Plantworx reshuffle

Weather conditions at the site of the UK’s Plantworx 2013 exhibition have led to a redesigning of the layout of the show.

The Dig Zone has had to be relocated to a new area next to the planned No Dig Zone, which has been adjusted to accommodate a new position for the visitor entrance. The organisers said the changes had been made to maximise traffic across the zone.

Plantworx is a new show set up by the UK's Construction Equipment Association (CEA). To be held at Stoneleigh Park in the Midlands, Plantworx is a biennial construction equipment trade show to fill the gap in the UK market left by the closure of the SED show. The inaugural event will be held from 14 to 16 May, 2013, and then every two years, alternating with the Hillhead quarrying show in Buxton.

CEA chief executive Rob Oliver said that the unprecedented weather conditions had led to the moving of the Dig Zone.

He said, “While conditions are currently dry on this field, there has been negligible grass growth. We have consulted agronomists, local farm management and show contractors.

“The conclusion is that, if the current cold weather is followed by any significant rainfall, there is no guarantee that the track-way needed for set up, access and the main thoroughfares in the zone will be stable enough for heavier equipment to be brought in without the underpinning stability that some grass cover would have provided.

“We are also conscious that we don’t want to provide a mud-bath for visitors and non-demo exhibitors in the Dig Zone,” he added.