EXHIBITORS PLEASED WITH LAMMA TURNOUT

MARTIN RICKATSON, Service Dealer's agricultural machinery editor, writes . . .

“Throwing it down and freezing cold - ideal!” So went the words of one happy exhibitor at this week’s LAMMA, which - now it is well-established as an indoor event at Birmingham’s NEC - seemed to draw much better crowds than the last covid-delayed show, which had been moved from the traditional January slot to May, when many farmers are busy with spraying and silage-making, with attendances down noticeably as a result. 

Now back to its usual timing, and with weather that meant the only alternative for many farmers was a day in the office or the workshop, it was clear without counting that attendance when LAMMA 2023 opened on Tuesday this week was very strong, and there were plenty of visitors still present well into late afternoon, in marked contrast to previous shows where crowds have thinned out noticeably by mid-afternoon on day one. 

Some big names continue to stay away - John Deere, Claas, New Holland - and others appear to have decided to withdraw after the last show - AgriArgo UK (McCormick/Landini), Kuhn - but companies including AGCO, Same Deutz-Fahr, Kubota, and the majority of the major sprayer, cultivation and drill manufacturers - many of them British - had a significant presence. Many had clearly spent more on presentation, and a lot of the stands looked a little more like the smart Smithfield ones of old. 

That said, it’s hard to see some of the big names returning - Claas, for example, has invested in a demonstration facility at its completely revamped Suffolk UK HQ, and has made no secret that it has chosen to divert some of its show marketing budget into this. And now it has settled into its new home, the show could perhaps do with a rebrand - it’s a long time since it consisted only of Lincolnshire agricultural machinery manufacturers - and a little reorganisation - there seems to be no sort of form to how manufacturers and machinery types are organised throughout the linear hall arrangement.

It’s not on a par with major European international shows such as Germany’s Agritechnica, France’s SIMA or Italy’s EIMA, but on the evidence of this week, LAMMA is heading in the right direction when it comes to creating a UK farm machinery showcase of which the industry can be proud. The proof of the pudding, of course, will be in how many serious enquiries there were, and how many translate into firm orders to dealers. The spiraling costs of raw materials and finished products, plus continued supply issues and some caution about lower farm profit margins going into 2023 as input costs remain high, means the optimism of LAMMA 2023 was tempered with a little caution. But there were lots of smiling faces, and that alone made it feel like a successful show.

A full show report from Martin Rickatson will appear in the next issue of Service Dealer magazine