SALTEX

At SALTEX you can see the equipment, materials and services used to look after sports pitches, golf courses, parks, estates, landscaped grounds and other outdoor spaces, and attend free seminars, over two days at NEC Birmingham. SALTEX is owned and run by the Grounds Management Association (GMA), a not-for-profit membership body for the grounds care industry, which says all revenue from the show goes back into the industry through the association. The 2026 show is its 80th edition.

SALTEX 2026 dates and free admission

You can attend the show and its seminar programme free, and park without paying in advance. The next show runs on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 November 2026 in Halls 17, 18 and 19 of the NEC. Doors open from 09:00 to 17:00 on the Wednesday and from 09:00 to 16:00 on the Thursday. Entry is free with registration on the SALTEX website, and the seminar programme is included in the free ticket. The NEC event page states that parking is complimentary for this show, so you do not need to pre-pay, and Birmingham International railway station is a five-minute walk from the halls.

Who you will meet

If you exhibit, you reach people from every part of grounds care, from apprentices and volunteers to senior decision-makers with purchasing budgets. The organiser lists its audience as professional sports grounds, grassroots sport, golf and greenkeeping, landscaping, local authorities, parks, forestry, arboriculture, horticulture, country hotels and spas, caravan and holiday parks, leisure attractions, and highways and rail infrastructure. Visitors range from apprentices and volunteers to head groundskeepers, suppliers and senior decision-makers. On its exhibitor page the GMA states that 75% of attendees are senior decision-makers and 36% hold purchasing budgets of £200k to £500k.

What you can compare on the show floor

You can compare products for every part of your grounds in one visit, with exhibits grouped into six areas:

• Groundcare equipment, including mowers, hand tools, utility vehicles, robotic machines and attachments
• Landscaping materials and maintenance equipment for commercial outdoor spaces
• Turf and surfaces, covering natural, hybrid and artificial turf, seed, top dressing and irrigation
• Technology and lighting, such as battery tools, LED and grow light systems, precision equipment and software
• Support services, including training, recruitment, health and safety and PPE
• Facilities and cleaning, from surface cleaners and street sweepers to workshop maintenance and commercial vehicles

Free CPD at the Learning LIVE seminars

You can attend CPD-accredited sessions and earn BIGGA education credits at no cost. Learning LIVE offers more than 30 hours of free sessions across three stages, with 79 speakers listed for the programme. The Main Stage features leading grounds professionals and industry experts, the Spotlight Stage covers specialist topics and emerging issues, and the Community Sport Stage is aimed at people running grassroots sports facilities. Themes include pitch management, careers and apprenticeships, climate adaptation, irrigation and drainage, artificial and hybrid pitches, pest and disease control, and funding for clubs. The programme is accredited by The CPD Group, and one BIGGA education credit is available per hour for each seminar attended. The Workshop and the Clubhouse are also part of the programme.

A show with roots in 1938

You are visiting a show that has served groundsmen since 1938, and the organiser quotes 7,463 visitors and more than 400 exhibiting brands. It began that year at the Hurlingham Club as the National Association of Groundsmen Annual Exhibition. It later moved to Windsor, adopted the name SALTEX, and moved to the NEC for its 70th anniversary. It has run as a yearly event apart from an eight-year gap during the Second World War and a one-year break for COVID-19.

Exhibiting at SALTEX

As an exhibitor you join a show where, the organiser says, 85% of exhibitors met most or all of their goals, and GMA membership can lower your stand costs. Stands are booked through the exhibit page on the SALTEX website. Eligible GMA members receive enhanced exhibitor packages and discounted stand space. Our guide to shell scheme or space only compares stand formats, and if this is your first show you may find choosing your first UK trade show useful.

Related shows for your winter calendar

You can plan several turf and land-based shows around SALTEX. Turf professionals may also look at BTME at Harrogate Convention Centre from 26 January 2027. Farm Business Innovation is at the NEC a week earlier on 4 November 2026, and LAMMA returns to the same venue on 20 January 2027. More events are listed under agriculture and horticulture trade shows and trade shows in Birmingham.

Source: thenec.co.uk/events/saltex, saltex.org.uk/why-visit, saltex.org.uk/learning-live, saltex.org.uk/history