66 FARMSTAR LTD FEB / MAR 2022 • farmers-mart . co . uk
FORGING A VERY POSITIVE FUTURE
After the past 2 years of uncertainty , challenges , Covid restrictions , cancellations etc etc it was a joy to attend Farmstar ’ s Annual Open Day on the 20th of January .
IT was a crisp but thankfully fresh rather than freezing day . The Event was a testament to the whole Farmstar team as the final decision to stage the event was only taken the previous Monday . To pull a show like this together in such a short space of time was no mean feat . As I approached the yard I was met by an impressive display of machinery , and I would say more so than usual . The Farmstar sales team had taken on the task of organising the yard set up and with a mainly new dynamic sales team this year , the changes were apparent , and it looked the best set up I have seen to date . The day was very well supported by Farmstar ’ s key suppliers , the Kverneland display hitting you as soon as you entered the yard , and Bednar with a very impressive display giving demo ’ s during the day , attracting much interest . CASE IH had brought their show trailer along with an impressive precision farming presentation inside the unit , which customers enjoyed . CASE IH also had their new generation cab on display on one of their Optum models , which generated a large amount of interest , being one of the first in the country . Overall , there were more suppliers present at this years ’ show .
Kubota had a much larger presence this year with the inside tent consisted solely of Kubota machinery . Farmstar have expanded their range available to include Agriculture , Ground care & construction . The dedicated flagship Kubota depot at Newark is led by Simon Hall in Sales and Matt Pykett leading the service department .
FARMSTAR ’ S impressive show trailer was on site serving hospitality all day , which was very welcomed by both customers and exhibitors alike . There was also catering inside the main building , however this year ’ s show was designed to have more outside features and stands given the current restrictions in place . I for one thought this worked well and it ensured a greater flow of people to the supplier stands . You could tell that farmers were keen to get back to shows as it was difficult to speak to manufacturers as they were busy with farmers the majority of the day . I only managed a nod and quick hello with Andrew Waddington as I didn ’ t see him without a group of customers around him all day !
This year ’ s turnout was definitely up on previous open days . Andrew remarked to me afterwards that he and the sales team had been speaking with a lot more farmers and managers this year which is great for closing those all-important deals . This was in no small part due to the marketing focus of Charlotte McFarland who is the new Marketing and Events Co-ordinator and Gaynor Waddington , Operations and HR Manager . They had sent a lot more invitations to the full reach of the coverage area of all their depots . Andrew and the sales team , led by Sales Manager Tom Clark , really got stuck into things which resulted more new machinery being sold on the day . Used sales went well and a lot of farm Demos were booked in . Tom particularly enjoyed the day as January marked his twenty year anniversary with Farmstar .
The highlight of the refreshments on the day were without doubt the Hot Roast Pork Sandwiches supplied
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