The SALTEX
2018 post-show visitor survey has revealed that an overwhelming amount of
attendees felt that SALTEX 2018 was the best and most vibrant show to date.
SALTEX at
the NEC, Birmingham has again proved to be the annual meeting place for the UK
and European groundscare industries.
Only at
SALTEX does the industry have the opportunity to experience a comprehensive
overview of the latest developments and innovations in groundscare and to find
out about the capabilities of this sector.
Following two days of networking, education and innovation, the 73rd SALTEX exhibition closed with an independently audited, visitor total
of 8,902.
Visitors
attended from 44 different countries and according to the findings of this
year’s visitor survey, these attendees included grounds personnel,
greenkeepers, landscapers and contractors.
The event
organisers are very pleased to hear that 90 per cent of visitors, who took part
in the survey, were successful in meeting their show objectives and equally as
many rated their overall show experience as either very good or excellent and
no less than 90 per cent of visitors have already put SALTEX 2019 into their
diaries, which takes place at the NEC from 30-31 October.
Survey
respondents said that their top priorities for attending were to source new
products/services and suppliers (79 per cent) and discover new innovations (77
per cent).
More than
47 per cent used their visit for professional development by attending show
features such as the Learning LIVE education programme, Ask the Expert and the
Job Clinic.
More than
half of the survey respondents held a leading or management position at their
respective companies, with 84 per cent either having sole responsibility for
purchasing or contributed to the process. In addition, 65 per cent had the
ability to sign-off on amounts up to £50,000 and 12 per cent had the ability to
sign-off on amounts of more than £500,000.
The survey
findings also revealed that SALTEX visitors had very specific interests: almost
80 per cent attended to find out more about machinery, power and hand tools for
their daily work and nearly half of the visitors were interested in seed, turf
and aggregates. More than 38 per cent of visitors wanted to see exhibitors
representing both sport surfaces and facilities and landscaping materials.
Other areas of interest included: arboriculture, horticulture and forestry (37
per cent); commercial vehicles, tyres and trailers (33 per cent); synthetic
turf (24 per cent) and security, personal protection, health and safety (18 per
cent).
SALTEX 2019 takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on October
30 and 31. For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com
