New kids on the block: Scott MacCallum speaks with the three men responsible for the GroundsFest event which made such an impact on the industry last year and which is about to take another step forward in its second year.

If there was an industry-wide award for Best Newcomer for 2023 I don’t doubt that there wouldn’t be much complaint if it went to GroundsFest.

New kids on the block

The two-day indoor/outdoor trade show, with a music festival in between, proved to be a big hit, so much so that the second edition of GroundsFest in September is already promising to be a much bigger version than the first, with record numbers of exhibitors, and even more brands, on display.

That GroundsFest hit the ground running at Olympic speed is credit to the team whose vision it was, and whose hard work it was, turned a good idea on paper into a wonderful event in reality in the grounds of the Stoneleigh Park, in Warwickshire.

Chris Bassett, Chris Bennett and Charles Neale are the three men who trusted their beliefs and launched a new show into what many had already described as a crowded market.

They took time to talk with Turf Matters a few weeks ahead of the second GroundsFest.

Turf Matters (TM): How did the idea and concept of GroundsFest come up in the first place?

Chris Bassett: We instructed an independent third party to carry out market research surveying the thoughts of potential exhibitors and visitors. We actually looked at other options, from a series of road shows, to having one national show but moving it around the country. However, based on the research we opted for one national show in the middle of the country. Then, after looking at around a dozen potential venues, including some abandoned airfields, we identified Stoneleigh as offering the best range of indoor and outdoor space. We wanted an event which was beneficial to not just the visitors but the exhibitors as well and as a result we were able to come up with a price point for indoor and outdoor what was cost effective for the exhibitors.

TM: The industry has long urged for the two main shows – BTME and SALTEX – to combine to create one show. You’ve come along with a third show. How did you persuade the industry that a third show was something that they should entertain?

Chris Bennett: I don’t think we needed to persuade them as the research we carried out showed that there was such an overwhelming appetite for what GroundsFest was offering. All the stats, all the feedback, pointed to an event that was held in September and which had a mix of indoor and outdoor space. It was what the industry wanted.

New kids on the block

Charles Neale: When it came to our year one launch we had just shy of 15,000 square metres of booked space, which goes to highlight the backing we had from the start. And bear in mind that came about with us starting our planning and selling the show in just 11 months. Again I think that backs up the need for a show of our type.

TM: Were there any alarm bells clanging from the fact that others had tried to launch events and show without real success?

CBass: Well we do like a challenge, and to prove people wrong. It is fair to say that had we not carried out the extensive research in the first place we wouldn’t have done what we have done. Ok, it’s one thing to get the research, it’s another thing to get people to start backing you. But it quickly snowballed and we had a great response from the industry. We had a busy couple of months out on the road talking to as many people as possible and we found we had a lot of support. Some manufacturers did sit on the fence for the first year and sent dealers to see how it went. As it proved to be a good show they are coming back this time as manufacturers rather than sending their dealers.

CBenn: The team behind GroundsFest is very well known within the industry and has vast exhibition experience so that helped to give people confidence that we could actually deliver an event as well.

TM: How did you come about the time of year and the date for the Show?

CBass: Again that was all down to the research. There were three key times that stood out – November/December, January and then September – and September was the standout choice if we wanted to have an outdoor element to the show. Although the way the weather is changing at the moment, and what we faced that first day last year, nothing is certain! We also didn’t want to clash with the existing shows.

New kids on the block

TM: Logistically, how do you go about putting on a new show? Do you wait until sales come in and then secure space, or do you secure the space and then seek to fill it?

CN: More of the latter really. On other exhibitions I’ve worked on I’ve preferred to sell off plan because I prefer the exhibitor to have a choice rather than have them send in their dimensions and drop them into the plan. I think it works better that way. We had a plan in mind in year one but it did change quite considerably from that original plan to accommodate the numbers who wished to book. How we have grown from even then to now is fantastic.

TM: What were the hiccups and hurdles you faced going into that first GroundsFest? You can reveal them to us now!

CBass: The biggest hiccup was definitely the weather. Obviously I died on my sword a bit by saying that our research had shown that September was the driest and best month for the show, and then we had a hurricane on the first day which wasn’t ideal for the launch. But in a funny way it actually worked in our favour. When, despite the awful weather at the start, the doors opened and so many people came through the gates I think the exhibitors where pleased and surprised. I think it brought everyone together.

