Machinery’s ally LAMMA

 I really enjoyed my visit there last month! It all started back in January 1982, when the Lincolnshire Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association (LAMMA) held its first show on the Lincolnshire Showgrounds. There were 50 stands and 2,500 people attended it. Over the years it has moved home a few times, and has evolved to become the wonderful indoor show that it is today at its current home, the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (NEC) – adjacent to Birmingham Airport.
LAMMA now features in excess of 800 trade stands and had an attendance of 45,000-plus visitors this year. If I was to put an Irish attendance on it, I would say 10-15 per cent were Irish farmers contractors and dealers; 21 Irish companies exhibited at the event.
LAMMA is an easy-access show from Ireland. You fly to Birmingham airport, get an internal NEC-bound train to the event, and you never have to step outside into the January weather if you don’t want to. We have a running joke with our UK agri friends that the Irish contingent is at LAMMA before they are as we have no traffic or parking to deal with.
As always, my LAMMA trip started by travelling out the night before to the event dinner in O’Neill’s on Broad Street in central Birmingham, and this year was no different. The fare was fine, and the conversation was flowing.
The next morning as we walked from our hotel just a few hundred yards to the internal train to the show, we discussed the machinery shows we have attended outside of Ireland in the past. The consensus was that LAMMA is more relevant to the UK and Irish markets. It is an obvious statement, I know, but the European shows put a greater emphasis on larger kit due to the bigger farm sizes.
As we entered the event for day one, we were greeted by a kaleidoscope of colour, hustle and bustle, as the stands filled up with visitors. As I made my way around the show visiting importers, distributors, and manufacturers, and visiting our many Irish friends exhibiting there, who did I bump into? One of my heroes, Kaleb Cooper from Clarkson’s Farm! We had a great discussion! He has never been to Ireland and I told him I will fix that!
As the day moved on, there were launches, demos, break-away sessions and seminars to attend. The clock became my enemy now as the flight back to Dublin beckoned. My travelling group agreed that you definitely needed the two days at LAMMA. We are spoiled in Ireland with The Ploughing in September and the FTMTA show in November in Punchestown – be sure to put these in the diary, to whet your appetites for LAMMA 2027! 

Until next month, farm safely, farm wisely!