First up, as you may have already read, those dealers who wish to get their business or members of their team in the running for a Dealer Of The Year Award, now have until 5pm on Monday October 17th to get their nominations in.

This should make sure everyone has plenty of time to gather together any supporting material, such as videos or customer testimonials, that can aid their entry. 
 
Also, to our manufacturer and supplier readers, we still want to hear from you too regarding who has been doing fantastic work for your brand this past year. So please do get in touch and let us know.
 
I'm led to believe by the organising team that this will be absolutely the one and only, final, no messing, this is it, no more after today, extension to the entry deadline - so do take advantage of the extra time! The Conference and Awards is fast approaching now and it'll be great to give the judging panel as wide a selection of nominations as possible to work their way through - in order to arrive at some truly worthy winners.

Talking to the team, we've had some great nominations in, with some amazing stories attached, so far already - but a flurry of late admissions is always welcomed. Don't forget we not only want to hear about great businesses, but outstanding individuals too. We want to tales of leaders setting examples from the front, of apprentices grabbing their opportunity with both hands, and of stars of the dealership going above and beyond - perhaps with some creative new initiatives!

So please don't miss out. Get your nominations in before Monday at 5pm. You never know, it could be you or a member of your staff holding aloft that prize at the gala ceremony this year.

Get entering!

Equip Expo

Next week will be slightly different in terms of the Weekly Updates you receive into your Inbox - as kicking off on Tuesday in Louisville, Kentucky, USA is the Equip Expo (formally GIE+EXPO).

Myself and Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke will be visiting the show, accompanied by two winners of competitions that ran in our pages on behalf of the show organisers, for a UK-based dealer and a turf professional to attend. Joining Duncan and myself will be Pete McArthur of Strathbogie Forest & Garden (after our original winner had to pull out due to a change in circumstances) and Daniel Lewis of Manchester City Football Club.

The intention whilst we're there is to send a couple of extra Service Dealer Weekly Updates, to keep our dealer readers in the loop regarding what developments of interest to the UK are being seen at the U.S trade show. As long as the technology obliges - or more to the point, my ability to work the technology obliges - these bonus mailings should contain some short video content, to offer a flavour of what's taking place at the Kentucky Exhibition Centre.

There have been some changes to the show since I last visited in 2019. For a start it's now wholly owned by the OPEI - the American equivalent of our AEA - and it has changed its name! Beyond that there are a couple of new attractions such as a UTV test track and a drone flying area that should prove interesting. As well as all that, the static exhibition space and outdoor demonstration area sound to be bigger than ever.

The exhibition will see many manufacturers holding some major new launches of equipment - some for the first time anywhere in the world. I'm aware for example, that Kress who have recently made some quite striking presentations to UK dealers, are also planning to make a splash for the US dealers and end-users at the show. So there will most definitely be plenty to see and report on.

An aspect that I have always found fascinating when I've visited the event before, is to get a sense of what similar issues their outdoor powered machinery dealers are facing compared to ours - and where they differ. From what I can gather, American dealers have been struggling with many of the same problems as our dealer readers have these past couple of years - ie. stock, communication with manufacturers, rising costs etc - so it'll be interesting to hear how they have coped and whether they feel they are emerging from that now?

To further explore this compare and contrast, our winners Pete and Dan, have been invited to sit on a panel debate run by our friends Bob Clements and Sara Hey, entitled The Changing Landscape of Outdoor Power Equipment in the US and the UK, which intends to do exactly this. Hopefully by talking to experts from both sides of the pond, we'll gain some understanding of how both have been running their businesses to find ways of continuing to succeed.

Sharing experiences and knowledge such as this is incredibly helpful I think, as a means of gaining some fresh perspectives and new ideas. A business in the U.S will of course face issues that simply won't apply this side of the Atlantic - but equally there will be some fundamental similarities in running a machinery dealership, where ideas can be cross-pollinated.

In previewing the panel debate our guys will be joining, Sara Hey said, "What do autonomous mowers, battery power, and Ted Lasso have in common? They have all changed the way the UK and the US relate." She says she wants the discussion to cover the changing needs of both dealers and professional end-users in the US and the UK, how all can increase revenue and strategies that work to increase profit on both sides of the pond - which should prove enlightening. 

So do keep an eye on your emails next week as we should be popping up a couple more times than usual. We'll keep you updated with what's going on - and will follow up in more detail, post-show.

Also if any of our readers are planning to be in Louisville, do say hi if our paths cross. It'll be great to see some familiar faces and find out what else has been discovered around the vast showground.