The organisers of SALTEX have announced that outdoor working demonstrations will be returning to the 2016 exhibition, which will be held on 2 and 3 November at the NEC, Birmingham.

Pitchmark’s Darren Rodman jumped at the chance of an outdoor demonstration area.

The return of this feature will once again provide exhibitors with the opportunity to showcase their products in an outdoor setting. The decision to bring back outdoor working demonstrations was made based on the SALTEX 2015 post-show feedback surveys.

Although more than 70 per cent of SALTEX 2015 visitors rated their overall show experience as being excellent, the survey also revealed that the show could benefit even further from the addition of outdoor demonstrations.

With SALTEX being the UK’s number one turf management event, it is imperative that the show continues to improve year on year; and the only way to make this happen is to listen to exhibitor and visitor feedback, according to IOG CEO Geoff Webb: “We are totally committed to the success of SALTEX, which is why we make sure that we listen to every single piece of feedback and implement tangible changes that will make the experience even better each year.

“SALTEX 2015 was a huge success but there is always room for improvement. What we must do in order to keep growing the event is listen carefully to the people that make everything possible – the exhibitors and the visitors. Both the post-show exhibitor and visitor surveys indicated that outdoor demonstrations would be a much welcome return to the show, so we listened and made it happen,” he said.

The outdoor demonstrations will take place on a grass area directly outside the SALTEX halls 6, 7 and 8, and a number of exhibitors have been quick to reserve a plot.

Commenting on Pitchmark’s decision to participate in the outdoor demonstrations feature, Darren Rodman marketing and customer support manager said: “Last year was our first time exhibiting at the show, so we didn’t have any pre-conceptions, but it was very positive. We were all very impressed and it exceeded what we hoped for.

“The only thing I thought could have been better was if there was an outdoor demonstration area so as soon as it became available we jumped on it straight away. For our sort of products, which are very visual, it’s ideal. We’ve got a large area and we’re planning on demonstrating the majority of our machines with a range of our paint and some accessories as well.

“It will be a great feature for visitors because they will have more variation – they can walk around the halls and then see the products in action outside. It’s a win-win for visitors and it’s a win-win for us as well.”

The addition of outdoor working demonstrations signals one of a number of new features coming to SALTEX 2016. Recently, show organisers announced the highly anticipated SALTEX College Cup sponsored by Ransomes and plans are already well underway for the exhibition’s educational programme LEARNING LIVE, which will see a number of industry experts from all over the world focusing on a variety of key topics.

From working demonstrations to new ideas, products and machinery, along with exciting new features, an enhanced education programme and combined with the IOG Industry Awards, SALTEX 2016 will offer better-than-ever opportunities for visitors to find the products, advice and support they need.

www.iogsaltex.com