New look for field days
The National Horticultural Field Day will look very different when it is held in Hawke’s Bay this June.
Organisers have revealed a new outdoor layout to take over the main arena area of the Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds in Hastings to make way for more trade and amore visually appealing event.
Event manager Anna Hamilton said the change had proved very popular with more than 60 per cent of the trade sites sold out four months before the event.
“Premier outdoor sites have been snapped up. It’s turned into a bit of a race between exhibitors to get a space within our exciting new outdoor layout,” Anna said.
Due to the impressive growth of the National Horticultural Field Day over the last four years, Anna said organisers made a call early on in their planning to change the layout as it gave them scope to keep expanding the event.
The contour of the embankment on the main arena will lend itself well to displaying machinery and horticultural equipment. There are also plans to create a social hub for industry networking, the highly regarded BNZ Seminar Series will return as well as Hawke’s Bay Young Fruitgrower of the Year alongside a new outdoor art competition.
The one-day horticultural event has grown into one of the most important events on the horticulture industry calendar with visitors from across the country.
Anna said it was a “business-to-business event” where education, networking and development are at the forefront.
“We wanted to make a significant change to the layout to create better traffic flow around the Field Day. It is important to incorporate the various competition aspects and education expo, and at the same time increase our capacity to meet the increase in trades exhibitors.
“This year we have an international exhibitor, plans to incorporate some pretty impressive industry innovation, and dynamic and innovative New Zealand businesses from all over the North and South Islands exhibiting.”
The National Horticultural Field Day is at the Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds on Thursday 29 June.
For more information Field Day and BNZ Seminar Series programme, or to receive complimentary tickets please email events@showgroundshb.co.nz or visit www.nationalhort.co.nz