During that period last year when events were being cancelled left and right, a discussion I recall holding multiple times with both dealers and manufactures, was how were new products going to be introduced to the network?

Dealer demo days and manufacturer conferences are a traditional part of the industry's late-summer / autumn schedule. Last year there was much talk regarding what was going to happen with 2020's set of dates. Would they be able to go ahead? Should they be scrapped outright? Were there ways of holding hybrid on-and-off line activities?

I remember one dealer saying to us at one point, 'if manufacturers don't introduce their new products to me, how am I going to introduce them to my customers?'

As it was, pretty much nothing along these lines happened face-to-face. Different manufacturers and suppliers all found their own remote ways of introducing new developments. Some of these products introduced via the internet, will of course have struggled to actually reach showrooms - but that's another story!

This late summer and autumn however, with the progress that has been made, it appears that certain companies are planning on holding in-person events for their dealer networks once again. Readers have most likely been invited to more than one already. I'm aware of several key suppliers all of whom, have get-togethers lined up for September.

The question now is, how popular will these prove to be do you think? Are you keen to get back out and meet your suppliers and fellow dealers?

Trade show indications?

In order to try to get a steer on that question, should the few trade shows that have taken place so far this year be used as any sort of indication for what the appetite is like for industry meet ups?

You might have read my piece last week about the Festival Of Turf that took place in Warwickshire. A well intentioned effort that was, to put it bluntly, poorly attended.

This week the Sports & Grounds Expo has been taking place at Malvern - and whilst I can't speak from first-hand experience, I've heard from an exhibitor who described the three day event as "quiet". 

Whilst in the ag machinery sector, colleagues who attended Cereals in June, talked of visitors being thin on the ground.

So should these events be taken as evidence of a lack of enthusiasm for real-life industry gatherings in 2021? Are Zooms good enough?

I'd argue yes and no. Perhaps for these end-user targeting events, there's not currently too great a desire for many to leave their work at a busy time of year to attend. 

But my guess for events specifically designed for the dealer network, is that they could do rather well - especially considering most suppliers are putting on roadshows at multiple venues around the country. This means travel should be cut down for attendees who don't have to schlep miles to a national venue - there should be an option relatively close by.

Crucially the key element of course, is that these will be targeted events, specifically for dealers, each with their own compelling reasons to attend.

Dealers who responded to our recent Business Confidence survey told us they are looking forward to the rest of the year and beyond with a 'cautious optimism'. Finding out what new products their suppliers will be bringing to market will play into that. 

But what do you think? Do you have some manufacturer demo day dates in your diary already? Are you looking forward to getting back out there and mixing with peers and colleagues again?

Or are you not so keen? Is time away from your dealership this autumn not a priority for you? Have virtual product launches been perfectly good these past months?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.