Page 8 - OPE July 2019

INDUSTRY
Fieldays 2019
The “ayes” have it!
What were the key takeaways for exhibitors at Fieldays 2019 – were there more “yays” than “nays”? Andy Kerr and Steve Bohling report.
WHILE ORDERS PLACED
during this year’s event at Mystery
Creek may not have been universally up, several outdoor power
exhibitors we spoke to afterwards have been so busy since with leads generated by the event that a proper debrief remains on the to-do list!
While there remain some questions about confidence and therefore spending in the broad agri sector, the key players in outdoor power who were there this year generally report positive outcomes from the Fieldays sites that tended to eat up more of their marketing dollars this time round.
That extra outlay however seems to have paid dividends for most in terms of product and brand exposure while good weather kept outdoor areas humming.
Absolute numbers this year were however down on last with 128,747 visitors in 2019 compared to 130,866 in 2018 and the record high of 133,588 in 2017.
STIHL packs them in
STIHL Marketing Manager, Stace Hall, says that he noticed little difference in crowd numbers from previous years but, he adds: “Everything went well, sales were great for us, people had their wallets out, and our marquee was packed from Wednesday through to Saturday. So it was a very good vibe from my perspective.”
Plus, with the inclusion of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Arena again this year, the brand had more than enough activities to keep the punters happy when they weren’t shopping.
Says Stace: “We’ve always had wood- chopping competitions out the back of
our site but this year for the first time we held a full TIMBERSPORTS competition, including a rookies’ and a ladies’ competition.” (See page 10 for more on this.)
STIHL also had an interactive display featuring the soon to be released iMow robotic mowers which by all accounts generated plenty of interest with “heaps of
questions about the future of lawn mowing and the technology”.
Plus, adds Stace Hall: “People were quite surprised by its overall ability and how well it tackles slopes.”
Also featured in its own purpose-built, LED-lit display was the much anticipated STIHL MS 500i chainsaw. Although not ready for release until later this year, the
MS 500i provided the opportunity to talk about the cutting edge in chainsaw technology.
STIHL was one of several exhibitors selling products onsite for pick-up in-store with Stace Hall reporting orders “pretty much across the board”.
And for 2020? “We try to improve every year and bring something of great interest
08 NZOUTDOORPOWEREQUIPMENT JULY2019
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