SALTEX Announce Innovation Hub: In a new addition for 2018, visitors to SALTEX will be able to experience the very latest groundscare ingenuity in the Innovation Hub, a new area on the show floor which is purely dedicated to innovation and new concepts in grounds management.

SALTEX plays host to the most technologically-advanced equipment showcase with hundreds of exhibitors pushing the boundaries with new products and services. Within this fast-paced and evolving industry, manufacturers are more forward-thinking than ever before to ensure their products match their client’s needs and with over 8,000 SALTEX visitors, these new technologies are certainly under the spotlight.

According to the SALTEX 2017 visitor survey, an incredible 97 per cent claimed that their main reason for attending the exhibition was to see the latest innovations. Taking this feedback on-board, SALTEX event organisers have decided to host, for the very first time, a dedicated Innovation Hub.

Visitors can expect to watch interviews with industry experts and those at the forefront of new groundscare innovations and listen to research and trial work findings. Furthermore, a number of key speakers will take to the stage to discuss and explore current groundscare trends such as cordless/environmentally friendly equipment, robotics, GPS control machinery, pesticide alternatives, pitch lighting (including watering systems and oxygen) and pitch monitoring systems.

In this exciting new feature, delegates will be able to engage in conversation regarding key topics or seek advice while using the opportunity to network with the industry’s most innovative business leaders and exporters – making the Innovation Hub a must visit area for all attendees.

The Innovation Hub will also play host to the SALTEX 2018 Innovation Award ceremony. Entries to the second ever SALTEX Innovation Award are now open and visitors can again expect to see the latest and very best in new grounds care technology.

Making its debut at last year’s show, the Innovation Award attracted a number of high-quality entries from across the globe spanning a wide variety of products, services and equipment.

The independent panel of judges, who based their decisions on a number of factors including what the entry offers the industry and how it makes life easier for the person using it, were unanimous in selecting four stand-out entries – and by all accounts 2017 was the year for new line marking technologies.

The standard was incredibly high resulting in a tie for first place. Rigby Taylor’s Intelligent One autonomous robotic line marker and Fleet Line Markers’ MAQA line marking machine were announced as joint winners of the first ever SALTEX Innovation Award.

Second place went to Oregon’s Gator Speedload, which judges said was a quick and simple device which negated the need to dismantle the head each time to re-load/wrap new strimmer cord. Third place went to the Etesia Hydro 80 MKHP4 E-Connect, due to its ability to set up multiple users and record data – allowing organisations or clubs to monitor the amount of use and user’s ability.

Due to the popularity of last year’s Innovation Award, SALTEX 2018 is expected to attract even more entries and all will be revealed in the lead-up to the show. Additionally, by referring to the show guide, SALTEX visitors will be able to follow an Innovation Trail enabling them to see every single entry on the show floor.

SALTEX takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on October 31 and November 1.

Visitors can register to attend SALTEX for FREE via the website – www.iogsaltex.com

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