THE weather is set fair and there will be a whiff of nostalgia in the air as IOG SALTEX bids to depart from Royal Windsor Racecourse next week – presumably for the last time.

The die has been cast, the decision taken. 

Those charged with deciding the future for the show will have thrown all the options into the ring, weighed up the pros and cons, decided that maintaining the status quo was not an option – and made their decision.

The feedback we have received from the trade and from those in the turf care industry since last week has been predictably mixed.  Some love the idea of moving to the NEC with its enhanced facilities, others mourn the loss of an outdoor show with the grass beneath the feet.

But, is this what the industry wants?  Exhibitor income will ultimately determine the success of the event, although a scaled down show over two days sharing income with sponsorship income of the Awards at a common venue may well stack up for the IOG

But that is looking at it from an IOG perspective. Which would be all very well, if there wasn’t another ‘near-as-damn-it’ show taking place within a few weeks in Harrogate.

Ask virtually any exhibitor, and time and time again you listen to their frustration at having to make difficult choices – now even less defined than between an outdoor show in September and an indoor show in January.

And almost without exception, they want to support the aims, ideals and work carried out by both IOG and BIGGA. They want the membership associations, representing their customers, to be strong, vibrant and effective.

Let’s face it, if we were starting with a clean sheet of paper, we would not be in this position.  The danger is that IOG and BIGGA could open the door for a serious contender to come up with a show proposal that could really fly.  Look at the rise and rise of LAMMA from a standing start. – and whatever happened to Royal Smithfield and The Royal Show?

The over-riding feeling is that here was a lost opportunity. Not by one party or another – but by the industry as a whole.

Meanwhile I have to admit that having attended Hurlingham (once in short trousers), then Motspur Park (which included the razzamatazz entrance of Honda into the PE market) and for many years, Windsor – there won’t necessarily be a tear shed as much as a nod of appreciation and thanks to all those who made the show happen, often against the odds, year after year.