During a week of a relentlessly upsetting news cycle, it was most heartening to leave my desk and attend a vibrant industry event.

Travelling into London to attend the Garden Press Event at the Business Design Centre in Islington on Wednesday, it was encouraging to simply see masses of normal people going about their normal, everyday business. Whist at the event itself, an upbeat and positive atmosphere pervaded, with encouraging business stories being shared, hands being shaken and the word being spread that the gardening sector is in good spirits.

I've attended this event annually for a number of years now and it has been very interesting to watch how it has grown - especially in regards to the number of machinery brands exhibiting. This show isn't open to members of the trade or the buying public, instead it's very specifically geared toward members of the gardening press. I would guess that most of the attendees aren't like myself, representing trade journals - the vast majority will be writing for national newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites which will be read by domestic consumers.

It's therefore great to see more and more brands, familiar to the specialist dealer network, choosing to have a presence at the event each year. All are in attendance with the intention of gaining the attention of these journalists, so their machinery can hopefully receive increased column inches in the gardening press. Press which will be read by your customers.

Husqvarna and Kubota were two companies opting join the show this year. They were there alongside other garden machinery providers including STIHL, John Deere, Cobra Garden, Hayter, Greenworks, Ambrogio, Ego, Barrus, Webb, Honda, Makita, Flymo & Gardena and Worx.

STIHL's Simon Hewitt chatting to Steve Gibbs

I'm pretty convinced that's the biggest ever showing of machinery manufactures at the Garden Press Event, which has to be seen as a positive move. It's so important that the message of these specialist brands is disseminated out to the public through the papers they buy and the blogs and influencers they choose to visit.

And what was the major message which was being passed on this year? On the whole, battery.

Last year I felt it was very specifically robotics which was the dominant machinery trend at the show. This year it very much felt like battery powered machinery in general was what most companies thought these journalists' readers would be interested in.

Around the stands and it was interesting to hear from Cobra regarding their newly launched campaign which will see them beginning to phase out petrol introductions to their range. MD Peter Chaloner told me there are still some petrol releases in the pipeline but they very much believe that cordless is the way the garden machinery sector is heading.

Ego were of course keen to discuss their recently launched Challenge 2025 manifesto. Steve Roskell, marketing director EMEA at Ego said there would be more to come on this from the company, with its genuine goal being the education and enlightenment of consumers regarding the benefits of battery powered equipment. He said the information they would be putting out there is to help consumers "make the right decision".

Greenworks were promoting their new twin-battery range for 2020, which includes a 48 volt mower which has power provided by two separate 24-volt batteries. Mark Mosely (above), marketing director, said this had been introduced because consumers want a high-powered mower but find the weight of a large battery inhibiting when transferred over into a piece of hand-held equipment. "We have solved this problem," Mark said, "by powering the lawnmower with two 24-volt batteries which are light in weight and can then be used individually in the line trimmers and cutters."

Hayter had an eye-catching stand with a beautifully restored vintage Harrier sat alongside a prototype battery-powered version of the mower, due for release later this year. The display made clear to the journalists in attendance the story of the heritage of the brand and just what a British success story the company is. Craig Hoare, sales and marketing manager, told me they are looking forward to the new battery model coming out in order to give the dealers a premium battery mower they can really get behind.

Makita were keen to point out that what counts in cordless equipment is the quality of the battery used. Mark Earles, business development manager (above), told me "Our strength is in our battery," which is being used across their new range of equipment.

All this is not to say there were no new petrol powered machines on show at all. STIHL featured a mix of power supplies on their stand, as did Barrus, Webb and Deere. However it certainly felt apparent that for this show and for this specific audience, battery was the loud and clear message.

Well not that loud, but that's one of the selling points.