Preview of this year’s SALTEX

By Alistair October 14, 2019 11:25

This year’s SALTEX event at The NEC will feature an ‘Eco Village’ in which greenkeepers can see sustainable technology in action, plus there will be networking opportunities – and education offerings about turfgrass fungal disease.

Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham on October 30 and 31, SALTEX 2019 will feature over 300 exhibitors including some of the biggest names in groundscare.

The two-day Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) event will offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience the very latest industry trends and innovations, enhance their education and learn from industry experts.

The exhibition is the longest-standing event of its kind in the world, having been held almost every year since 1938, and the show is continually evolving with the people of the industry in mind.

SALTEX visitors can expect to experience the latest green technology in groundscare in a new area on the show floor for 2019 – which is purely dedicated to environmentally-friendly products.

The trend towards sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices in groundscare is gathering pace. Today, an increased number of grounds personnel, greenkeepers, landscapers and contractors are looking for products that can deliver quality results but also reduce carbon footprints to the environment.

Although more than 80 per cent of SALTEX 2018 visitors rated their overall show experience as being excellent, the post-show survey also revealed that visitors thought the exhibition could benefit even further from a wider choice of eco-friendly products and services.

The all-new Eco Village at SALTEX will feature a programme of daily demonstrations of cutting-edge sustainable technology – offering visitors an opportunity of seeing a number of products in action. Furthermore, industry experts, within this village, will offer advice on green technology and how it could benefit current working practices.

Commenting on the Eco Village, SALTEX event director Matthew Knight, said: “Each year we listen to every single piece of feedback and implement tangible changes that will make the SALTEX experience even better.

“It is great to see groundscare manufacturers committed to reducing the environmental footprints and with the increasing demand for battery-powered products it makes sense to launch a new area at SALTEX, which solely focuses on these technologies.

“There has been a huge amount of interest from companies that are looking to participate and we are expecting to stage a fascinating and varied demonstration programme.”

As well as live demonstrations purely dedicated to environmentally-friendly products, this year the show floor will be bursting with everything a visitor needs to increase their efficiency and improve operations – and attendees can expect features such as:

Pathology and Soil Science LIVE – a look in detail at the symptoms of turfgrass fungal disease problems.
SALTEX Innovation Award – celebrating the very best in new groundscare technology.
Ask the Expert – free face-to-face turfcare advice.
Outdoor demonstrations – the latest products in action in an area directly outside halls 6,7 and 8.
SALTEX College Cup – land-based colleges compete in an academic test of turf management knowledge.
Lawn Care Legends LIVE – a networking opportunity for landscapers and gardeners.
Job Clinic – free one-to-one sessions covering CV writing to interview techniques.

Registration is accessible through the SALTEX website and visitors can simply bring their email confirmation (on a phone or a printed copy to the registration desk) which will be located at the show entrance.

Dan Walker

In addition, this year’s IOG ‘Industry Awards’, hosted by the BBC’s Dan Walker, will be taking place on Wednesday, October 30 at The Vox, located in Resorts World at the Birmingham NEC.

The awards – now in their 11th year – have continually grown in status for acknowledging the achievements of volunteer and professional grounds teams, as well as community clubs and national stadia. They recognise the passion, dedication and challenges faced by grounds staff at clubs of every size and from all corners of the UK.

Dan Walker will bring a new dimension to this year’s event as the 20 award categories are presented.

To secure your seat – which cost £95 each for IOG members and £190 each for non-members – please contact the IOG by email (awards@iog.org) or call 01908 312 511 where you can also gain details of how to become an IOG member.

Feedback and analysis from SALTEX 2018 found that the visitor total was 8,902. Visitors, including greenkeepers, attended from 44 different countries.

Ninety per cent of visitors said they were successful in meeting their show objectives and the same percentage rated their overall show experience as either very good or excellent.

Survey respondents said that their top priorities for attending were to source new products / services and suppliers (79 per cent) and discover new innovations (77 per cent).