Expo a fine day out for the family

GOLD Coast business people are dusting off their Akubras and RM Williams boots ahead of the annual Primex Primary Industries Expo – but there’s room for more.

The three-day event has been staged at Casino, northern NSW, since 1985, yet remains largely undiscovered by residents just north on the tourist strip.

And while Primex grows into international markets, the expo’s owner, Gold Coaster Bruce Wright, has put the focus back on his own home town.

Mr Wright said it was time people on the Gold Coast and Tweed realised “the best family outing was just down the road”.

Primex will be staged on May 16-18 this year and is expected to attract 400 exhibitors.

“Across the 18 hectares of Primex there are numerous activities for the entire family,” Wright said.

“From the Innovation Hub with the latest inventions and gadgetry, to the entertainment and food and beverage precincts, including the Paddock to Plate Pavilion to the real farm experiences, there literally is something for everyone.”

Many Gold Coast and Tweed businesses and primary producers already join the fun – motor dealers Frizelle’s and Bruce Lynton were part of an exhibitor sneak peek at this week’s launch.

Bruce Lynton displayed the new all-electric Jaguar I-PACE at the launch, which was the vehicle’s debut on the NSW Northern Rivers.

With an expected 25 per cent increase in exhibitors this year, Mr Wright is also anticipating an increase in last year’s figures of, crowd (22,500), overall sales from Primex ($47million) and the direct cash injection from visitors into the Casino/Lismore region ($4.2million).

ACROSS THE 18 HECTARES OF PRIMEX THERE ARE NUMEROUS ACTIVITIES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

BRUCE WRIGHT