Kress backs GroundsFest Academy training with equipment and workshops

The GroundsFest Academy has announced Kress UK and Ireland as its newest Platinum Sponsor, giving a battery and robotic mowing supplier a route to put its equipment in front of groundscare trainees at free, hands-on education events, and giving the Academy access to technology its students are likely to use in the field. Through the sponsorship, Kress will provide demonstration equipment, run technology workshops, offer product training sessions and support Academy events.

The GroundsFest Academy is a free education initiative launched in 2025 by the team behind the GroundsFest trade show, funded by reinvesting show profits into training for groundscare and landscaping professionals. It runs eight free educational days a year and is led by Bradley Tennant, director of education.

Kress UK and Ireland is operated by Positec (UK & Ireland) Ltd from Newbury, Berkshire, and sells professional battery-powered outdoor power equipment, robotic mowers and power tools. The Kress brand was founded in Germany in 1928 and joined China-headquartered Positec Group in 2017.

Bradley Tennant, director of education at The GroundsFest Academy, said Kress UK and Ireland’s approach to innovation makes it a brilliant fit, adding that people entering the industry need training on the technology and techniques they will actually use in the field, and that the partnership gives students that edge.

Nicki Jones, head of marketing at Kress UK and Ireland, said the company is delighted to become a Platinum Sponsor, that investing in the next generation of talent is something it cares deeply about, and that the partnership supports the skills and training that will shape the industry’s future.

The Academy has a record of technology-led sessions: a 2025 robotics and green innovations seminar brought experts from Husqvarna, Turf Tank and Lantra to Stoneleigh Park, according to Hortweek, and GroundsFest’s 2026 programme includes sessions on battery-powered machinery and autonomous equipment, according to Landscape and Amenity.

For the sector, the sponsorship shows how equipment makers use free training programmes to put robotic and battery technology in front of the people who will operate it, while the Academy gains equipment and product expertise for its sessions.

Source: The Landscaper Magazine / Hortweek / Landscape and Amenity