A Definite Buzz In The Air

Show time again! September signals the start of our autumn and winter industry trade shows, with GroundsFest one of the first on the calendar – to be followed later by SALTEX and BTME.

Therefore, last week I and my colleagues from TurfPro and Service Dealer attended the show at the Stoneleigh showground in Warwickshire. Again, the weather was fabulous and the stage set for a busy show.

As my colleague Steve Gibbs pointed out in his assessment of the day in the Service Dealer Weekly Update on Friday, day one was heaving, with the showground seemingly packed. he organisers said there were 302 exhibitors this year – 40 more than in 2025, with 60 companies also increasing their stand space. They went on to say there is apparently already a waiting list of prospective exhibitors, with scope to expand the show’s footprint into unused areas towards the back of the Stoneleigh site.

Steve said of the show, “The weather certainly helped this year. But there is something more fundamental about an outdoor machinery show in September that simply works – for both visitors and exhibitors. Also, interestingly, there is a noticeably different atmosphere to GroundsFest than other trade shows in our sector. It feels less formal, relaxed and even perhaps a word not often associated with exhibitions, fun. That mood seems to bounce around the showground, from the staff running the stands to the visitors walking between them.”

Steve and I asked many exhibitors of their thoughts on the show and they all were pleased with the increased footfall and interest from those attending.

Guy Overton on the Overton stand mentioned that he had a lot of enquiries and secured a couple of orders at the show. His company was showcasing its recently added DR professional range, with further models planned for launch at BTME. The company said dealers were particularly interested in the return of these machines with two field & brush mowers and two trimmers on show, with the company now looking to build a dealer network.

There was also some keen interest in his remote-controlled rotary mowers, both two- and four-wheel drive models that can multitask by having enough power to tow a fertiliser spreader and small trailer.

EGO again had a large exhibition stand that was being used to demonstrate a range of there latest products. EGO said GroundsFest remains its favourite event of the year, with a good crossover between dealers and professional end users. Its big draw was the forthcoming ZTX 4800 commercial zero-turn mower, with its price point intended to make the move from petrol to battery more accessible to commercial operators.

The company also stressed the importance of dealer-led demonstrations and getting machines into the hands of professional users. The company has also brought out a new Pro X range of professional tools to accommodate the needs of contractors and local authorities. I am currently product testing a number of their products with the aim to compile a report on their performance which will be published in an upcoming edition of TurfPro.

Both Steve and I caught up with MD Chris Gibson on the PSD stand who was highlighting its support for dealers with its range of professional equipment, with the remote-controlled Sabo Mowit proving a particular draw. The machine is finding applications in rougher areas that conventional robotic mowers may struggle with, including the edges of golf courses, as well as with landscapers and local authorities.

Again this year, the show was awash with robotic mowers and line markers of all shapes and sizes. I managed to speak to Benelux, UK and Ireland country manager for Segway Navimow, Francis JI who was attending his first Groundsfest. He was extremely excited and happy with the interest being shown at their stand, where they were showing off a plethora of robotic mowers that included their newest Segway Navimow H5 Pro, a robotic lawn mower with the EdgeMaestro extendable robotic arm for zero-edge mowing. They say it delivers a “major breakthrough in garden care”, overcoming long-standing limitations in edge trimming.

This model also has a 360° VisionFence system that combines optical vision with thermal infrared sensing to detect small animals and other obstacles, even in low-light and nighttime conditions.

As always for me it is all about the people who attend who make these events successful. This includes exhibitors and organisers, who all devote time and effort to ensure the success of the days. It was good to catch up with Alison and Ben from Dennis / SISIS, who again as a company continue to support and exhibit at all our trade shows.

It was pleasing to see head groundsman James Cavanha and his team visit the TurfPro stand. He and his team were impressed with the show and spoke of the challenging year they had coping with the dry weather. Trying to water pitches and keep them alive was a tall order, he said.

An impressive mural was painted during the show on the Greenworks Commercial stand – alongside the announcement that the Cramer name will disappear from the European market as the machines transition to Greenworks Commercial branding. The machines themselves are essentially unchanged, with the dealer-only Greenworks Commercial operation retaining its existing UK team and setup.

It was also great to catch up with Toby at Redexim, who again thought the show was vibrant with plenty of people about and showing interest in their machines that included the new Turf Tidy 5000 that can scarify, flail-mow, vacuum and sweep large areas efficiently.

To sum up my two days at the show, I’d say it was a pleasant, vibrant and busy environment, with both exhibitors and visitors happy with the layout, content and vibe of the show. However, there did not seem to me to be a lot of local authorities, greenkeepers and top end professionals in attendance. It was also nice to see an increase in visitors from the landscape sectors. Talking to a couple of tree suppliers, they both reported good business.

It will be interesting to see the official figures of attendance when they are published. I still think there is potential to grow this show, but the outdoor space usage has been a game changer. It reminds me of the halcyon days of the old Windsor Show. And looking ahead, I am fascinated to see what further enhancements can be made to increase attendance of a wider audience of turf professionals.