E types. GroundsFest just happens to have some
SPORTS PITCHES
The People We Fully Expect to Meet at GroundsFest
very trade show has its
E types. GroundsFest just happens to have some
particularly good ones. Here are five people we fully expect to meet somewhere between the first coffee and the final pint.
The Wheeler-Dealer
He asks the price. We tell him. He laughs.
Not because it is funny. Because negotiations have begun.
“ Come on. What’ s the real price?”
Then he wants the show price. The serious-buyer price. The price if he takes two.
He does not need two.
At some point, a completely unrelated machine he owns will be offered as part exchange.
Eventually:“ I’ ll think about it.” He will be back 17 minutes later.
The Volunteer
He looks after six pitches, three teams, the clubhouse keys and somehow the defibrillator.
His contracted working week is zero hours. His actual working week is classified information, particularly at home. He does not care about GNSS, APIs or software updates. He has one question.“ Will it save me time?” It is probably the best question of the day.
“
“ He looks after six pitches, three teams, the clubhouse keys and somehow the defibrillator.”
The CEO’ s Nephew
He joined the company in March. His title contains“ strategy”,“ innovation” or possibly both. He is 22, pleasant and believes the industry should be doing more with AI. By lunchtime he will have photographed the robot, asked whether it has an API and suggested a partnership. He will then offer to introduce us to the CEO. The CEO is standing behind him.
The Retired Engineer
Retired is perhaps the wrong word. He has simply stopped receiving a salary for examining how things are built. He will walk around the robot twice. Say nothing. Crouch down. Look underneath it. Then ask:“ Why have you done it like that?” At this point, marketing should withdraw and locate an engineer.
The Expert
Earlier, he was a grounds manager from Worcestershire. After two pints, his remit expands considerably. He will explain what the FA should do, what manufacturers get wrong, why councils waste money and how professional football clubs could save millions. There will definitely be a story beginning,“ We tried that in’ 98 …” And the irritating thing is, somewhere between the third opinion and fourth story, he will probably say something brilliant.
That is GroundsFest.
TinyMobileRobots will be there with Origin, our UK partner. Come and find us.
tinymobilerobots. co. uk
62 GroundskeepingJournal. co. uk | September / October 2026