I'm sure all our agricultural machinery dealer readers are fully aware, but 2025's trade show season kicks off in earnest next week with LAMMA taking place at the NEC.
With the show organisers promising over 600 exhibitors, the huge exhibition will be an opportunity to gauge the mood of the sector at the start of this new year. A sector which let's not forget, despite an uptick in December, experienced less than sterling sales of new tractors last year - and of course saw a fair number of dealer colleagues shut up shop for the final time.
For our readers in attendance next week, the show will be a great chance to meet up with manufacturers and suppliers to chat through what they feel the prospects are like for the coming season. It's also of course, a great time to chat with fellow dealers to compare notes on how business is faring for others around the country. With all the perennial debates regarding the importance and frequency of trade shows, the value of these moments where professionals with common issues can come together to share knowledge and experience, shouldn't be underestimated.
Keeping up with change
Another, more fundamental, reason for attending trade shows where possible is to check out the new machinery options available for your customer base. This is a point raised today by our friend Bob Clements of BCI when discussing the rate of business change that dealers are experiencing. In the latest video installment of our roundtable discussion that took place at the Equip show in Louisville last autumn between Bob and Sara plus UK dealer Jo Balmer alongside Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke, Bob says how they encourage the dealers they train to attend shows like Expo each year just to keep on top of what's new.
Bob makes the point that it is not necessarily the established manufacturers who dealers will be familiar with, that are bringing to market the latest technological advances. It can often be the new players on the scene who you may not have heard from before. It's the discovery of these companies bringing something new to the table, that may fulfil a machinery need for your clients.
It's a fascinating video and one well worth checking out on our Equip Digital Special Report today. Jo says that over the past five years or so the rate of change that dealerships have experienced has been huge. All agree that it's vital that progressive dealerships stay on top of this product evolution if they want to remain competitive in their local communities.
A great point that Jo makes regarding how dealers can remain ahead of the curve, is by keeping up with all training options available. Working hand-in-hand with manufacturers is key in this regard. Equipping the dealership's team with the knowledge they need to handle new technologies and trends, by embracing all the courses that your suppliers should be offering, can ensure your staff remain the go-to experts in their field.
There will be other ways too that dealers will know they employ to remain up to speed with this rapid business change. Notions such as embracing digital tools to manage inventory and customer contacts; focusing on providing great customer experiences; diversifying offerings as demand shifts; strengthening online and social channels; adapting to market movements and forging close bonds with suppliers. All are important.
As our panel discuss, change is inevitable, but it also brings opportunities for growth and innovation. For progressive dealers, keeping up with the pace of business change is not just a necessity, it’s a means of staying relevant and competitive. Also, as everyone reading this today will know all too well, it is not just a one-time effort - rather it's an ongoing process.
But as our panel would agree, certainly with the generational changes that will be happening within many dealerships, those that are adapting with the times, will not just survive, but thrive.
