and/or resources are simply too tight? We know that many of our dealer readers run lean operations, so it's understandable that even being away for a single day could seem disproportionately impactful.

But for those that are able to visit this - or any industry event - I do subscribe to the theory that return on investment comes not in instant sales, but in an expansion of knowledge, in making and nurturing vital connections, and in future readiness.