SALTEX Reveal Visitor Profile

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SALTEX Reveal Visitor Profile: After an independent audit confirmed a record-breaking attendance at the NEC for SALTEX 2017, the show’s visitor survey has now revealed a fascinating insight into the 8,909 people who attended.

With over 300 exhibitors and more show features than ever before it is perhaps no surprise that an incredible 89 per cent of SALTEX 2017 visitors rated their overall SALTEX experience as being either very good or excellent.

SALTEX Reveal Visitor Profile

The majority of the visitors were aged between 31 and 60 and represented a wide variety of businesses and organisations – with sports clubs, local authorities and schools, colleges and universities leading the way.

In further exploring the type of sports or recreation facility that the visitors were responsible for maintaining, football led the way closely followed by golf, parks, cricket, rugby and tennis.

More than 70 per cent of visitors held a senior position within their respective companies and over 80 per cent of them were either solely responsible or contributed to the purchasing process.

Almost 60 per cent attended SALTEX with a view to buying and 40 per cent said that they placed orders on the show floor.

In terms of product categories they were interested in:

  • Machinery, power and hand tools – 84 per cent
  • Seeds, turf, aggregates and treatments – 49 per cent
  • Sports surfaces, facilities and equipment – 43 per cent
  • Arboriculture and horticulture – 40 per cent
  • Landscaping and materials – 38 per cent

Primarily, attendees came to search for innovations and new products while 84 per cent said they attended due to the number and mix of exhibitors. 67 per cent said they attended SALTEX with the main objective of networking; 74 per cent said the location of the show was a determining factor in their decision to attend and nearly 50 per cent of attendees made use of their visit for training and educational opportunities.

Whatever their reasons for attending, an overwhelming 92 per cent of SALTEX 2017 visitors said that they were successful in meeting their objectives.

SALTEX continues to attract an international audience and a large proportion of European visitors attended from countries such as Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, Czech Republic and Spain. Further afield, visitors from Sri Lanka, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia also made the journey to the NEC.

Located in the centre of the country and easily accessible by car, train, bus and even aeroplane, it was no surprise that visitors attended from every corner of the UK. In particular, the counties of Warwickshire, Lancashire, Shropshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and London recorded a huge number of visitors.

SALTEX 2018 will take place at the NEC, Birmingham on 31 October and 1 November, and 92 per cent of SALTEX 2017 visitors concluded the survey by indicating that they will be returning.

To view show highlights and key interviews please visit www.youtube.com/MyIOG

For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

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Velvit’s First BTME

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Velvit’s First BTME: This is the first time Velvit Ltd. has exhibited at BTME as the sister company of GreenBest Ltd., We had a great time, met lots of lovely people and it proved to be a great success.

Velvit supplies a complete range of fertilisers, biostimulants and wetting agents for the professional turf care industry. Velvit does not sell direct, it provides a branded range selling through distributors that compliments the bespoke service already provided by GreenBest.

Velvit's First BTME

Velvit was on stand A1, the first thing to be seen as the visitors entered the hall. Looking out on Tuesday and Wednesday morning we could see the constant streams of people entering the exhibition. We appreciated all the passing traffic, handing out hundreds of brochures and discussing what Velvit has to offer. Thanks to everyone who took the time to talk with us, we really enjoyed it!

On the Wednesday morning James Whittick (Sales Director) presented an info packed seminar ‘Fertiliser Choice – Quality, Cost and Performance’ as part of Continue to Learn at BTME 2018. The education opportunities are a huge draw to BTME and James was thrilled to present to a packed auditorium of around 150 people. Thanks to all those who attended and it was great to hear that the presentation was so well received.

GreenBest has been attending BTME for the last 20 years, but as a fertiliser manufacturer specialising in own-brand products it has never exhibited itself, preferring to meet directly with its distributors.

GreenBest launched Velvit to offer customers a consistent branded range, available off-the-shelf, rather than own-brand made to order. The Velvit range has been designed with all of GreenBest’s manufacturing experience in every aspect of the turf nutrition industry to offer the highest quality products at very competitive prices.

The Velvit range covers every nutritional aspect of turf management throughout the year and includes many advanced and innovative products.

Interest at BTME was particularly high for Resolute Wetting Agent which provides long lasting prevention from localised dry patch, and for Onyx Liquid an organic biostimulant that provides extensive benefits for plant and soil health.

Over 50 professional turf products
Over 25 distributors covering the UK
Fertilisers, biostimulants, wetting agents
Quick turnaround from order to delivery

www.velvit.co.uk

Velvit now has more than 25 distributors covering the UK https://www.velvit.co.uk/distributors

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Dennis & SISIS Announce Seminar

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Dennis & SISIS Announce Seminar: Dennis and SISIS’ first bowling green maintenance seminar of 2018 has been announced and will be held on Tuesday 13th March at the Ipswich & District Indoor Bowls Club.

Dennis and SISIS have a long history of supporting the sport of bowls and the seminars which are designed to ultimately help club greenkeepers and volunteers maintain their bowling greens, have significantly grown year on year.

Dennis & SISIS Announce Seminar

Combining practical tips, demonstrations and key information from industry experts, the 2018 seminars are set to be well attended yet again.

Dennis & SISIS have now revealed the programme details for the first of these events and it provides all delegates with a taste of what to expect throughout the series of seminars.

