SALTEX starts later this month

This year’s SALTEX event at The NEC will include, for the first time, an ‘Innovation Hub’, featuring the latest groundscare innovations from robotics to pesticide alternatives, plus an insight into research and trial work findings.

ALTEX 2018, Europe’s largest annual event for groundscare professionals, takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, on 31 October and 1 November.

Visitors can register their attendance for free via the newly-designed website www.iogsaltex.com, which has information on the hundreds of exhibitors that will be on display.

New for 2018, SALTEX visitors can expect to see and experience the very latest groundscare ingenuity in a new area on the show floor which is purely dedicated to innovation and new concepts in grounds management via, for the very first time, a dedicated ‘Innovation Hub’.

Visitors can expect to watch interviews with industry experts and those at the forefront of new groundscare innovations and listen to research and trial work findings.

Furthermore, a number of key speakers will take to the stage to discuss and explore current groundscare trends such as cordless / environmentally friendly equipment, robotics, GPS control machinery, pesticide alternatives, pitch lighting (including watering systems and oxygen) and pitch monitoring systems.

The Innovation Hub will also play host to the SALTEX 2018 Innovation Award ceremony. Entries to the second ever SALTEX Innovation Award are now open and visitors can again expect to see the latest and very best in new grounds care technology.

Making its debut at last year’s show, the Innovation Award attracted a number of high-quality entries from across the globe spanning a wide variety of products, services and equipment.

Learning LIVE

This year’s all-encompassing education programme – Learning LIVE – features CPD-accredited seminars that are free to attend. They will take place in four seminar theatres on the NEC’s show floor.

Last year’s Learning LIVE programme featured more than 100 industry experts who took to the stage to address a variety of topical issues and highlight best practice case studies within the turf care industry – and feedback gathered from seminar delegates has helped organisers to create an even better line up of speakers and learning opportunities to suit the needs of all SALTEX visitors at this year’s event.

Day one will feature a panel debate including Professor Colin Fleming (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute), Neil Stubley (AELTC), Tony Bell (Middlesbrough FC) and Andy Gray (Southampton FC), who will discuss a chemical-free alternative to clean up your soil. Elsewhere, HR consultant Frank Newberry will be on hand to provide career development tips and reveal how to secure the top jobs, while delegates will get the chance to ask questions to a panel of pest and disease experts in a session run by the Amenity Forum. There will also be technical advice on offer within Dr Ruth Mann’s (STRI) presentation on how technological advances are helping to improve turf grass quality.

On day two, Phil Garrod (Advance Grass Solutions) will be sharing new ideas that have had successful outcomes in preparing pristine turf for multi sports on a single site. In addition, phosphite for cool-season turf grass management; sports pitch renovations; the benefits of topdressing and education in the sports turf industry will be addressed by expert speakers.

Visitor registration to SALTEX 2018 is free. The full programme of SALTEX events, including ‘Ask The Experts’ and the ‘Job Clinic’, can be found at www.iogsaltex.com.

To view the full LEARNING LIVE programme visit www.iogsaltex.com/learning-live