Make visiting an exhibition a pay day for your business, advises Paula Warman

Autumn brings a busy calendar of trade shows for the landscaping sector.

GroundsFest, FutureScape plus regional and specialist events all offer opportunities to discover new products, try machinery, learn from industry experts and build valuable relationships.

But attending an exhibition still has a cost – even when the ticket is free.

Travel, accommodation potentially and, most importantly, time away from the business all come at a price. If you and a team member usually charge £45 an hour and spend an eight-hour working day at an event, that represents £720 of chargeable time before you’ve paid for fuel or lunch.

That’s no reason to give shows a miss but you should treat the day as an investment and expect a return from it.

Go with a business problem to solve

Before attending, ask yourself: what does my business genuinely need right now?

Perhaps you need machinery that will improve productivity, a better system for managing enquiries, more reliable suppliers or help developing your team. You may want to learn about new materials, improve your environmental credentials or find ways of delivering work more efficiently.

Choose two or three priorities and review the exhibitor list and seminar programme beforehand.

Events such as GroundsFest bring hundreds of brands together with live demonstrations, free education and specialist areas – including its dedicated Landscape Zone – so a little planning will help you make the most of what’s available.

Otherwise, it’s incredibly easy to spend hours wandering around and still miss the people or information you genuinely needed.

Ask commercial questions

Being able to see, test and compare equipment is one of the greatest benefits of attending an industry exhibition.

Make the most of that opportunity – but don’t allow an impressive demonstration or “show-only” offer to make the decision for you.

Before investing, ask:

• What problem will this solve?

• How many labour hours could it save?

• Will it increase capacity or profitability?

• How often will we realistically use it?

• What will training, servicing and maintenance cost?

• Could we hire or trial it before committing to buy?

• What is the ROI?

A discounted price doesn’t make something a bargain if your business doesn’t need it. That shiny new machine or tech or service must earn its place in your business.

Make time for people

Some of the greatest value from an exhibition won’t come from a product. It will come from a conversation.

Talk to suppliers, manufacturers and other business owners. Ask what they are seeing in the industry and share your own experiences. One genuine conversation could lead to a new supplier, collaboration, referral or solution to a problem you’ve been battling alone.

Don’t dismiss networking as “just chatting”. Landscaping is a relationship-led industry, and consistently building those relationships can create opportunities long after the exhibition has finished.

Give your team a purpose

Taking a team member can be a worthwhile investment in their development but give them a role in the day.

Ask them to research a product, attend a seminar or speak to a supplier. Challenge them to return with one practical idea that could improve how the team and/or business works.

This encourages them to look beyond the current job and understand the wider business they are helping you build.

The return happens afterwards

The biggest mistake is coming home full of enthusiasm and then allowing everything to disappear beneath Monday morning’s workload.

Within 48 hours, follow up with useful contacts and review what you learned. Choose no more than three actions, give each one a deadline and decide who is responsible for making it happen.

Exhibitions can provide inspiration, education and opportunity but none of those will improve your business unless you act on them.

So, enjoy the day, do the demos and catch up with people. Just make sure you return with more than a bag of brochures and a free pen.

Paula Warman is the Landscapers’ Coach, working with landscapers to develop and grow their businesses through her Levelling Up mastermind and 1:1 coaching package. If you need her help please get in touch on the details below to book in for a free discovery call.

paula@thelandscaperscoach.co.uk | www.thelandscaperscoach.co.uk | @thelandscaperscoach

Or, check out Paula’s The Limitless Landscaper’s Podcast on your favourite podcast player.