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Over the years many different machines
have been shown at the SED shows. This
short-lived 1.5 tonne 1.5-RB mini excavator
was unveiled
at Milton Keynes in 1998.
the organisers for it to be moved were a common
occurrence. It was also not unknown for him
to deliberately tip over a skid steer loader to create
excitement on the demonstration plots.
The next major move for SED came in 1991
when it relocated to a much bigger - 80-acre- site
at Fen Farm on the edge of Milton Keynes in
Buckinghamshire. Whilst further from London,
this venue was conveniently close to junctions
13 and 14 of the M1 motorway.
This larger site meant that many smaller
stands where no longer beside a demonstration
ring and it needed a methodical visitor to cover every aisle. This venue allowed the development of extra areas such
as Demolition and Recycling to add to the appeal of the show.
Date clash with Haydock Plant Show
1994 was memorable at Milton Keynes because of a supposedly accident clash of dates with the Haydock Plant
Show organised by the North West branch of the CMPE (Contractors Mechanical Plant Engineers). The shows
ended up sharing a common Thursday and I recall doing three days at Milton Keynes before travelling up country to
cover Haydock Park on the Friday.
During that SED in 1994 a radio controlled JCB backhoe loader forming part of the Dancing Diggers display run
by H E Services suffered radio interference problems and accidentally reversed back a little too far into the spectator
area. Luckily only one person suffered minor injuries but, by the end of the week, the word at Haydock was that there
had been multiple fatalities at SED. So much for the rumour mill!
Two years later the SED organisers managed to knock Haydock out of the UK exhibition calendar when they
persuaded all the major crane and access makers to be in their newly created Cranes & Access Village. Without the
booms for which it had become synonymous, Haydock bowed out.
A feature of SED in the Whipsnade and Milton Keynes eras was the presentation of Gold and Silver Awards for
the most innovative machines. Determined by an independent panel of independent judges, the Silver Awards were
announced on the show ground and the Gold Award revealed at The Lighthouse Club dinner in the evening. Rumour
has it that the boss of one leading machine maker was once so incensed that his latest new creation did not win Gold
that his company was noticeably absent from the show the following year.
There was also the year when a number of major companies chose not to exhibit in order to put pressure on the
organisers to cycle SED in with the Hillhead Quarry Show that traditionally is held every other year in the UK. But
their attempts were unsuccessful
and SED continued to be annual.
Memorable large stand
at Milton Keynes
Indeed some stands became much
more lavish at Milton Keynes. One
memorable example of grandeur
occurred in 2002 when Marubeni-
Komatsu built a large structure to
completely enclose a 21 tonne excavator
to dramatically mark the introduction
of the Dash 7 Komatsus.
However, as SED became 'the
National Show for Construction'
complete with its multiple themed
An aerial view of SED in the year
2000 at Milton Keynes showing
the enlarged event with the Site
Clearance Zone (foreground) and
the Cranes & Access Village (top
left).
Page 30 CP&E Contractors Plant & Equipment Vol 1 No 8