Buoyed by a 10% increase in visitor numbers, the IOG Scotsturf exhibition once again delivered on all fronts – products were sold, the education events proved very informative, the award ceremonies were well received and the live demonstration area presented by Fairways/Ransomes Jacobsen and Multihog drew much attention.
With over 2,000 open space professionals through the doors during the two-day event at Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Hall, the gamut of groundscare products on show included 40 or so new products being displayed in Scotland for the first time.
With such an array of technologies on view, the event clearly appealed to everyone involved in grounds care and greenkeeping, as well as the sports, amenity, arboricultural, landscaping and play sectors.
Indeed, Chris Yeaman from the Royal Burgess Golfing Society, typified visitor reaction with his comment that IOG Scotsturf is “a good show with a broad spectrum of products and technologies” available to suit every need. While Stephen Appleton, from Angus Horticulture, added that “it’s the only event o its kind where I can meet a lot of important people in one place.”
Bryson Tractors’ John Condron led the exhibitor comments with applause for the high standard of visitors, saying, “Once again IOG Scotsturf has been a very good event; the quality of attendance has been up to the usual high standard – the USP is the fact that the show is clearly accessible to everyone, from apprentice right up to Course Manager – and the show’s co-location with Road Expo has no doubt helped attract some high-level local authority visitors”.
Indeed, John’s enthusiasm is understandable: in addition to reporting the sale of three New Holland tractors during the show – models TZ24D, T1560 and a TC24D with loader and backhoe – the company was also celebrating its winning entry in the New & Innovative Product Awards’ Small & Medium Machinery category with the Keith Kensett Graden sand injection machine (with Bents seeder attached).
Likewise, Mike King of Vitax Amenity proclaimed the audience “was of good quality”.
Vitax’s Enhance fertiliser – being displayed by the company’s Scotland distributor Terra Firma – won a New & Innovative Product Award, in the Fertilisers & Pesticides category. Other winners in the New Product and Innovation Awards were:
- Rigby Taylor’s Impact Gold line marking paint – fresh from its EDGE Award triumph announced at IOG SALTEX – won the Consumables & Sundries category; and
- Double A Trading won the Large Machinery category (for the second year in succession) with the Timberwolf 350.
Endorsing these comments, Bayer Environmental Science (on the Aitkens stand) reported an “excellent response to its Festival and Longbow herbicides.”
The IOG Scotsturf Stand Awards were won by Symbio (9-30 m2), Fleet Line Markers (31-60 m2)) and Hayter (64 m2 and larger).
The award ceremonies were complemented by the presentation of IOG bursaries (from show funds) to promote training, education and industry development to the land-based colleges Elmwood, GOSTA, Langside, Oatridge and SAC.
IOG Scotsturf www.iog.org/shows-and-events/iog-scotsturf