The recession is over, The Hard Landscaping Show is hotting up!

Stihl join the big brands at The Hard Landscaping Show with World of Paving

Stihl UK are the latest big name to sign for the shows joining companies such as Kubota, Aco, Boddingtons, Probst, Instarmac and Avant Tecno. Other recent sign-ups of many include Eire based pre-cast paving manufacturer Barleystone Paving, sustainable drainage company Aquadyne and leading Danish manufacturer Larsens Building Products.

Visitors like the show line-up – “There’s a really comprehensive range of things to see – I thought it might be only block paving and stone on display…..”

Because the organisers understand the paving market, we know that the paving itself, the top layer, whilst being the element that excites the designer and the client, is only part of the story for the trade and that’s why we’ve worked hard to make sure that these are real working shows. There is drainage of all types including special SUDS products, specialist gravel retention systems, a wide range of digging and specialist muck shifting equipment, mechanical handling and laying, specialist hand tools, diamond drilling and cutting along with specialist cleaning products such as power washers and a wide range of paving treatments for sealing and anti-stain.

The best range of bedding mortars and jointing compounds seen at any show in the UK – ever! And a live installation masterclass sponsored by Steintec…..

This is a claim we can make easily with a line up like Steintec, Instarmac, Larsens and NCC Streetscape and not only will there be displays and seminars on this subject but also a live installation masterclass using silo-fed bedding mortars to lay granite setts which will then be finished with a number of jointing compounds to demonstrate the pro’s and cons of each method. But we won’t be taking things easy – the specialists installers will be laying the setts in a number of complex patterns in what promises to be one of a number of interesting and excellent live demonstrations that are sure to bring in the crowds.

Encourage your customers to enter the Projects of the Year Competitions

Don’t just leave visitor promotion to us – supported by exhibitors such as La Farge and Probst, we’ve offered some great prizes for project competitions in a number of categories. The winners will also get valuable publicity in post-show review copies of the trade press so make sure your customers to pre-register for the shows and enter the competitions – it’s easy and can all be done online.

The Artisans Avenue by Claudia de Yong will showcase the Best of British crafts

Claudia De Yong is a well-known award winning garden designer who is keen to promote the Best of British craftsmanship so she has teamed up with The Landscaper Magazine to sponsor an avenue of stands that we expect to create a great deal of interest for all types of visitor. You will meet companies such as Fenland Ironworks and Chris Nangle Furniture Design who are producing superb bespoke pieces that will enhance any project.

Machine Lay and Power Handling Demo Area sure to be a hit

A lot of pre-registering visitors have already told us that they are very keen to see the demo’s using the latest technology on the market from the two German manufacturers who lead the World in this field who are both exhibiting at the shows, Optimas and Probst. In the adjacent demo area, Kerb ‘n Turf will be showing their continuous concrete curb system and a range of stunningly realistic artificial grass that will really amaze all who see it.

Live Concrete Polishing Demo with HTC and Artevia is not to be missed

The UK’s specialist decorative concrete company Artevia -La Farge Readmix Ltd have got together with the World’s Number 1 concrete polishing machine manufacturer and have put together a demo schedule that will see some truly stunning polished concrete finishes created that will be sure to be in great demand with designers and clients in the years to come. The range of specialist Artevia mixes incorporating colour and self compacting capabilities can be finished in a variety of ways to create a truly outstanding result for many types of paving and you can see them all at the show.

Live Demo’s of Stencilled Concrete and Resin Bonded Overlays attracting great interest

Reactions to many types of decorative concrete can be mixed but Stencil-Tech aim to wow visitors with the fantastic range of finishes that stencilled concrete can offer and Artevia (LaFarge Readymix Ltd) will also be showing just how simple it is to cover any sound surface with an attractive and hard wearing overlay

The new Hard Landscaping Show logo unveiled

Well, we hope you like it, so far we've had a very positive response which is perhaps just as well as we'll all be seeing plenty of it over the coming months.

We think it's cleaner and crisper with a rather zen-like feel and hopefully it reflects the design and general creative process that goes into hard landscaping a little better than the previous graphic.

