So it’s nearly upon us the first indoor Lamma show. The show will be held at the NEC in Birmingham on the 8th and 9th of January rather than Peterborough showground. Whilst some people have been against the idea of moving the show, I for one fully embrace the idea. Many times I have stood on show stands shivering whilst talking to customers who are also shivering.The weather must have put people off visiting the show and especially after last year when high winds closed the show for the second day after destroying tents overnight. People who have travelled in the car for hours on end only to be turned away probably agree its time to leave the woolly hats and welly boots behind.
In Europe things are done a little different, at Agritechnica or Sima the inside stands are bigger, the faces happier, and the beer flowing – surely its time to join the revolution. LAMMA needs to compete on a European stage. To give our remaining manufacturers the chance to showcase their products we must tempt Europeans to make the pilgrimage. Thousands of British Farmers make their way across to Hanover to see the lastest and greatest, why cant we tempt the French and Germans to come this way in as great a numbers? British manufacturers need to help as well, rather than holding out to release new products at SIMA, maybe hold off until LAMMA.
So whats is there to be excited about this year kit-wise? There doesn’t seem to be many new products or maybe they have just slipped past us. At Thorncliffs we will be most interested in JCB launching the new Loadall cab, about time as the last one has been in production for over 15 years. This comes along with a change of numbers to signify the facelifted Loadall range, so rather than 531-70, 536-70 and 541-70 we have 532-70 (No 536 replacement) and the 542-70. It will also be interesting to have a look at the range of utility Fastrac that JCB is pushing which will also be on the stand.
LAMMA has always acted as the real start to the year, it’s a great place to get a feel for the optimism levels of the industry going into the new year. With Brexit so close now, it will be interesting to see how manufacturers and farmers are feeling and what the plans are for the forth coming year.Is it time to batten down the hatches and hide away until it all blows over, or is it time to have one last hurrah before the real pain of Brexit starts? Im sure the reviews will be mixed, some will be spending some will be saving.All that really matters is that the show puts itself back on top, no doubt attendance will be huge this year. The real test will be how many come back next year. Hopefully the tradition of LAMMA continues, the worst thing that could happen is that it loses its identity, it becomes another show desperate to take as much money from everybody involved as possible. I believe the price of a burger to be a good indicator of this!
Hopefully being more centrally based it will also attract people from further across country and with free parking and entry still being offered (for the first year) if you are going to any show this year it must be the one to choose.
As an aside I still find it strange that they kept the name from when it stood for Lincolnshire Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association.