Firstly today, a quick reminder that it's SALTEX at the Birmingham NEC on Wednesday and Thursday next week.

As ever, Service Dealer and TurfPro will be in attendance. We have a stand at C130, but we will inevitably be flitting all around the show, gathering information and chatting with the great and the good. Please if you do see any of the team, stop us and say hi. We always love to find out how our dealer readers are doing.

It will be interesting to see how many dealers choose to make the trip to the NEC this year. Indeed, it'll be interesting to see just how well-attended in general the show will be. Organisers have certainly made a huge effort in the run up, for which they should be applauded. It seems to me that the pre-event marketing has been upped both in terms of its reach and, most importantly, it's impact. I feel that the target audience will have seen much more about the exhibition going into it, than in years gone by.

As well as all the exhibitors who'll be showing their latest wears, the GMA have announced innovations for the show including The Community Sport Zone, The Arcade and The Clubhouse that could all add to the attraction for turf professionals. And perhaps the most significant tempter of all to get undecided punters to rock up, could be the recently announced free parking! This has been a bugbear for many over the years, so the removal of that not-insignificant penalty, could very well prove fruitful for their numbers through the door.

Coming soon after what was an undeniably popular GroundsFest, it will be fascinating to take the temperature of SALTEX next week. Plenty of dealers went to the recent event at Stoneleigh, so is another trade show visit on the cards for you? Please let us know what your thoughts are regarding SALTEX's place in the industry calendar in the comments below.

Outstanding dealers

One thing I absolutely do know our dealer readers' thoughts on, is customer service. The exemplary standards seen across the network were highlighted to me again this week as I was privileged to be part of the judging panel for our Dealer Of The Year awards.

L-R: Service Dealer owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke; editor, Steve Gibbs; TurfPro editor, Laurence Gale; and contributor, Keith Christian

The panel who met on Wednesday, were once again blown away by the quality of the nominations. We also had more dealerships than ever before choosing to enter the fray. So it was quite the task to carefully and fairly work our way through all the entries - with the sense of responsibility that we were entrusted with, not lost on any of us.

We heard stories from dealerships specialising in garden, agricultural and professional turf machinery - all different in size and from locations across the UK and Ireland, yet sharing a common mindset. There was a clear and consistent theme of putting customer satisfaction at the heart of everything they do. This ethos came through not only from the dealerships themselves, but was echoed in testimonials from their suppliers and customers too.

Alongside the business stories, we also learned about some truly outstanding individuals working in a wide variety of roles within these dealerships. We heard about impressive young technicians just beginning their careers, about valued team members who bring vital support and positivity to their workplaces, and about leaders who set the standard through their own actions - inspiring loyalty, commitment, and success throughout their teams for the good of the whole business.

Coming after what has been a tough season for many, it's incredibly heartening for us to hear about these wonderful working practices and team members - all of whom are laser-focused on making sure their homeowner, commercial and farming customers have the best experience possible with their local specialist.

When the judges finally concluded on Wednesday, I think I can speak for all by saying we were utterly delighted with the finalists chosen across the categories. They are a superb selection to represent the quality of the entire dealer network. All should be rightly proud of their achievements. 

We are now excited to celebrate each and every one on December 4th at the Crown Plaza in Stratford-Upon-Avon, at our gala awards dinner - following on from what is shaping up to be a most special Conference.

See you there.