INTO the heart of Westminster last Tuesday for the AEA Conference. Thankfully not a politician in sight, they are all out in far flung places they would never normally visit trying to connect with ‘hard working people’.

Sadly, not even a sighting of Nigel Farage at one of his haunts, the nearby Westminster Arms, which probably hosts one of the most lively, valuable, gossipy industry gatherings of the whole year after the AEA formals have finished.  I’m with Keith Christian when he says he hates the word ‘networking’, but the traditional pavement filling get-together is exactly that.

The conference marked the debut of Ruth Bailey as AEA Director General. Must have been daunting with the two previous DGs in the room, but she had a sure touch which betrayed any understandable nerves and set out her vision for the future role of the AEA. Two themes stood out, the need for the AEA to be more visible – and for it to build on its traditional role of presenting historical market data by using that data to forecast future trends.

The conference format followed the usual pattern of three papers, drinks, lunch, pub. All three presentations had much to offer, but the back-to-back nature of the morning programme lasting an uninterrupted two and half hours often means that final speakers can suffer from audience-fatigue, however good their content.

Hamish Taylor, who has held senior posts with BA, Eurotunnel, Proctor and Gamble and others was entertaining and tapped into recognisable areas which we all encounter. His message was ‘ditch the technospeak’. The product is less important than the benefit it brings to consumers.

That surely is a hint to the lawnmower sellers. What people want is good looking grass and less hassle – and the machine is only a means to an end.

GOOD to see Darren Spencer back at Countax.  It appears that the md role that David Sturges held previously is not being directly replaced, but that is a by-product of being owned by an international company. However, the UK is the home of the lawnmower, it was invented here – and Britain’s lawns, British turfcare, British groundsman set quality standards worldwide. We must be precious about our heritage – and have people at the helm who understand the special nature of our lawnmower industry.