Setting the scene

As mist slowly lifts off the Waikato River, drifting up the embankments and on to the surrounding lands, Vanessa Richmond and her team witness a great migration of people streaming down the frost-covered path and among the exhibits that make up the Fieldays.

Some come by car, bus or boat. Some even come by chopper. All 115,000 farmers, contractors and members of the general public will brave the ever-changing elements to experience “the biggest agricultural trade show in the southern hemisphere” from June 13-16.
Tractor-pulling and fashion shows. Beer-tasting and petting zoos. Equine exhibits and wood chopping competitions. The Fieldays caters to young and old, male and female, farmer or not.

For event manager Richmond and her team, these four days have been on the cards since April last year, when they started the planning process, including making decisions on such things as the over-arching theme for 2012. This year, that is ‘The changing face of farming’.

In the tiny room they call their office, this massive event is given shape. With tables and computers lining the room and messages such as “Eating is important, but sleeping is cheating” scribbled on the walls, there is a constant hum of activity.

Every little detail of the event has been poured over by at least one member of the Fieldays organisational team. From first site application to advertising and ticket sales, this is a never ending process.
The team starts taking applications from exhibitors as soon as one Fieldays finishes. Events executive Morgan Thomas is in charge of this part of the process. He is the first port of call for enquiring businesses and manages the programme that lists the exhibitors and their chosen sites, which is incorporated into the website where applicants can reserve their spot.

One of the biggest misconceptions of the Fieldays is that it costs a lot to have a site at Mystery Creek. The truth is that the physical site is reasonably priced, from as low as about $1000 to just over $10,000 for the four days.  The real cost comes in what the exhibitor decides to put or use on his or her site, such as staff and equipment.

As for rules and regulations of what can and cannot go on a Fieldays exhibit site, they are all pretty common sense. Don’t dig up the ground without consent. Don’t dig near power lines. Make sure your exhibit has clear exits in case of emergencies. Don’t build out of your allotted plot of land.

Common sense.

Although the job sounds daunting, Thomas enjoys the challenges it brings and reading the descriptions of what the 920 exhibitors are bringing.

Fieldays event co-ordinators Janine Hurst and Jacqui Cooper are responsible for the demonstrations and show events. Some of the shows this year are the No 8 Wire Art show, Big Little Town, Festival of Logging, excavator competition, the tractor pull and fencing competitions.

Cooper, who will be experiencing her eighth Fieldays as part of the team, believes networking is vital to bringing new demos to the event.  “I have worked quite hard, and I’m very excited to have Nici Wickes to come as the Placemakers Kiwi’s Best Marquee celebrity chef,’ she says.

Hurst, who has only been in the Fieldays team for two months, says she has enjoyed seeing the event come together. “I like dealing with sponsors and dealing with the individual committees from different parts of the society.”

Setting up the physical site begins from as early as a month before opening day. Trucks, tractors and piles of supplies litter the landscape, tagged with the site number and company name. Slowly at first, the exhibits take shape, before a flurry of activity sees it come together just in time.

Advertising for the Fieldays begins about the same time. Ariana Tucker is the head of communications for the team, taking on duties such as public relations and advertising. Anything heading out to the media goes through her.

On a small budget, roughly $150,000, Tucker has managed to organise the creation of three television advertisements for the Fieldays as well as other forms of advertising.

She also oversees the production of the Fieldays Programme – which is distributed throughout the event by Hamilton North Primary school volunteers as a fundraiser for the school – and communicates with Wintec on the Fieldays Exhibitor.

Charged with the responsibility to oversee the entire operation and set deadlines for the team is event manager Vanessa Richmond.

With over $529m being pumped into New Zealand’s economy, $129 of that in the Waikato alone, Richmond is not only responsible for the running of an event, but one that gives huge boost to local and national economies.

She is also charged with the responsibility of communicating with other departments within Mystery Creek and the Fieldays Society, including the 150-200 volunteers who help keep the Fieldays  running smoothly every year.

So spare a moment as you walk around the Fieldays. As you have a test-taste of that beer or while you are watching the tractors, think about Richmond and her team.  They organised all this.

And they are already in their tiny office, planning the next one.