WERE you lucky enough to attend last week’s Swedish Forestry Expo? Having drawn the Forestry Journal short straw, I had to stay at home while my two colleagues sunned themselves in Stockholm and had a whale of a time. (Albeit I was at a wedding with an open bar and they were paying £36 for a few pints, so who was the real winner?)
From what they – and many, many others have said – the show was well worth the wait, and looks set to be a key fixture in the forestry calendar for the foreseeable future. Maybe it was the raw newness of it all, a freshness APF, Interforst and Euroforest can’t quite capture, but the general consensus is the Expo scratched an itch that’s been nagging away at the industry for some time.
It was just a few weeks ago that I considered the future of the in-person shows in forestry and arboriculture in the wake of the ARB Show. If anything, the Expo has just reinforced my belief that they have to remain a key highlight for the industry.
Where else could Eco Log show off its new series of harvesters and cabin to as much fanfare? How else would Ponsse hope to get as many real eyeballs on its electric concept, the EV1? How many launches would pass by without a hint of recognition if they didn’t make the most of a captive audience?
READ MORE: First-ever Swedish Forestry Expo hailed a resounding success
Shows are good for operators, they are good for exhibitors, and they are good for journalists. For several days, FJ (and it will be the same for the forestry press across Europe) had the chance to speak to the people behind the brands and new products, which will always provide a more genuine insight than a press release.
Online launches and showcases have their place. But the Expo was yet more proof that our industry – unlike others – naturally suits an in-person event, where you can actually get up close and personal with machinery. Warts and all.
This piece is an extract from this week's Forestry Features newsletter, which is emailed out at 4PM every Wednesday with a round-up of the week's top stories.
To receive our full, free newsletter straight to your email inbox, click here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here