CBenn: You aren’t going to get a sterner test for a launch event that facing the tail end of a hurricane (Hurricane Nigel) on the very first day.

CN: The wind speeds during build up were 40mph, The day before we had a gazebo fly from one side of the showground to the other.

TM: Talk us through your thoughts that first morning when the rain was tumbling down and the wind was blowing sideways.

CBass: When I opened the curtains in the hotel room and saw the weather I don’t mind telling you I did have a tear running down my cheek. You are praying for decent weather to give yourself the best possible start, especially in the first year, but that wasn’t the case. But the Operations Team was great and the GroundsFest Team was great. We just wanted to make sure that from a customer services point of view we were on point, from the set up to the breakdown. I think we achieved that. We received loads of comments about how great the wider team was and seeing
exhibitors saying that we made it as easy as possible for them for them to exhibit and sell products that was what we wanted to do. We didn’t want exhibitors to have issues while they were there. Whatever issue they did have, we would sort it.

CN: We were out there from minute one in the rain speaking to exhibitors, and that went down really well. Collectively the three of us picked each other up at times during the build up because, we’re not stupid, we had access to weather apps and could see the storm coming. I was down at one point, Chris Bassett, at one point and Chris Bennett at another time. We just kept picking each other up.

CBenn: I don’t sleep at the best of times but I remember looking out the window at the outdoor ring and the rain was coming in, the wind was coming in and there were nerves and anxiety. It wasn’t a nice feeling, but we stuck together and the team spirit really shone through.

TM: At what point did you think that this is going to work?

CBenn: I remember speaking to one exhibitor about 1pm in the afternoon of the first day and he said to me that he’d re-sign right away, just give him the form. I thought then that there was a huge appetite for this show and that people wanted an event like GroundsFest. That was only hours into the show. The second time was at the Festival when we were able to take a step back and as a GroundsFest team, grab a drink and watch the thousand plus people who had stayed on.

CN: About three or weeks after the show when all re-bookings were coming in.

CBass: For me, I knew it was going to be successful a couple of months later when reached the point that we had broken even and we could then begin to give back to the industry in the way of the Education Fund.

TM: What can we expect from GroundsFest 2024?

CBass: It will be bigger and better. We will see a shift towards GroundsFest becoming the national show to attend, We are already the largest show in the industry in terms of exhibitor numbers and brands on show. We have more exhibitors booked than BTME and Saltex combined. It is up to us to prove that we are here to stay, but I believe we are giving exhibitors and visitors a unique concept that no-one else can offer and because of where we pitch our pricing and with our indoor or outdoor options, we are bringing exhibitors back who haven’t been at shows for a number of years.

CN: We’ve increased the show in every way. We have taken all of Hall 1 and moved the Landscape Zone to increase that area. The Grand Ring outdoors area is completely full and we didn’t even take a third of it last year. We have over 17,000 square metres of space taken when last year it was 14,600 square metres. From three or four weeks into re-booking it’s gone crackers. Over 90% re-booked, while we’ve had just shy of 80 new companies who will be joining us this year – as it stands we have 247 exhibitors who will be showing over 500 brands.

CBass: There will be more live demos. Companies have taken bigger plots to be able to demo their products. We’ve got Machinery Nation Live where there will be comparison tests of like-for-like products. We have Grounds Training, both indoor and outdoor, and four seminar theatres will top quality speakers. We’ve moved the Festival to a larger hall and we’re bringing the catering indoors with an indoor seating area too. Due to popular demand we have brought back the Queen tribute band which went down so well, while we have another band and a couple of DJs. We also have Bumper cars which will be great fun.

New kids on the block

CBenn: It’s not just the show itself. A big part is giving back to the industry and we were delighted, because of the success of year one, that we were able to start the GroundsFest Education Fund straight away. It had been scheduled for after year three but it was always one of the main reasons we launched GroundsFest. We recently went to visit some of the students who benefitted from the fund and it was really rewarding to speak with students who have used the fund to help them on their educational journey. A lot of rural colleges are situated out of the way, so we have helped fund driving lessons for some and been able to provide laptops, literature and allowed students to fund additional qualifications.

CBass: We have also been able to forge some very good relationships with so many of the industry bodies which I believe is crucial. With everyone pulling in the same direction it can only be good for the industry as a whole. We believe that GroundsFest has a key role in that going forward.

TM: Well, thank you all for your time and I hope you have another great show and manage to avoid any offspring of Hurricane Nigel!

GroundsFest 24; Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, September 10 and 11