Haymarket Land Events' Dominique Loral welcomes Geoff Burgess to the Smithfield 2006 team

Haymarket Land Events has appointed Geoff Burgess as event presenter to manage the Smithfield show, which runs from 30 November to 2 December 2006.

Responsible for the strategic and financial delivery of the show, Mr Burgess will be drawing on over 40 years’ experience in the agricultural engineering sector, working for organisations including Massey Ferguson, WrightRain, Kidd Farm Machinery and PJ Parmiter.

According to Haymarket Land Events it’s this extensive industry experience –
combined with the fact that Mr Burgess has been chief executive of the Royal Smithfield Club for the last eight years and was chairman of the Smithfield show for three years during the early 90’s – that makes him the ideal man for the job.

Commenting on his appointment Mr Burgess said: “These are exciting times for the Smithfield show, which is why I was so keen to be involved. Our challenge is to make it relevant to the business of agriculture – hence the 2006 show theme, Producing for Markets.”

Under this theme, the best of Smithfield’s machinery and livestock showcase will be combined with forward-looking business information and opportunities, including:

A new market opportunities area which gives farmers sections dedicated to added-value food production and diversification as well as non-food and energy crops
A dairy and meat market focus alongside the centrally-located ground-floor livestock ring
· Topical debates for each day of the event where visitors will hear panels of high-profile speakers discuss the importance of producing for specific market opportunities and improving returns
· New classes within the streamlined three-day livestock competitions are designed to highlight the production of quality meat and the market options that producers have for their businesses.

In addition to featuring its familiar line-up of Europe’s best machinery the
60,000sq m indoor show will also host theatrical machinery presentations staged in a lively ‘let’s do business’ environment.

Other focused areas of the exhibition include sections dedicated to crop protection, farm technology and grain. Cereals, oilseeds, sugar beet and renewable energy crops will all come under the spotlight as exhibitors and advisers push the agenda forward as part of this stimulating post-harvest technology section.

Mr Burgess concludes: “Producing for Markets is a theme highly relevant to every farmer and grower in the country looking to plan a sustainable and profitable business. I would urge farmers and their suppliers and partners to be at Smithfield 2006 from 30 November – 2 December.”

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