INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT SHOWN

The organisers of the SALTEX exhibition say Britain’s exhibition scene is back to pre-Covid levels with international exhibitors and visitors from over 40 countries now signed up to attend.

They say this overseas support with 12 weeks to go before the show opens its doors on 2 November shows the strength of this event, now in its 76th year, and is an indication that Britain is back to being fully open for business as exhibitors and visitors travel to the event from as far afield as Australia. 

As an example of this international interest, SALTEX points out that Francesco Dotto, president of GrAssMed, the Mediterranean Groundsman Association, recently tweeted: “[SALTEX] is the most important green fair in Europe, for real professionals, but also for those who to approach sustainable and serious green.” He is referring to the show’s focus on sustainability and the environment, key topics featuring in the Learning LIVE seminars.

This also is a view shared by SGL, manufacturers of grass growth products such as grow lighting systems and data monitoring tools, based in The Netherlands - one of many international businesses exhibiting this year. Derk Pelle, content marketeer at SGL, confirms the reason they attend is because “SALTEX is an inspiring, international event where turf professionals come together to exchange knowledge and learn about the latest innovations in the industry and engage with turf professionals face-to-face.” 

Geoff Webb, CEO of the Grounds Management Association, said of the show's international interest, “There promises to be a diverse visitor profile this year, we know there are visitors from over 26 countries already. We had a good show last year with our post-show visitor survey, showing that 83 percent of attendees rated SALTEX 2021 overall as excellent, very good or good, and 67 percent of those saying they attended specifically to purchase new products or services, and 84 percent either had full purchasing responsibility or contributed to the process.

"These are great stats, but we knew that it was post pandemic and people were longing to get out and meet up again but to continue this momentum is really encouraging.”