Events are moving quickly again. More of our readers will have moved up into stricter Tiers this week - and of course dealers in Wales find themselves placed into a 'firebrake' lockdown as of this evening (October 23rd).

Dealers in these affected regions will have once again spent time reading through the ever-changing guidelines to see what they need to do in order to remain compliant. It'll be deja-vu for Welsh dealers who I'm sure will have been looking at the latest business definitions to see what restrictions their company falls under. BAGMA have helpfully summarised the situation for the country in their very useful Coronavirus Hub. It appears that as previously, dealers in Wales are likely to be either classed as an ag retailer or a hardware & DIY store and will thus be permitted to stay open. But as seen with yesterday's confusion over what Welsh supermarkets are allowed to sell from tonight, it's always worth keeping yourself briefed with the most up-to-date information - so do check out BAGMA's site and there's more details from the Welsh government here.

Also with changes announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday, our SME Digest editor, Adam Bernstein, has been in touch to offer readers an update to his article on the new Job Support Scheme that we published last week - some details of which have now been superseded by Thursday's amendments.

With this constant turmoil we've all experienced this year, it is genuinely all the more impressive how companies in our sector have on the whole, fared well. There will be other retail and service based industries who, one suspects, will be looking on with a mixture admiration and envy.

As Service Dealer has kept in touch with dealers and suppliers throughout 2020, despite everything, word has been that business levels have been on a par or exceeded those of 2019. Of course, there are real and legitimate concerns over what '21 might bring - but hopefully many will have managed to have built some fat into the business these past months.

If you look down the list of news stories in this Weekly Update today, you'll see evidence that good business is continuing to be achieved across the markets that we cover. There are multiple reports of dealers around the country being appointed to represent new franchises. Whenever we feature developments such as these, what we're looking at is dealers pushing their business on into new, uncharted territories. They are hopefully opening up new revenue streams and potential new customer groups in their localities. I always think stories such as these should be looked upon as positive news.

Implications for shows

Also positive today, is the opening of Claas UK's new headquarters and facility for their dealer Manns, in Saxham. A truly impressive achievement, all the more so for completing during the pandemic. Claas should be applauded for their forward thinking and belief in the UK as a base for operations. As Trevor Tyrrell says, they are now one of the largest employers in West Suffolk - which must be a real boost for local people and the local economy.

One quite interesting fact which arises in their announcement about the new building though, is that the design also incorporates a large 'Technoparc' machinery showroom. This, says the manufacturer in their statement, "will be an important alternative to national exhibitions which are at risk due to the pandemic."

We have heard speculation recently, that perhaps some of the big boys won't need to exhibit at industry shows in the future, seeing as how this year they have had to find other means of reaching their end-user customers and dealers. This move by Claas makes it quite explicit that they have plans and means to make sure they have a permanent alternative to attending events if they so choose.

One presumes that organisers of the established exhibitions across our sectors, are taking notice of developments such as this from big-name potential exhibitors. The Claases and John Deeres and AGCOs of this world are big draws for the audiences whom the show organisers want to pull in through their gates. They will surely be wanting to do all they can to make their offerings as enticing as possible to these companies to guarantee they'll want to return once permitted to do so.

This could mean that shows might have to mix up what they are offering. Timings, venues, styles of show could all be up for review in the changed landscape. You feel that to attract back the big exhibitors, and indeed to encourage large numbers of visitors, a fresh approach will need to be sought.

Shows continuing exactly the same as before, sounds like a tricky proposition.