Blog Elements - Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

GroundsFest arrives in style

October 6, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

GroundsFest arrives in style: After months of anticipation, GroundsFest 2023 lived up to the hype and celebrated a very memorable debut event with the groundscare community. The atmosphere was electric as GroundsFest united every corner of the industry and brought together 6,511 unique visitors (excluding exhibitors) across the two days. It was apparent among exhibitors […]

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed

October 5, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Olivia Dixon

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed: Designed to bring people together for the greater good of grounds, SALTEX’s comprehensive and extensive Learning LIVE programme for 2023 is now live on the exhibition’s website – www.saltex.org.uk/learning-live. Months in the making, all of the industry’s hottest topics are covered across the three stages over two days. On the […]

GroundsFest arrives in style

October 6, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed

October 5, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Olivia Dixon

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

GroundsFest arrives in style

October 6, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

GroundsFest arrives in style: After months of anticipation, GroundsFest 2023 lived up to the hype and celebrated a very memorable debut event with the groundscare community.

The atmosphere was electric as GroundsFest united every corner of the industry and brought together 6,511 unique visitors (excluding exhibitors) across the two days.

GroundsFest arrives in style

It was apparent among exhibitors and visitors that this new event was exactly what the industry needed.

The mix of indoor halls and outdoor areas certainly seemed to strike a chord with visitors. Inside, the vibrant show floor provided attendees with a great mix of exhibitors showcasing a wide range of products and services, while five seminar theatres offered a feast of free education. The Landscape Zone, an entire hall dedicated to those involved in the planning, design, and construction of outdoor environments in the landscaping sector, also proved to be a welcome addition.

The practical demonstrations from Grounds Training were a big hit with attendees. During the two days large groups gathered round experienced instructors to learn more about pedestrian mowers, ride-on mowers, handheld machinery, and the calibration and use of knapsack sprayers and boom sprayers. Furthermore, the instructors were on hand in a large outdoor area to show visitors how to mark out a running track and speak about the essential elements of line marking sport pitches.

In the outdoor areas hundreds of exhibitors were proudly showing off their products with many new innovations being unveiled for the first ever time ahead of the 2024 season. Not only was there plenty to see on the stands but the outdoor areas provided visitors with the perfect opportunity to see a wide range of machinery and to participate in live demonstrations.

On the evening of the first day, exhibitors and visitors came together to enjoy the festival aspect of the event. With a range of food stalls, and live entertainment headlined by a very popular Queen tribute band, it was the perfect way to conclude a very special first day at GroundsFest.

Commenting on the first ever GroundsFest, Event Director Christopher Bassett, said: “On behalf of all of us at GroundsFest we really want to extend our gratitude to all our exhibitors, partners and visitors that have showed their support for the first event. From the very start we wanted GroundsFest to be an event for everyone and to be able to establish a real sense of community. Over the two days we’ve had sunshine, we’ve had rain showers, but more importantly we’ve had collaboration, built relationships, witnessed innovation at its finest and ultimately come together to celebrate the industry and have a great time with one another.

“The positive feedback has been overwhelming but we’re certainly not resting on our laurels.

We’re already planning how we can improve the event for 2024 by listening to every single piece of feedback and by analysing both the exhibitor and visitor surveys. We’ll certainly be back with GroundsFest chapter two in September 2024 and we cannot wait to welcome you all again.”

To watch the show highlights please click here

For more information, please visit www.groundsfest.com

You can also follow GroundsFest on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @GroundsFest for much more news, reviews and insightful views.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed

October 5, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Olivia Dixon

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed: Designed to bring people together for the greater good of grounds, SALTEX’s comprehensive and extensive Learning LIVE programme for 2023 is now live on the exhibition’s website – www.saltex.org.uk/learning-live.

Months in the making, all of the industry’s hottest topics are covered across the three stages over two days.

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed

On the Spotlight Stage on Wednesday 1 November, the ‘Messi of mowing’ John Ledwidge, head of grounds and landscapes at Manchester City FC, Nick Taylor, managing director of Greycircle and Adrian Kay, York Racecourse Grounds Manager, host a discussion on skillful leadership best practice and the importance of team culture.

