On Wednesday this week, the sophomore edition of the IOG's SALTEX show at the Birmingham NEC opens its doors.
After all the talk and debate last year over the show shifting from being an outdoor event in September to being an indoor event in November, it seems the IOG is most definitely sticking to its guns. And you can see why. The Institute was very pleased with visitor numbers last year and they are saying that even more exhibitors have booked to show their wares this year.
Anecdotally, speaking to many companies who chose to exhibit last year, overall the feedback I heard was also very positive. Their stands were constantly busy, crucially with key personnel who could make purchasing decisions. The only real grumbles I picked up on from these guys was the expense of the floor space compared to Windsor.
Based on feedback we received to TurfPro Weekly Briefing following the show last year, we had a few groundsmen who were quite outspoken in their dissatisfaction with the move. Phrases such as 'never returning' did crop up. But I would put these down as being very much in the minority. As is often the case with online reviews, it's usually only those with '1-star terrible' or '5-star incredible' views who actually bother to speak up. The vast majority in the middle are on the whole are pretty much satisfied, whilst of course seeing room for improvement.
And to be fair to the IOG they have indeed responded in one obvious way this year, to a 'room for improvement' call, which many cited as soon as the announcement was made back in 2014 that the show would be moving to the NEC - the need for an outdoor demonstration area.
The Institute say they have listened and will indeed be providing an area for outdoor demonstrations. They have said this has been as a direct result of visitor feedback surveys carried out following 2015's show. IOG CEO Geoff Webb made it clear in a statement; "What we must do in order to keep growing the event is listen carefully to the people that make everything possible - the exhibitors and the visitors. Both the post-show exhibitor and visitor surveys indicated that outdoor demonstrations would be a much welcome return to the show, so we listened and made it happen."
So these will take place this year on a grass area directly outside halls 6, 7 and 8. How large an area this can be, simply because of the physical confines of the NEC, we're of course yet to see?
I think if you explained to someone from outside the industry that a major show for turf professionals, of which a significant proportion of the displays were of outdoor powered machinery, took place solely inside, they would be somewhat confused. So this has to be seen as a positive step.
What might still prove to be problematic is that this outside area is taking place in November. Looking at the weather forecast for Birmingham Airport this morning (Monday), the BBC is saying it's going to be cloudy and 9degrees on Wednesday and cloudy and 8degrees on Thursday - which whilst nippy is at least dry. Turf professionals are obviously a hardy bunch so at the moment this shouldn't deter crowds visiting these plots (although spare a thought for the company reps who have to spend all day rooted to the same spot!).
What could still prove to be more of a problem though is the timing of the show in general. Feedback we've received from our dealer readers of our sister title Service Dealer, certainly feel that post-show is far from an ideal time of the year to get out and demo machines on-site. Some have talked about it being March or April before conditions can be suitable.
But I guess the show is what it is now. There is certainly no indication of a timing or venue change - and like I say, on the whole response last year was on the favourable side.
Therefore it'll be fascinating this week to see if the generally good feeling which the inaugural NEC event generated continues to flourish - and if the show's evolution erases most of the grumbles and concerns we've heard over the past year or so.
