Keynote Speaker - Stuart Goldsmith

Stuart Goldsmith is an internationally award-winning comedian and highly regarded corporate keynote speaker.

Stuart specialises in tackling important, serious and often overwhelming subjects such as resilience and the climate crisis, via the fresh, engaging and accessible medium of comedy.

His TV credits include performing stand up on BBC institution Live at the Apollo and also on Conan, hosted by comedy icon Conan O'Brien.

Stuart created the hugely popular keynote: What Comedians Can Teach You About Resilience which he has delivered to organisations all over the UK and Europe to clients including: LEGO, eBay, Deloitte, HG Capital, Aviva, PwC, UKTV and the Office for National Statistics.

His 2023 solo stand up show all about the climate crisis, entitled Spoilers, won the prestigious Best Show 2023 at Leicester Comedy Festival and was one of the best-reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Times praised Stuart's "intelligent, well-crafted act" whilst The List said: "he's especially, piercingly funny on the hypocrisies we all indulge in."

Stuart is also a talented interviewer and host of the internationally renowned Comedian’s Comedian podcast. He has interviewed many of the comedy world’s household names, including James Acaster, Jimmy Carr, Sarah Millican and Sindhu Vee. The podcast has had over 25 million downloads to date.

The conference will be kicked off by Stuart. An acclaimed comedian, he will give us a fascinating insight into how important resilience is to function as a comedian.

Customer Insight - Ian Beecher-Jones, JoJo's Vineyard

Co-owner of JoJo’s Vineyard – a 2.2ha vineyard in Henley on Thames – Ian was director general of BAGMA from 1994 to 2006, then moved on to set up his own
precision farming consultancy business, working with farmers around the world to improve their use of precision farming yield data. Ian says one of the main challenges facing the viticulture industry is sustainability and what that looks like to a business.

Regenerative practices are a growing trend of management practices not only in viticulture but across the agricultural industry as well. Ian will explore what this means for farmers, growers and dealers over the next few years.

Customer Insight - Jim McKensie MBE, Celtic Manor Resort

Having started his career in greenkeeping in 1979 at the tender age of 17, Jim joined Celtic Manor Resort in 1993 to oversee construction of the Roman Road Course.

He became golf course manager upon completion of the project and subsequently developed a further four courses on site. Between 1999 and 2004 Jim also held the position of director of golf and is now director of golf courses and estates management.

Jim has hosted 19 full events on the European Tour and will speak on what, from his experience, a turf professional requires from their local dealer.

Another Perspective - Gary Whitney, Smartlawns Ltd

Gary Whitney is managing director of Smartlawns Ltd who specialise in robotic solutions for large area mowing and line marking.

He has spent over 40 years across all aspects of OPE sales, use and maintenance.

Most recently enjoying 25 years with Stiga, he was first promoted to national sales manager in 2014 and then managing director in 2018 - leaving in June 2024 to set up Smartlawns.

Gary will reflect on lessons learned across the industry and consider the network’s threats and opportunities.

Workshop - Nick Elston, How to Forge Ahead

Nick is an award-winning speaker and transformational speaking coach, best known for helping people speak with confidence, communicate with impact, and lead conversations that matter.

With a  background in lived experience storytelling and mental health advocacy, Nick works with businesses, leaders and teams to spark connection, inspire action, and drive positive change - all delivered with humour, honesty and heart.

Workshop - Neil Wilkins, AI for '26

Returning following his popular session from last year, where he introduced our dealer delegates to what AI can offer the business; Neil returns for an all-new session.

Marketing consultant and senior tutor at Cambridge Marketing College, Neil is a thought leader and strategist with over 35 years of experience at the intersection of business, marketing, and digital transformation.

Neil is the founder and host of the AI Marketing Summit as well as hosting his own popular podcast, The Neil Wilkins Podcast. He shares insights on key topics such as AI in business.

Neil’s focus in this year’s workshop is how much AI has changed in the past 12 months – how to integrate an AI into your systems and processes, and how to manage AI agents (the latest emerging AI tool) - helping dealers prepare for the coming year.