Haymarket Exhibitions announces changes to Cereals event as the event enters its 40th year.
"It’s a fantastic achievement," says Event Director Jon Day. "Since its beginnings, Cereals has changed and adapted to many developments within the industry and been able to continue to deliver a comprehensive show for both visitors and exhibitors every year."
"Turning 40 has proved a great opportunity to take stock," he continues.
"Last year we conducted market research into how our visitors and exhibitors would like to see the event develop and in 2017, we will be acting on that information and building on initiatives started in 2016.
"We’ll be introducing several exciting new features and making changes designed to enable exhibitors to communicate more effectively with farmers, agronomists and others within the industry, and, to ensure that our visitors get more of the information they want.”
New at Cereals 2017
New features for 2016 included The Soil Pit and the Drone Zone.
Those to be introduced in 2017 will focus on areas of current relevance to growers from soil and drainage, to specialist crops and specialist business advice and include:
• The Specialist Crop Zone: dedicated to exploring novel plants and varieties that can thrive in the current agronomic environment, have added value and potential for the future.
• Tomorrow’s World: a glimpse at the most exciting up-coming technologies with applications to the arable sector
• The Knowledge Bank: a chance for a short one-to-one consultation with the specialist of your choice: finance, legal, engineering, take your pick
• Drainage & Soil: following on from the success of The Soil Pit, a chance to examine the impact of farm machinery and traffic on a designated plot
• Farm Forums: year round focus groups covering key topics facing the industry and also how Cereals can improve and evolve in the future
Great history
Natalie Reed, Cereals Marketing Manager explains: "Cereals is an event with a great history and we will always want to keep the foundations of excellent technical and business advice, new varieties and agrochemicals, while giving visitors and exhibitors the opportunity to investigate new products and technologies that will enable them to stay efficient and become more resilient and sustainable into the next decade and beyond."
Better communications
Cereals will also be improving the way it communicates with both exhibitors and visitors in 2017.
"Based on the interests that they select when they register, we will be able to give them more precise information at a time that suits them," says Natalie.
"We want visitors and exhibitors to know that we understand they have different needs, and that we have the ability to utilise technology to support this."
Visitors and exhibitors will also have more, easily-accessible information on event days through technology such as interactive ‘You Are Here’ boards.
"We are immensely proud of Cereals at 40 and the enduring and important role the event has played in supporting UK arable farmers to remain viable and sustainable throughout both good, and difficult, times," concludes Jon Day.