Chris Humphrey from Collier Turfcare will deliver a presentation entitled Chemicals and Fertilisers in which he will be revealing how to get the best value and best results no matter what the budget is. Chris will be followed by Luke Hunt from Barenbrug who will proceed to advise on Choosing the Correct Seed for a Bowling Green.

Following a mid-morning break, Chris will return to the stage to explore a number of ideas and methods titled Controlling pests in the future.

Before a complimentary lunch, an open question and answer session called the Turf Clinic will take place – presenting all delegates with the opportunity to ask any pressing questions relating to their own situations.

The afternoon will see all attendees head outside to witness an On-Green Demonstration. This demonstration not only provides a perfect opportunity to see some of the sport’s latest turf maintenance equipment in action but will also offer guidance in the way you prepare greens and provide delegates with advice on how to get the very best out of their equipment.

Dennis & SISIS Announce Seminar

The seminar will start with registration at 9am. To register for the FREE and highly informative seminars, please contact Roger Moore on 01332 824777 or email roger.moore@dennisuk.com.

Further information about the range of bowls maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com.

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ClearWater A Hit At BTME

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ClearWater A Hit At BTME: ClearWater proved to be popular at a very successful BTME for Acumen Waste Services Ltd. with a good number of enquiries taken. 

ClearWater’s sales and development manager, Matthew Mears, was most impressed with the first show he was responsible for and commented: “A great show that served two purposes; a chance for former Highspeed directors Andy Vincent and Dave Mears to say their goodbyes after a 25 year stint at BTME and also, for Acumen to establish themselves as part of BTME and demonstrate commitment to the future of ClearWater with customers old and new!”

ClearWater A Hit At BTME

The stand was certainly busy and footfall up on last year with more overseas interest too. The latest ClearWater display unit was on hand and proved useful to explain the virtues of the system (as our photo shows). There were many visits from Greenkeepers and others with specific interest in washpad compliance and had seen pre-show publicity for ClearWater.

Towards the end of the last day the big event was the Prize Draw. Steve Lloyd (seen here), course manager of The Worcestershire GC and last year’s winner was happy to make the draw. The system was won by Crosland Heath GC, a heathland course with stunning views located on the outskirts of Huddersfield, designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie and formed in 1914. The winning entry was placed by head greenkeeper Richard Holmes. Richard was delighted to learn of the win and said: “Very happy to be compliant now. ClearWater is what we have wanted for a long time; something we have strived towards”. A new ClearWater system will be on its way to Crosland Heath very soon!

A great show for Acumen and ClearWater and with impressive organisation and support from the BIGGA team!

For more information go to www.clearwatertv.co.uk

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Success For Deeside Golf Club

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Success For Deeside Golf Club: The greenkeeping team at Deeside Golf Club in Aberdeenshire is celebrating after winning a BIGGA award at BTME 2018. 

Led by Course Manager Neil McLoughlin (41), the greenkeeping team were announced as the winner of the BIGGA Greenkeeping Achievement of the Year Award sponsored by Baroness, at a ceremony held this evening in the Harrogate Convention Centre’s Royal Hall.

Success For Deeside Golf Club

When Storm Frank hit Aberdeenshire the day before New Year’s Eve in 2015, it caused the River Dee to reach record levels, three times covering the course in a thick layer of silt and debris.

In the aftermath, the team was able to get 10 holes reopened after just 77 days and the clean-up saw over six tonnes of grass seed laid down, 10,000m2 of turf laid and all 98 bunkers rebuilt, using 3,000 tonnes of sand for topdressing and bunkers.

During 2017 the hard work continued, with the silt layer impeding drainage. Over 400m of drainage was installed and a programme of scarification and topdressing helped break down the silt layer further.

The Deeside team was presented with the award by television presenter and #ThisGirlGolfs ambassador Naga Munchetty at the BIGGA Welcome Celebration sponsored by Textron Golf. The awards ceremony is one of the highlights of BTME 2018, the premier turf management exhibition in Europe.

Neil said: “It’s a real honour to win this award. Storm Frank came in and devastated the whole Dee Valley and the golf course ended up in a hell of a state.

“We do flood quite a lot, but generally we call them clean floods

BIGGA Chief Executive Jim Croxton said: “Of the golf clubs who were hit hard by the devastation that Storm Frank wrought in December 2015, it was perhaps Deeside who were hit hardest of all.

“For greenkeepers who dedicate their lives to maintaining a relatively small patch of land, the damage must have been heartbreaking. It is therefore to Neil and his team’s immense credit that they were able to pick themselves up and restore the course to its former glory.

“I cannot praise the greenkeeping team highly enough for the work they have done to get Deeside back on its feet. They are truly an inspiration to greenkeepers all over the country and they are worthy recipients of this year’s BIGGA Greenkeeping Achievement of the Year Award sponsored by Baroness.”

The other finalists for the BIGGA Greenkeeping Achievement of the Year Award sponsored by Baroness were Andrew Brougham, head greenkeeper of Astbury Golf Club, and Stuart Imeson, course manager at Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club.

BTME 2018 runs until Thursday 25 January and features more than 150 exhibitors from all aspects of the turf management industry. Each year more than 4,500 greenkeepers, trade members, club managers and other representatives of the golfing industry come together to network and share news of the latest education and innovation.

Visit http://btme.org.uk/ for more information.

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