This week’s LAMMA farm machinery show at the NEC in Birmingham witnessed a ‘record breaking surge in visitors’ according to organisers Agriconnect, and on the basis of the crowded aisles during much of the first day, it was hard to argue, writes Martin Rickatson, agricultural machinery editor for Service Dealer.  

The business behind the show reckoned to have welcomed over 22,000 attendees through the doors on day one, and with 95 new exhibitors said to have been signed up for this year’s LAMMA, there appeared to be much less of the dead space and spread-out stands that have been a feature in some hall areas during recent editions of the event. Among those new exhibitors were some big names such as Case IH, which returned with a full stand in its own right, plus newer makers including Chinese tractor firm Lovol, while companies such as AGCO and Krone underlined their market commitment with particularly large stands. 

There remained some notable absences, including John Deere, Claas and Kuhn, but the event does seem to have started to build some atmosphere at its new home - not an easy thing, given the linear layout. It remains to be seen how many serious enquiries were being made, and how many will translate into dealer orders over the coming weeks - there was certainly some caution about the effects of inflation on new equipment prices, interest rates on farmer spending power, and excess machine stocks loaded onto dealers by manufacturers. But on the basis of the number of smiling faces seen enjoying a day browsing new kit in the warm and dry, LAMMA 2024 was undoubtedly successful.

Read Martin's full report from the show in the next edition of Service Dealer magazine.