How do you deliver a major sporting event? Grounds managers at England’s most iconic cricketing venues talk about that and overcoming the challenges in hosting this year’s Ashes tournament on the Main Stage. Visitors can also meet the team behind the Women’s Ashes’ pitch delivery. These female pioneers will discuss how they got involved in this initiative and how they’d like its legacy to help promote grounds management as a career option for women and girls.

Also on Wednesday, attendees will get the chance to take part in an interactive panel discussion on the Main Stage with GMA consultant, Tim Nicholls and the Rugby Football League’s, Pat Clusky. The topic of discussion will be the GMA’s newly launched Grounds Management Framework which offers new and existing grounds staff a clear career pathway aligned with the necessary tools and qualifications needed to improve pitch standards and progress within the industry.

On day two, the Main Stage is busy celebrating volunteer heroes. Wes Matthews from Cranfield FC & Luton Town FC, GMA award winner Dean Gibbons from Wantage Bowls Club and Liam Murgatroyd from Queensferry ARLFC talk about working around the day job, finding funding opportunities and making the all-important budget spread further.

The requirement to reduce non-household water usage by nine percent by 2037 has created the perfect storm for leisure turf irrigation, resulting in requirements to reduce both abstraction volumes and mains use at the same time. At Learning LIVE visitors can find out how water availability will change and what should be considered in the search for alternative sustainable water sources.

Tony Hanson, Planet Mark Associate and Golf Environment Organisation Sustainability Associate, who is hosting a session on this subject says: “Water availability is changing – historically high personal consumption, population growth, climate change, increasing incidence of drought and flooding, over abstraction and pollution have all contributed to problems we now have to solve around water resource and quality. The leisure sector can protect future water sources and be part of the solution at SALTEX.”

Speaking of climate change and what comes next, over on the Spotlight Stage on day one, an important audience participation event concerning where we were, where we are now and where we are going with concern to UK weather under the umbrella of a rapidly changing world is hosted by Jim Dale – senior meteorological consultant, British Weather Services.

While on day two, the Spotlight Stage shines a spotlight on building relations with key stakeholders and justifying capital expenditure. The seminar is delivered by Callum Allsop from Leicester City FC, Adrian Kay from York Racecourse and Niall Hazelhurst from Warrington Wolves.

And finally the Eco Stage, on day one an update on sustainable installation and maintenance of synthetic turf, the current EU regulations on rubber crumb and recycling solutions is hosted by Alistair Cox from Loughborough University, Colin Corline from SAPCA, Chris Barry from Football Foundation and Eric O’Donnell from Sports Labs.
Following the sustainable theme, on day two Dr John Dempsey discusses non-pesticidal disease management. The independent turfgrass researcher says: “With all the restrictions on pesticides and the ambition of turfgrass managers to maintain their facilities and control disease in a sustainable manner, non-pesticidal disease management presents ways in which to do this without recourse to pesticides and by utilising the turfgrass’s own defence mechanisms.

“My seminar covers several research projects carried out over the past three years and presents results on surfactant effects on soil moisture and turfgrass quality, rootzone amendment’s effect on turfgrass growth, reduction of earthworm casting and the uptake and accumulation potassium phosphite.”

All Learning LIVE sessions qualify for both BASIS and BIGGA CPD points with 2 BASIS CPD points gained for attending SALTEX this year and a point for each session attended (up to four per day). BIGGA Networking Credits are also available with one for attending SALTEX and a one BIGGA education credit per hour for each Learning LIVE seminar attended.

More information about the SALTEX 2023 Learning LIVE programme can be found on the event’s website at www.saltex.org.uk/learning-live. Free visitor registration is now open. Visit saltex.org.uk or register here.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

GroundsFest arrives in style

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed

GroundsFest arrives in style

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

GroundsFest arrives in style

GroundsFest arrives in style: After months of anticipation, GroundsFest 2023 lived up to the hype and celebrated a very memorable debut event with the groundscare community.

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed

SALTEX Learning Live programme revealed: Designed to bring people together for the greater good of grounds, SALTEX’s comprehensive and extensive Learning LIVE programme for 2023 is now live on the exhibition’s website – www.saltex.org.uk/learning-live.

RESOURCES

CONTACT

CONNECT