Stable Edge and Hexapath sign up for the shows

It's a very warm welcome to Rainbow Ltd to stand F9 at the Hard Landscaping Show where they will be displaying their Stable Edge and Hexapath products.

Steve Livermans GLEE verdict

I have always liked visiting Glee, getting to see how old friends are getting on, etc.,so it was a bit of a shock to find the show reduced and, on the last day, very quiet. Some exhibitors were quite pleased with whom they had seen - it was easier to get to them in a smaller show! There was a feeling that the trinket (TAT) side of the business was very over represented.

Talking to some press acquaintances there, confirmed what many observers are picking up on - the migration of exhibitors & visitors to far more focused shows/events.

In no sector was this more pronounced than in landscaping. The biggest exhibits were the ones focused on the DIY end of the business, and bagged aggregates, etc., for the Garden Centre trade - the core business of GLEE. Though a remnant of other hard landscape products were represented, the inevitable drift to focused shows seemed irresistible - roll on the HLS!.

I certainly don’t want to criticise Glee for the sake of it; its own refocusing on what it is about should strengthen it from the huge analogous mass it has become.

The King is dead, long live the King?

I've just read Claudia de Yongs' review of GLEE 2009 on Landscape Juice and in my far from impartial view, it nevertheless seems fair and balanced.

Our very own Stephen Liverman is at the show today so it will be interesting to get his assessment as to whether the show has succeeded for any of the hard landscaping sector exhibitors in what I believe is GLEE's true raison d'etre, namely promoting products aimed at the Garden Centre sector, rather than it's claims to be a vehicle to sell to designers and landscapers.

The landscapers that did visit GLEE certainly haven't pulled their punches in their assessment of the show on Landscape Juice "Will Glee be able to continue?"


We have had tremendous support for the concept of The Hard Landscaping Show from both potential visitors and exhibitors alike and this leaves us in no doubt that we were correct in launching a truly specialist event for the industry and we believe it will become the industry event at the expense of what appear to be no more than watered down add-ons to exhibitions with a different central theme.

At Last! Some Good News for the Building Industry

The overall year-on-year decline in construction work is easing up, according to the Glenigan Index for July, mainly thanks to strong performances from the public and utilities sectors.

Government funding filters through to construction starts
Private housing starts are still suffering according to the Glenigan Index

The Index, which tracks the underlying value of construction projects starting on site, recorded a 16% year on year decline in July, an improvement on the sharp declines of up to a third seen earlier in the year.

Educational, social housing and utilities projects all saw positive signs leading up to July, which partially offset the impact of weak private sector starts.

Glenigan anticipates that project starts across the industry will stabilise further over the remaining months of 2009, albeit at low levels.

Overall the North East, West Midlands and South England regions showed sharp falls in construction work. Only Scotland, Northern Ireland and Yorkshire & the Humber saw a rise in project starts in the three months to July, thanks to increases in public sector and civil engineering schemes.

Private housing starts remain weak, although not as low as they have been and developers have been concentrating on completing existing projects, which explains some of the recent activity.

Allan Wilén, economics director at Glenigan, said: "The fall in new project starts is forecast to moderate over the coming months as the initial impact of the credit crunch eases. However, with the UK economy in recession the flow of private sector projects in particular will remain weak.

"Furthermore, the encouraging pick-up in public sector starts in recent months may lose momentum during the second half of 2009. In particular, based on analysis of projects being tracked by Glenigan we now expect the flow of education and health projects schemes to slow during the remainder of the year. Accordingly while the Glenigan Index should gradually move away from recent lows, the value of underlying project starts will be weak for some time."

New Week -New Exhibitor

A very good start to the week today with Terram choosing their stand - for those of you who don't know, and there can't be many around, they are one of the leading manufacturers of geotextiles so we are very pleased to have them at the show.

The use of geotextiles or not, which type is the best, etc. seems to divide opinion as a thread last week on LJN (Landscape Juice Network) one of the show's media sponsors, demonstrated.

The show will be an excellent place to be able to talk to manufacturers like Terram as well as to compare views among one's peers and, to really "drill down" into the subject, consider attending a seminar.

Have a look at the thread on LJN - http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com/forum/topics/woven-or-nonwoven-landscape